Capital Institute For Cognitive Therapy

I have dealt with depression, anxiety, and OCD for most of my life. I went to see Dr. Dennis while I was a student in DC. Out of all the therapists I seen, Dr. Dennis is by far the most knowledgable CBT therapist I have known. CBT, cognitive behavior therapy, is known to be the most effective psychotherapy to treat anxiety and OCD. Specifically, he used ERP, exposure response prevention, in helping me treat my OCD. He showed me that the CBT therapists I saw before were insufficient in treating my OCD.
My OCD was very obsession-​based. I mainly had thoughts in my head. I didn’t have compulsions such as flipping a light switch. Because my OCD was mainly obsessional, we had a tough time finding exposures for me to do. Because of this, I never sufficiently managed my OCD. However, if you have any anxiety-​based disorders such as OCD, I highly highly recommend you to see Dr. Dennis. His knowledge about OCD and CBT will help you understand your disorder, and his treatment can help you overcome.
I am grateful to Dr. Dennis for helping me. Without him, I would not be where I am today. As I have left DC, I have found another CBT therapist (one that, like Dr. Dennis, actually knows how to treat patients like me). What Dr. Dennis taught me definitely taught me what I should look for in an effective therapist. I have also found alternative treatments such as traditional chinese medicine and acupuncture to be really effective for me. I have tried every SSRI, but I am no longer on medication.
I have a little different experience with other posters about insurance. With my student insurance, I was able to file my sessions with the insurance company by myself and I was reimbursed for more than half the cost. I’m not sure if it’s just my insurance, but it’s definitely worth checking to see if you can file yourself. I know Dr. Dennis and the Institute does not handle insurance matters.
The only thing that I wish Dr. Dennis would do is provide his phone number for emergency situations. All my other therapists have given me emergency phone numbers for urgent situations. Dr. Dennis only gives his email, and he does respond in a timely manner. I never actually asked if I could have a phone number; but since he never mentioned it and only gave me his email, I just assumed that he didn’t take phone calls.

Dr. Dennis is an extraordinary therapist who empowers and supports patients towards true healing. I am so unbelievably grateful to have had him as my therapist and can not say enough good things about him, so I will simply say that he has therapeutically changed my life in ways I didn’t think were possible. His care is evidence that cognitive behavioral therapy works if you are willing to put in the effort.
The practice does not accept insurance, but from what I’ve heard, the good ones rarely do because insurance is a pain to deal with for mental health providers. If you can afford it, and are willing to put in the hard work, you won’t regret it.

Dr. Dennis is as good as it gets. He is patient, kind, and insightful. Sessions with him have changed my life — I suffered from a flying phobia for 10+ years, and with his amazing help I overcame it. The world has opened up to me in ways I didn’t think it ever would again. I wish CICT took insurance, I would see this guy twice a week!