Mountainside Behavioral Health: DBT, CBT, Costs and How It Works

What is Mountainside Behavioral Health?

Mountainside Behavioral Health is a small private therapy practice south of central Denver. Its office is in Greenwood Village, near the Denver Tech Center, and it also sees clients by video anywhere in Colorado. It describes itself as a female-owned practice that offers "compassionate, evidence-based mental health treatment" to individuals and families.

The practice is built around two structured therapies:

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): a skills-based therapy developed for people whose emotions arrive faster and harder than they can manage. Mountainside offers individual DBT and two weekly DBT skills groups.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): a structured, present-focused therapy that works on the links between thoughts, feelings and behavior. The practice uses it for concerns such as anxiety, depression, OCD, phobias and insomnia.

On top of those, it lists trauma-focused work (including a protocol called DBT-Prolonged Exposure, or DBT-PE), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD, parent training, couples therapy and family therapy. The site says the practice specializes in "emotion dysregulation, trauma, self-harm and suicidal ideation," and that its clinicians bring "over a decade of intensive training" in DBT and CBT.

It is a talk-therapy practice only. It does not prescribe medication, does not run an intensive outpatient or day program, and says plainly that it is not a crisis service (see what it does not offer).

Who owns and runs Mountainside?

The practice names two co-owners:

• Emily Biggs-Heisler, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist who is the Clinical Director and a Co-Owner. The site says she works with clients aged 12 and older, provides individual, family and couples therapy, teaches DBT skills groups and supervises staff and trainees.
• Anabelle Brecker, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker and Co-Owner, who offers individual therapy and DBT skills groups for clients aged 15 and older.

The site calls Mountainside a "female-owned practice" throughout. Colorado's business records list Mountainside Behavioral Health, LLC as a Colorado limited liability company formed on 10 April 2025, and the federal NPI registry lists an organization record for Mountainside Behavioral Health at the Greenwood Village address. The site itself does not give a founding year.

Is Mountainside Behavioral Health legit?

People reasonably ask this before handing over private details and paying out of pocket. Here is what can be checked independently:

• State licenses. We looked up the team in Colorado's Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) license data on 19 October 2026. Emily Biggs-Heisler holds an active Colorado psychologist license (expires 31 August 2027). Anabelle Brecker holds an active Colorado clinical social worker license, issued 27 April 2026 (expires 31 August 2027). Audrey Fisher holds an active Colorado LPC license (expires 31 August 2027), and Michael Berrebi holds an active Colorado LPC license (expires 31 August 2027). You can repeat the search yourself in DORA's license lookup.
• Federal provider records. The NPI registry, which lists health care providers who bill or prescribe under U.S. rules, has an organization record for the practice and individual records for two of its clinicians at the Greenwood Village address.
• A real office and direct contact. The practice publishes a street address with a suite number, a local phone line, (720) 762-4619, and an email address, contact@mbhco.org.
• Published fees. Session prices are posted on the site rather than given only after intake, and the practice states its out-of-network status in plain words.
• Named clinicians with stated credentials. Every therapist is named with a credential, a role and the ages they see. Two team members are trainees (a postdoctoral fellow and a doctoral candidate), and the site labels them as such.
• Client and colleague comments. The home page quotes three professional references for Dr. Biggs-Heisler from colleagues and a former professor, and a testimonials page shows short client comments. These are selected and displayed by the practice itself.

Who are the therapists?

The site names six clinicians. Ages, formats and languages below are as each bio states them. The site says you are matched with a therapist at the free consultation, and you can ask to switch if the fit isn't right.

Two practical points. First, if you want a Spanish-speaking therapist, the site names Dr. Huizar, who sees teens, young adults and families. Second, the team's training backgrounds differ: Dr. Biggs-Heisler is the one named on the site as trained in DBT-PE, and Caroline James is the one who sees children under 11. Ask for the clinician whose training matches what you need.

What services does Mountainside offer?

The site lists individual, couple and family sessions as its three session types, with DBT, CBT and trauma-informed treatment as its three named therapies. Condition pages (anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, borderline personality disorder and others) explain how those therapies are used for each concern.

How DBT works at Mountainside

DBT is the practice's main specialty. The site describes "comprehensive DBT" as running on two tracks:

• Individual sessions, where the skills are applied to what is happening in your own life.
• A weekly skills group, which works like a class and teaches the four DBT modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.

The practice's treatment-approach page also lists phone coaching as part of comprehensive DBT. The site does not spell out how coaching works at Mountainside (hours, who answers, whether it is included in the fee), so ask about it at your consultation if it matters to you.

You don't have to be in individual therapy to join a group. The groups page says that although comprehensive DBT usually includes both, you can join a group on its own, and the team will talk with you about whether adding individual sessions makes sense.

The site sets expectations about commitment. It says DBT asks for "consistent attendance, practising skills between sessions, and a willingness to keep going through the stretch where things feel harder before they feel easier." Plan for a weekly group plus individual sessions if you choose the full program.

DBT skills groups: schedule, length and cost

These are the two groups published on the site when we checked.

What a session looks like. According to the groups page, each two-hour session usually opens with a short mindfulness exercise, then reviews the week's practice assignments, then teaches the next skill through teaching, discussion and practice. The site stresses that these are not process groups: you are not asked to tell your story or process trauma in front of the group. Between sessions you do practice assignments, which are reviewed the next week. The site says both groups are run by two clinicians and that group sizes vary, so ask for the current number.

Teens need a parent there. The teen group is multi-family by design: a parent or caregiver attends with the teen so the household learns the same skills.

Missed sessions. Because the adult group is rolling, missed material comes around again in a later cycle. For the 24-week teen group, the site recommends steady attendance and says the team will work with families when conflicts come up.

CBT, ERP and trauma treatment

CBT. The CBT page says sessions are typically 45 minutes, weekly or every other week. Each one follows a set structure: a check-in on the week, a review of skills or homework, work on a specific goal, and a plan for the coming week. The site's ad landing page says CBT "often lasts 12 to 20 sessions," and its school refusal page adds that it can't promise a timeline because length depends on the person.

ERP for OCD. The OCD page describes Exposure and Response Prevention: an assessment of obsessions, compulsions and avoidance, then a ranked list of triggers that becomes the roadmap, then step-by-step exposures in 45-minute weekly sessions with practice between sessions. The page says many clients complete a focused course in 12 to 20 sessions and that timing varies.

Trauma-focused care and DBT-PE. The practice lists DBT-Prolonged Exposure, a protocol that adds trauma-focused exposure work to DBT once stabilizing skills are in place. The trauma page describes its aims as treating PTSD, avoiding harmful coping, improving quality of life and fitting trauma into a coherent life story. The site also describes its general approach as trauma-informed, which it explains as safety, choice and collaboration, pacing and cultural humility. The site does not list EMDR.

Other methods named on the site: Motivational Interviewing, loving-kindness and mindfulness practices, CBT for insomnia (CBT-I), behavioral activation for depression, and STEPPS (listed in one clinician's training).

What concerns does Mountainside work with?

The site has a page for each of these. Listing a concern means the practice says it works with it, not that a particular therapy will work for you.

• Emotion and mood: emotion dysregulation, depression (major and persistent depressive disorder), bipolar disorder, anger.
• Anxiety: generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, illness anxiety, OCD.
• Trauma: PTSD and complex trauma.
• Safety concerns: self-harm and chronic suicidal thoughts, in outpatient care. Every clinician is described as trained in brief suicide prevention.
• Personality: borderline personality disorder (BPD).
• Eating and body image: anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID and body dysmorphia.
• Other: ADHD-related emotional challenges, insomnia, gender dysphoria, substance use, school refusal, relationship and family conflict, and sports and performance concerns.

The practice says it is affirming of the LGBTQIA+ community. If your main concern is an eating disorder or substance use, ask which clinician handles it and whether outpatient therapy alone is the right level of care.

Teens, children, parents and school refusal

Young people and their families are a large part of the practice. The teen therapy page lists anxiety, depression, self-harm, emotion dysregulation, ADHD-related struggles, eating and body image concerns, school stress, social pressure and identity questions.

Parents are involved on purpose. The site offers three ways in: 45-minute parent training sessions ($175 to $200) on communication, boundaries, responding to emotional crises and reinforcing skills; the multi-family teen DBT group, where parents attend alongside their teen; and family therapy for conflict or major transitions.

School refusal. Mountainside has a dedicated service for children and teens who have serious trouble getting to school or staying there because of emotional distress. It offers CBT with gradual, planned steps back to school, parent training, and DBT skills for teens with intense emotions, for ages 8 and up, in person or by telehealth. The site says that if your teen is not ready to come in, you can ask about starting with parent training sessions. It also says it helps parents prepare for conversations with the school, and it runs a free school refusal resource center on its site with guides on Colorado attendance rules, 504 plans and IEPs.

Youngest clients. The school refusal page says the practice does not see children under 8 and suggests a pediatrician or a psychologist who works with young children instead. Other pages give older starting ages (11 or 12) because age ranges depend on the clinician. If your child is under 12, ask specifically which therapist would see them.

Confidentiality for teens. The FAQ says therapy is confidential, with limits required by law, such as imminent danger or suspected abuse of a minor, and that these limits are explained in the first session.

Where is Mountainside, and is telehealth available?

The office is at 8100 E Maplewood Ave, Suite 230, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, near the Denver Tech Center. Many pages refer to it as the "Denver office." The site doesn't publish parking or transit directions, so ask when you book.

Telehealth is offered anywhere in Colorado. The telehealth page says:

• Sessions are live video on a HIPAA-compliant platform; you get a secure link.
• You need a private space and a device with a camera and microphone.
• Sessions are 45 minutes, the same as in person.
• Telehealth fees are the same as in-person fees.
• Individual, couples, family, parent training and DBT and CBT work are all offered by video.

Telehealth is described as being for clients located in Colorado. If you live elsewhere, ask before booking.

Hours. The site does not publish office hours. The only fixed times it gives are the group slots (Tuesdays 11 AM to 1 PM for adults, Mondays 5 to 7 PM for teens). Ask about evening or weekend individual sessions when you call.

How much does Mountainside cost?

These are the fees on the practice's insurance and pricing page when we checked on 19 October 2026. The site says individual rates vary with the clinician's credentials and experience, and your exact rate is confirmed at the free consultation.

What a month can look like. These are simple sums from the published fees, before any insurance reimbursement. Weekly individual sessions at $175 to $200 come to about $700 to $800 over four weeks. An adult in the full DBT program (weekly individual session plus the Tuesday group) would pay about $1,200 to $1,300 over four weeks. A family in the 24-week teen group would pay $3,600 for the group alone over the full program. Your real total depends on frequency, which you agree with your therapist.

Paying. You pay at each appointment, in person or for telehealth. The site says HSA and FSA funds can be used. It publishes flat rates and says it does not offer a sliding scale, but invites you to raise cost at the consultation. The site doesn't list which card types it takes or a cancellation fee, so ask about both before your first session.

Does Mountainside take insurance?

No, not directly. Mountainside is out-of-network with every insurer, including Medicaid (Health First Colorado), and does not bill insurance companies. Instead:

1. You pay the practice at the time of each session.
2. The practice gives you a superbill, after each session or monthly if you prefer. The site says it lists the therapist's name, credentials and NPI number, the date and length of the session, CPT and diagnosis codes, and the amount paid.
3. You submit it to your insurer through its member portal, by email or by mail.
4. If your plan has out-of-network mental health benefits, the insurer reimburses you directly.

The site says many PPO and some POS plans include out-of-network benefits and that reimbursement is often 50% to 80% once you've met your out-of-network deductible. That depends entirely on your plan, so check before you start. The practice suggests calling the number on your card and asking:

• Do I have out-of-network outpatient mental health benefits?
• What is my out-of-network deductible, and how much have I met this year?
• What percentage do you reimburse for outpatient therapy (CPT codes 90834 and 90837)?
• Is there a yearly session limit, and is prior authorization required?
• How do I submit a superbill? (Ask separately about group therapy if you plan to join a DBT group.)

The practice gives two reasons for staying out-of-network: control over treatment length and approach, and privacy, because diagnosis and treatment details do not go to your insurer unless you submit a claim. Because it is out-of-network, the site says it cannot verify your benefits for you.

What happens when you reach out

1. Ask for a free consultation. Use the contact form, call (720) 762-4619 or email contact@mbhco.org. The site describes a short, no-pressure phone call of about 15 minutes.
2. The consultation call. You talk about what's going on, what you want from therapy, any past therapy, and practical questions about schedule, session length and cost. The practice says it will tell you if it thinks something else would serve you better.
3. Matching. The team matches you with a clinician based on your goals, age and preferences.
4. Intake paperwork. Before the first session you fill out background forms, consent forms and short questionnaires.
5. First session (intake assessment). Your therapist learns your history, current challenges and goals. The site says you set the pace and nothing is shared without your consent.
6. Treatment plan. You agree a plan, which may combine individual therapy, a skills group and family involvement.
7. Weekly work. Sessions are 45 minutes, usually weekly, with skills practice between sessions. You pay per session and get superbills if you want to claim.

What Mountainside does not offer

The practice is clear about what is outside its scope. Knowing this up front saves a wasted call.

• No medication. It does not prescribe. You'd need a separate prescriber, such as a primary care doctor or psychiatrist.
• No intensive programs. It does not run intensive outpatient (IOP), partial hospitalization or day treatment.
• No school testing. The school refusal page says it does not provide the educational or psychological testing a school uses for a 504 plan or IEP.
• Not a crisis service. If you are in crisis in Colorado, the site points you to 988 (call or text) for the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line, or 911 for immediate danger.
• No in-network billing. As above, it does not bill any insurer.

How it compares with other options

Mountainside is one kind of outpatient care. This table compares it with general categories, not named providers.

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Questions to ask at your consultation

1. Which clinician would you match me (or my child) with, and what is that clinician's fee within the $175 to $200 range?
2. Does that clinician see clients in person, by telehealth or both, and what days and times are open?
3. Is there a waitlist for individual sessions or for the next group cycle?
4. For DBT: is phone coaching available, how does it work, and is it included in the fee?
5. What is your cancellation or missed-session policy?
6. Which payment methods do you take, and how often will I get superbills?
7. For a teen: how much will the parent be involved, and what stays confidential?
8. If my needs grow beyond weekly therapy, how do you help me find a higher level of care?

How to get started

1. Read the insurance and pricing page and call your insurer about out-of-network benefits if you plan to claim.
2. Look through the therapist profiles and note anyone whose training or age range fits.
3. Request a free consultation through the contact form, call (720) 762-4619, or email contact@mbhco.org.
4. For a group, mention whether you're interested in the adult Tuesday group or the teen Monday group.

Visit Mountainside Behavioral Health

Terms you'll see on the site

• DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy): a structured therapy that teaches skills in four areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. "Dialectical" refers to balancing acceptance and change.
• Skills group: a class-style DBT group that teaches and practices skills; not a group where members process their personal history.
• Multi-family group: a teen DBT group where parents or caregivers attend with their teen.
• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): a structured, present-focused therapy that works on how thoughts, feelings and behavior affect each other.
• ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention): a form of CBT used for OCD, built on gradual, planned exposures without performing compulsions.
• DBT-PE (DBT-Prolonged Exposure): a protocol that adds trauma-focused exposure work to DBT once stabilizing skills are in place.
• STEPPS: Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving, a group-based skills program listed in one clinician's training.
• Superbill: an itemized receipt with codes your insurer needs to process an out-of-network claim.
• Out-of-network: a provider with no contract with your insurer; you pay up front and claim reimbursement yourself.
• LCSW / LPC: Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Professional Counselor, two master's-level clinical licenses in Colorado.
• Postdoctoral fellow / doctoral candidate: clinicians in training who have finished, or are finishing, a doctorate and see clients under supervision as part of their training.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

All pages checked on 19 October 2026.

1. Mountainside Behavioral Health, home page: mountainsidebh.com
2. About Us: mountainsidebh.com/about-mountainside/
3. Meet Our Therapists: mountainsidebh.com/meet-our-therapists/
4. Therapy Cost, Insurance & Pricing: mountainsidebh.com/insurance-pricing/
5. Contact Us: mountainsidebh.com/contact-mountainsidebh/
6. Services: mountainsidebh.com/services/
7. Therapy FAQs: mountainsidebh.com/faq/
8. DBT Therapy in Denver: mountainsidebh.com/denver-dbt-therapy/
9. DBT Groups in Denver: mountainsidebh.com/dbt-groups-denver/
10. CBT Therapy in Denver: mountainsidebh.com/cbt-therapy-denver/
11. DBT and CBT consultation page: mountainsidebh.com/dbt-cbt-therapy-in-denver-co/
12. Our Treatment Approach: mountainsidebh.com/treatment-approach/
13. Trauma Informed Treatment: mountainsidebh.com/trauma-informed-treatment/
14. Condition pages: anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, BPD, substance use
15. Teen Therapy in Denver: mountainsidebh.com/teen-therapy-denver/
16. School Refusal & School Avoidance Support: mountainsidebh.com/school-refusal-treatment-denver/
17. Online Therapy & Telehealth in Colorado: mountainsidebh.com/telehealth-therapy-colorado/
18. Starting DBT Therapy: Your First Session: mountainsidebh.com/first-dbt-session-expectations/
19. Testimonials: mountainsidebh.com/testimonials/
20. Colorado DORA, Professional and Occupational Licenses in Colorado (open data): data.colorado.gov
21. Colorado Secretary of State business entities (open data): data.colorado.gov
22. NPPES NPI Registry: npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov