Finding a Therapist

Why Professional Help Matters

Many people successfully quit or reduce cannabis use on their own, with peer support, or through online communities. But professional treatment significantly increases your chances of success — especially if you've tried to quit before without lasting results, or if you have co-occurring mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, or PTSD.

The good news: psychological treatments for cannabis use disorder have strong evidence behind them. Multiple systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials support their effectiveness. You don't need to figure this out alone, and asking for professional help is not a sign of weakness — it's a strategic decision.

Evidence-Based Treatment Approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is the most extensively studied and consistently supported treatment for cannabis use disorder. It works by helping you identify the triggers, thought patterns, and behaviors that drive your use — and then systematically building healthier alternatives.

What CBT looks like in practice:

• Identifying triggers: Learning to recognize the situations, emotions, people, and environments that prompt you to use. Your trigger might be boredom, social anxiety, coming home from work, or being around certain friends.
• Challenging automatic thoughts: Many people with CUD have deeply ingrained beliefs like "I can't relax without cannabis" or "I can't handle stress without smoking." CBT helps you examine these thoughts, test whether they're actually true, and develop more accurate alternatives.
• Building coping skills: Developing practical strategies for managing cravings, stress, negative emotions, and social pressure without cannabis.
• Relapse prevention: Learning to recognize warning signs, planning for high-risk situations, and understanding that a slip is not the same as total failure.

The German CANDIS study, one of the best-evaluated treatment protocols, combined CBT with motivational enhancement therapy and problem-solving training. In 279 patients, participants showed a major reduction in substance use with a Cohen's d of -0.9 (a large effect size).

PMC, "Evidence-based Treatment Options in Cannabis Dependency" (2016)

Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)

MET is designed for people who aren't yet sure they want to quit — or who know they want to change but haven't found the internal motivation to start. It's nonjudgmental and patient-centered, which makes it particularly effective early in the process.

What MET looks like:

• A therapist provides personalized feedback about your cannabis use and its effects on your life.
• You explore your own reasons for wanting to change (and reasons for not wanting to).
• Goal-setting is collaborative, not imposed. Nobody tells you what to do.
• The emphasis is on building self-efficacy — your belief in your ability to change.

MET typically involves just 1-2 sessions, making it one of the most accessible and cost-effective treatment options. Research shows it has similar effectiveness to CBT for many people.

An RCT of 188 participants found that MET was associated with fewer dependence symptoms and less cannabis use at 1-year follow-up.

Research on Motivational Enhancement Therapy for CUD

Combined CBT + MET

The combination of CBT and MET is currently considered the best-evaluated treatment approach for adults with cannabis use disorder. The Marijuana Treatment Project — the largest adult CUD treatment study to date, with 450 participants — found that 9 sessions of combined CBT, motivational enhancement, and case management produced significant reductions in cannabis use and dependence symptoms.

If you're looking for a therapist, someone who uses this combined approach gives you the strongest evidence base behind your treatment.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT is especially effective if emotional dysregulation is a major part of your pattern. If you use cannabis primarily to manage intense emotions — overwhelming anxiety, depression, anger, or emotional numbness — DBT teaches specific skills for handling these states without substances:

• Mindfulness: Staying present rather than escaping into substance use
• Distress tolerance: Surviving emotional crises without making things worse
• Emotion regulation: Understanding and managing intense feelings
• Interpersonal effectiveness: Navigating relationships without relying on substances

Contingency Management (CM)

Contingency management provides tangible rewards for meeting treatment goals — like vouchers, prizes, or privileges for producing clean drug tests. It sounds simple, and it is, but research shows it can meaningfully improve outcomes when added to CBT or MET. Ask your therapist if they incorporate incentive-based approaches.

How to Find a Therapist

Psychology Today Therapist Finder

psychologytoday.com/us/therapists — The most widely used therapist directory. Filter by:

• Issue: Select "Substance Use" or "Addiction"
• Treatment approach: Select "CBT" or "Motivational Interviewing"
• Insurance: Filter by your insurance plan
• Telehealth: Filter for online/video sessions if you prefer remote therapy

SAMHSA Treatment Locator

findtreatment.gov — A confidential, free tool for finding substance abuse treatment facilities in the United States. Maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Your Insurance Network

Call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask for providers who specialize in substance use disorders. Insurance companies are required to cover mental health and substance use treatment under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

Telehealth Options

Online therapy has expanded enormously and is a legitimate, effective option for CUD treatment. It offers privacy, convenience, and access to therapists you might not be able to see in person. Many therapists now offer video sessions, and some specialize in substance use treatment delivered entirely online.

Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist

Not every therapist is experienced with cannabis use disorder. When you contact a potential provider, consider asking:

• "Do you have experience treating cannabis use disorder specifically?" (Not just substance use generally — cannabis has its own patterns and challenges.)
• "What treatment approach do you use?" (You're looking for CBT, MET, or combined approaches.)
• "Are you open to harm reduction goals, or do you only work toward abstinence?" (This matters if you're not sure complete abstinence is your goal.)
• "How many sessions does your typical treatment involve?"
• "Do you accept my insurance / offer sliding scale fees?"
• "Do you offer telehealth sessions?"

What to Expect in Your First Session

The first session is usually an assessment — the therapist is getting to know you, your use patterns, your goals, and your history. Here's what typically happens:

• They'll ask about your cannabis use: When you started, how much you use, how often, what products, what triggers your use, whether you've tried to quit before.
• They'll ask about your mental health: Anxiety, depression, sleep, trauma, other substance use. This is important because co-occurring conditions significantly affect treatment planning.
• They'll ask about your goals: Do you want to quit entirely? Reduce use? Figure out whether you have a problem? A good therapist will work with your goals, not impose their own.
• They'll explain their approach: How they work, what to expect, how many sessions they recommend.
• You get to evaluate them too. The therapeutic relationship matters enormously. If you don't feel comfortable with a therapist after a session or two, it's okay to try someone else. Finding the right fit is more important than sticking with the first person you see.

Research examining 16 years of data found that only 16.5% of people with CUD receive any substance use treatment. Common barriers include not knowing where to access treatment, not being ready to stop, and perceiving stigma.

CannabisDependence.org Research Report