Mapping the pattern
Identify the situations, interpretations, emotions, and responses that keep a cycle going—so the problem becomes specific enough to work on.
CBT therapy in Atlanta
Practical ways to work with thoughts, emotions, and habits.
We look together at how thoughts, emotions, and actions affect one another, then practice changes between sessions. Sessions are available at Perimeter Mood & Anxiety Program in Atlanta and by telehealth for adults in Georgia.
- Consultation
- The initial consultation is free and typically lasts 15 minutes. I will respond within 24 hours.
- Sessions
- In person in Atlanta, or telehealth for clients physically located in Georgia.
- Payment
- Private pay. Insurance is not accepted.
Alireza Ehteshami, Ph.D., Pre-Licensed Professional in Clinical Psychology, practicing under the supervision of Craig Kerley, Psy.D., Georgia license PSY002840.
Where therapy can begin
A thought can feel completely true in the moment and still deserve examination.
Distress rarely announces itself as a thought. It arrives as certainty—that the unanswered message means trouble, that the mistake will define you, that saying no will cost the relationship. Acting on that certainty often makes short-term sense while quietly keeping the problem in place.
CBT works by making these fast interpretations visible and treating them as predictions rather than facts. Together we examine what your mind expects, find ways to test those expectations in real situations, and build patterns of thinking and acting that hold up against your actual experience.
Your clinician
I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Emory University and completed an APA-accredited predoctoral internship through Emory University School of Medicine’s Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Psychiatry program.
I am completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Perimeter Mood & Anxiety Program. I draw from evidence-based treatments including CBT, ACT, and DBT, selecting methods according to each person’s needs rather than applying a single formula.
Supervision
I am a Pre-Licensed Professional in Clinical Psychology. I provide clinical services under the supervision of Craig Kerley, Psy.D., a licensed psychologist in Georgia, license number PSY002840.
How CBT works in practice
The method is transparent. You will always know what we are working on, why, and how we will judge whether it is helping.
Testing predictions
Put anxious or self-critical expectations in contact with evidence—often through experiments in daily life rather than debate in the office.
Changing what maintains it
Approach what has been avoided and adjust the routines and responses that keep distress fed, so new experience—not willpower—revises what your mind expects.
How I work
Change comes from new experience, not from arguing with yourself.
I use CBT as a disciplined method rather than a script: agendas we set together, between-session practice sized to your life, and regular review of what is actually changing. It sits alongside ACT and DBT in my training, so when a concern calls for a different emphasis, the work can shift without starting over.
Specific beats general
“I’m anxious” is hard to work with; “I rehearse conversations for an hour before making a call” is workable. We make the problem concrete first.
Practice between sessions
Most of the change happens during the week. We design practices that are doable under real conditions, and the ones that go badly often teach us the most.
Progress you can point to
The work is judged by what you can now do, approach, and sustain—not only by how a symptom score moves.
Common questions
If your question is not covered here, you are welcome to bring it to our initial conversation.
What kinds of concerns respond well to CBT?
CBT has strong research support for anxiety and worry, panic, low mood, perfectionism, and many stress-related difficulties. It is also a practical frame for less categorical problems—procrastination, self-criticism, avoidance—where a clear pattern keeps repeating. The initial consultation is where we consider fit honestly.
Is CBT just positive thinking?
No. CBT does not ask you to replace negative thoughts with pleasant ones. It asks whether a specific expectation is accurate and useful, and it takes real problems seriously—sometimes the work is changing a situation, not a thought.
How does CBT relate to ACT and DBT?
They belong to the same evidence-based family. CBT works most directly with the content of thoughts and the behavior around them; ACT emphasizes changing your relationship to thoughts and acting on your values; DBT adds structure and skills for fast, intense emotion. I trained in all three and match the emphasis to the problem, so you do not need to choose an approach before reaching out.
Will there be homework?
Usually some between-session practice, designed together and sized to your actual capacity—an experiment to run, a skill to try, something to observe. It is not busywork, and falling behind on it is information we use, not a failure to apologize for.
Begin with a brief conversation
The initial consultation is free and typically lasts 15 minutes. I will respond within 24 hours. This form does not ask for clinical or medical information.
- Practice
- Perimeter Mood & Anxiety Program
- Telehealth
- For clients physically located in Georgia
You are welcome to share your name, preferred contact method, and general availability. To support HIPAA privacy safeguards, please do not include sensitive clinical or medical information in this form.
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