Internet and Screen Addiction Therapy in Denver
My Denver Therapy provides therapy for adults whose phone, social media, streaming, or online habits have become compulsive
You don't need to live on your phone
Hours that disappear, sleep that suffers, work and relationships that get the leftover attention. Clinically this is called problematic internet use, and it responds to the same treatment principles as other behavioral addictions. Our therapists treat it at four Denver-area offices and online across Colorado.
You picked up your phone to check one thing and surfaced forty minutes later. You have set screen-time limits and tapped “ignore” on all of them. You fall asleep to a feed and wake up to it. You know the exact number on your weekly usage report and you have stopped looking at it. None of this is a character flaw. The products are built by thousands of engineers to produce exactly this, and willpower was never going to be enough.
Therapy does not ask you to throw away your phone. It helps you understand what the scrolling is doing for you, and builds a life where you need it less.
What screen addiction looks like in adults
Problematic internet use is a pattern, not a number of hours. The pattern looks like this:
- Using longer than you intended, repeatedly, and feeling unable to stop
- Reaching for the phone automatically in any pause: waiting, walking, mid-conversation
- Irritability, restlessness, or anxiety when you cannot check
- Sleep, exercise, work, or relationships losing time to it
- Using screens to escape a feeling, then feeling worse afterward
- Hiding or minimizing how much you use
- Repeated failed attempts to cut back
The forms we treat
Phone and social media. Instagram, TikTok, X, Reddit, YouTube Shorts. Infinite scroll, autoplay, and variable rewards are the slot-machine mechanics of the modern phone. Social comparison adds a second layer that drives anxiety, low self-worth, and body image distress.
Doomscrolling and compulsive news. Checking the news for reassurance and finding the opposite, on a loop. Common in anxious people and in anyone whose work or identity is tied to the headlines.
Streaming and binge-watching. Autoplay through a season at 2 a.m. as a way to avoid being alone with your thoughts. Research links compulsive binge-watching to loneliness and emotional avoidance, and we treat it as the regulation strategy it is.
Dating apps. Compulsive swiping, validation-seeking through matches, and the exhaustion that follows. Often sits on top of relationship anxiety or attachment patterns.
AI chatbots and companions. A new and fast-growing pattern: hours a day with Character.AI, Replika, or ChatGPT, used for comfort, companionship, or decision-making in place of human relationships. We are among the first Denver practices treating AI dependence, and we take it as seriously as any other compulsive use.
Gaming. Covered in depth on our video game addiction therapy page, for adults and for parents of teens.
Compulsive online spending, porn, and gambling overlap with this page and have their own treatment paths. Our sports betting and gambling therapy page covers apps and prediction markets.
Tech workers and the always-on job
A large share of our screen-addiction clients work in technology along the Denver Tech Center corridor, near our Greenwood Village office, or remotely for companies elsewhere. The job requires the screen, the Slack notifications never stop, and the line between working and scrolling disappears. We understand that abstinence is not available to you and build treatment around a realistic relationship with devices that your career depends on.
How we treat problematic internet use
Understanding what the screen does for you. Scrolling is almost always regulating something: boredom, loneliness, anxiety, avoidance of a task or a feeling. Internal Family Systems works with the part of you that reaches for the phone and what it is protecting you from.
Changing the pattern. CBT and ACT for the specific triggers, the automatic reach, and the urge-surfing skill that lets a craving pass without acting on it. Practical environment design: notifications, placement, friction, and replacement.
Regulating the nervous system. Somatic therapy teaches your body other ways to settle, so the phone is not the only one.
Treating what is underneath. Screen overuse rarely travels alone. ADHD, depression, anxiety, and loneliness are the usual companions, and we treat them in the same practice, with medication management available when it helps.
Frequently asked questions
Is internet addiction a real diagnosis?
Problematic internet use is not a standalone DSM-5 diagnosis, but gaming disorder is recognized in the ICD-11, and compulsive screen use shows the same loss of control, withdrawal, and functional impairment as other behavioral addictions. Therapy treats the pattern regardless of the label.
How much screen time is too much?
There is no number. The question is whether use is compulsive, whether you can stop when you intend to, and whether it is costing you sleep, work, relationships, or mood. If the answer is yes, it is worth addressing.
Do I have to give up my phone or social media?
No. Treatment builds a relationship with devices that serves you, which for most adults means boundaries and replacement, not abstinence. For some specific apps or behaviors, a full break is the right call, and we help you decide.
Can you help with AI chatbot dependence?
Yes. Compulsive use of AI companions or chatbots for comfort or decision-making is a growing pattern, and we treat it with the same approach as other compulsive use, with attention to the loneliness or anxiety it is usually standing in for.
Is screen addiction connected to ADHD?
Often. ADHD brains are especially vulnerable to variable-reward apps. We assess for ADHD, treat it alongside the screen use, and provide medication management when appropriate.
How soon can I start?
Most new clients are seen within a week.
Other Specialties
Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you – all of the expectations, all of the beliefs – and becoming who you are.
Rachel Naomi Remen
Meet our therapists
As a therapist-owned practice, we care about helping you heal, grow, and thrive. We take a client-focused approach to counseling and approach each session with a commitment to your progress and growth.
Availability
We’re always accepting new clients at our conveniently located offices in Denver, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, and Arvada. All of our therapists can meet with clients online.
We specialize in you
You are welcome here. Because we have a large team with a wide range of specialties and trainings, we work with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and life stages.
We can match you with a male or female therapist who matches your goals, location, and schedule. If you have a preference for gender, age, religious background, or a person with a specific type of training or life experience, we can match you with a therapist you feel comfortable with.
Trained in effective therapy modalities
To support your mental health journey, our team is trained in some of the most effective forms of therapy available today, including EMDR, Brainspotting, CBT, DBT, and IFS.
Whether you’re looking for help with anxiety, depression, trauma, or want to better understand your relationship and attachment styles, we can help.
Insurance information
We’re out of network with insurance and Tricare and are unable to take Medicaid or Medicare.
Unlike many Denver therapy practices, we don’t charge separate intake or administration fees or charge more for your first session or specialized therapy methods like EMDR.
Get matched with a therapist
Contact us today, and one of our therapists will reach out to you directly, usually the same day.