Empowering Your Mental Health
Find healing and coping skills for your anxiety and depression.
Welcome to Learning Alternative Behaviors
At Learning Alternative Behaviors Youth and Family Services, LLC, we provide professional and compassionate counseling services for adults and teens. Our practice primarily focuses on treating patients struggling with anxiety, depression and mood disorders. Our approach is tailored to integrating diverse coping strategies that are individualized and unique to help patients in managing their anxiety, depression, and other mood challenges. By embracing unconventional methods, individuals gain access to a broader toolkit that supports mental resilience in daily life. We believe that with the right coping skills, anyone can overcome life's challenges and learn alternative ways to cope more efficiently to help support them in living a healthy life.
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How We Can Help: Your Partner in MenTal HeALTH
Our Therapeutic Approach
If you're struggling with anxiety, depression or a mood disorder we're here to help. Our therapists utilize an evidenced-based, client person- centered and cognitive behavioral approach to therapy. The overriding goal is to support and encourage the development of greater well-being among the patient. Treatment is tailored to help you learn practical coping strategies to manage symptoms that affect your ability to function on a daily basis. We'll work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan that meets your unique needs.
Counseling for Depression
Depression is more than just " a bout of the blues or feeling down" and it is not always that easy to just snap out of it. If not treated depression can affect how you feel, think and behave. It can also lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and make it difficult to enjoy life and engage in activities you once loved. We are here to help you overcome depression and develop a more positive outlook on life.
Counseling for Anxiety
If you are experience anxious thoughts, excessive worrying, or find yourself over thinking a lot about things. We're here to help! Our therapists specialize in working with individuals struggling with anxiety and can help you learn practical coping strategies to manage your symptoms. We'll work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan that helps you to decrease your anxiety symptoms.
Counseling for a Mood Disorder
A mood disorder often has individuals feeling as if they are on an "emotional roller coaster ride." It is a mental health condition in which you experience long periods of extreme sadness, extreme happiness or both. Certain mood disorders involve other emotions such as anger and irritability. Our goal is to help diagnose the real issue and help you receive the right treatment needed to live a healthy, and fulfilling life.
Counseling for Interpersonal/Romantic Relationship Issues
Relationships are an important part of our lives whether that be romantic or interpersonal, but they can also be challenging. When our relationships are not healthy it can sometimes contribute to anxious and depressive feelings. Effectively developing healthy communication and conflict skills can help decrease these symptoms and strengthen your relationships.
GROUP THERAPY PROGRAM
The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy groups (CBT) group therapy programs are designed to offer a supportive customized group approach to treatment but are adapted to a virtual format. Our CBT groups are skilled based and for people ages 13-35 dealing with mild- intermediate mental health challenges — including depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. It is traditional outpatient therapy which will consist of one group and 1 individual session per week. It’s designed for people who need more support than weekly individual counseling sessions. The goal is to help decrease the need for intensive outpatient or inpatient care.
Meet LaToya Boyd, LMHC
LaToya Boyd, LMHC is the owner of Learning Alternative Behaviors Youth and Family Services, LLC. She has a master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of South Florida and a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Florida State University. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida with over 20 years of experience. LaToya has experience working with a wide variety of client groups. Her areas of specialty are anxiety, depression and mood disorders. Prior to starting her private practice LaToya worked in various clinical settings as a therapist servicing youth and families. Her passion for helping individuals and families learn alternative ways of dealing with life issues and transitions is what sparked her desire to start Learning Alternative Behaviors Youth and Family Services.
“Regardless of what behaviors or issues you have struggled with in the past with a desire for change, guidance and support you can Learn Alternative Behaviors.” LAB
INSURANCE AND PAYMENTS
Insurance and EAP Plans Accepted
We accept the following insurance plans and Employee Assistance Plans (EAP's), however if we are not accepting your insurance, you are free to self- pay:
Florida Blue /Lucet
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Magellan
Aetna
Cigna/Evernorth
Carelon
Ambetter
Sunshine Health
Curalinc (EAP)
Acentra Health (EAP)
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance. If you cancel an appointment without giving 24 hours notice you will be charged $50.00 and must pay this fee before scheduling a new appointment. Please note that missed or canceled appointments are not covered by insurance.
LAB Cognitive Behavior THERAPY GROUP PROGRAM
Why CBT Group Therapy?
The goal of the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Group (CBT) is to focus on helping clients learn actionable skills that can be applied in real-world situations. Whether navigating social stressors or managing performance pressure in academic/athletic settings, work environments or personal challenges across different areas of life, the skills learned in groups are designed to be applied daily and can adapt seamlessly to all contexts.
Consistency is key—these steps work best when practiced regularly. When applied with intention, CBT becomes a powerful self-management tool for long-term anxiety and depression reduction, especially when supported by individual and group therapy.
What Can I Expect from CBT Therapy Groups?
Our CBT group are for people ages 13-35 dealing with mild- intermediate mental health challenges — including depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. It is virtual outpatient therapy and is designed for people who need more support than weekly individual counseling sessions. The goal is to help decrease the need for intensive outpatient or inpatient care.
At LAB, group programs are delivered utilizing an evidenced based CBT curriculum and segmented based on age. This includes the Teen Group (ages 13 to 18), and the Young Adult Group (ages 18 to 35).
A virtual intake consultation is conducted to determine whether an individual is a good fit for Lab Virtual group program.
Group programs involve 1 weekly group therapy, 1 individual therapy session, and a referral for additional resources if needed.
Our Group sessions are skilled based and are held weekly for 8 weeks. Sessions focuses on the following areas:
Identify Negative Thought Patterns/Triggers
Practice Cognitive Restructuring
Engage in Behavioral Activation
Apply Exposure Strategies Gradually
Monitoring Emotional Shift
Learning How to track progress
How do I know if CBT Group Therapy is right for me?
CBT group works well for individuals who are comfortable to actively participate in their treatment with others in a supportive setting and who may be seeking additional support outside of individual therapy.
What makes CBT group especially effective is it focuses on helping individuals learn actionable skills all while being supportive among individuals struggling with similar issues.
For individuals struggling with persistent worry, panic, or anxiety, CBT offers a structured, goal-oriented path forward. You’ll learn to recognize cognitive distortions—like catastrophizing or black-and-white thinking—that fuel anxious emotions. Then, through guided practice, you’ll develop healthier coping skills to manage those emotions.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for depression and mood disorders offers a structured, goal-oriented approach that helps individuals identify and modify negative thought patterns and behaviors contributing to depression. It operates on the principle that thoughts, feelings, and actions are interconnected, and how changing distorted thinking can lead to improved emotional regulation. By practicing techniques like thought challenging and behavioral activation, users retrain their response to low mood triggers.
Are you ready to take charge of your mental health journey? If so, schedule a consultation today to discover how we can help you build resilience and move toward a balanced, fulfilling life.