CBT Companion

What CBT Companion is

CBT Companion (branded as "Untangle: CBT Companion") is an evidence-based self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy app published by Resiliens, a mental health company offering six therapy-focused applications. The company describes itself as turning "the world's most proven therapies into simple daily tools" and reports over 3 million users across its suite. CBT Companion is designed to work either as a standalone tool or alongside therapy with a professional clinician. The app is available in 33 languages, is HIPAA compliant, and built with clinicians according to the company's claims.

How the app works

CBT Companion uses a daily check-in system combined with structured lessons and exercises to teach and reinforce cognitive behavioral therapy skills. Users begin each day by logging their mood and feelings in under a minute, a quick log capturing how they feel and what's driving their emotional state. The app includes a library of guided meditations and breathing exercises to settle the nervous system when needed. The core learning component consists of 16 lesson modules with 80 or more short, video-guided chapters covering everything from the basics of CBT to focused microlessons on specific techniques.

The app includes 53 guided exercises organized across six skill areas: thinking patterns (catching and reshaping unhelpful thoughts through thought records and reframing), behavioral activation (small actions that lift mood), exposure (facing fears gradually and safely), worry (sorting helpful from unhelpful worry), grounding (quick nervous-system resets like the 5-4-3-2-1 technique and paced breathing), and sleep (wind-down routines and sleep tools). Every CBT skill is taught through short, focused video lessons so users understand the why behind each technique before practicing.

The app includes an AI coach named Tara that helps users work through thoughts in the moment. When a thought won't let go, Tara asks gentle questions to help users identify cognitive distortions, weigh evidence, and find steadier ways to see situations. The company describes Tara as grounded in CBT, addressing distortions, evidence, and balanced thinking, and positions it as a supportive self-help tool rather than a replacement for therapy.

The app tracks mood trajectory across weeks and months, showing users which tools and practices help them most, plus gentle weekly reflections that are always optional. Insights display mood patterns, tools that lift mood most, and patterns behind harder days. Users can track optional signals like sleep, movement, caffeine, medication, food and hydration, and energy to understand how daily life shapes their mood. The app offers adaptive AI guidance that surfaces daily observations and suggested next steps based on the user's own entries, always with a "Why this?" explanation so users can see what their suggestions are based on.

For clinician connection, users can receive homework assignments from their therapist directly in the app, choose what to share (check-ins, thoughts, exercises, and more with per-item control), and complete scheduled assessments like GAD-7 and PHQ-9 at intervals their clinician sets. Homework doesn't feel like punishment but like personalized guidance. Clinicians receive a real-time dashboard showing mood trends, assignment completion, assessment scores, and progress reports so sessions become more focused.

What the pages prove

Resiliens publishes specific evidence claims. The app is described as "a full set of tools designed by clinical experts," available to download for free, and includes "16 Lesson modules," "80+ Lessons & chapters," and "53 Guided exercises." The company states it includes 33 language options and uses evidence-based approaches like DBT, CBT, and ACT. The site emphasizes HIPAA-compliant architecture and reports "3M+ Users" and "3M+ Downloads."

The CBT content addresses specific cognitive distortions: all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophizing, mind reading, emotional reasoning, should statements, and overgeneralization. The app teaches the CBT process as four steps: Capture (record the situation and thoughts), Identify (recognize cognitive distortions), Challenge (question the evidence for and against thoughts), and Reframe (create balanced, realistic alternatives). The company publishes user testimonials crediting the mood trajectory chart for showing improvement ("Seeing my mood trajectory over 30 days finally showed me I'm actually getting better"), Tara for real-time thought work ("Tara helped me untangle a spiraling thought at 2am when I couldn't call anyone"), the thought record for finally clicking ("The thought record is the first CBT tool that ever actually clicked for me"), and meditations for sleep. Several reviewers describe the app as complementary to therapy: "Sharing my summaries with my therapist made our sessions twice as useful" and "having it in Spanish made it feel personal instead of clinical."

The app is available on iOS and Android app stores. The company does not publish a specific cost. Resiliens also publishes six focused apps total using different evidence-based therapies (CBT, DBT, ACT, MI, MBT, EMDR), plus guided programs like Sleep Again (6 weeks, 10-15 minutes daily), that give structure for those who prefer following a path rather than building one.

What the company does not say

Resiliens does not publish specific pricing on its website, users must download the app to discover whether it costs money, offers in-app purchases, or runs on a freemium model. The company does not specify whether the free core features cover the full app or if meaningful features are locked behind a paywall. It does not state who specifically designed or validated the app (which university, which psychiatrists, what research), beyond describing it as "built with clinicians." While the app mentions GAD-7 and PHQ-9 (two validated mental health scales), the company does not publish whether scoring generates clinical interpretations or just tracks trends.

The company does not list which mental health conditions the app is intended for beyond the broad category of anxiety evident in therapy-speak. It does not publish clinical outcome studies showing the app reduces symptoms or improves mental health compared to no treatment or other apps. It does not state minimum or maximum age limits. The site does not specify whether the AI coach (Tara) uses local processing, cloud APIs, or what safety guardrails prevent harmful advice. It does not say whether data stays local on the device or syncs to Resiliens' servers, or what happens if a user stops using the app, are entries kept, deleted, or archived.

Who it fits

CBT Companion works for people seeking a structured, clinician-designed self-help tool for anxiety, depression, and unhelpful thinking patterns. It is a good fit for people already in therapy who want homework between sessions or a way to apply CBT skills at home. Users interested in learning CBT techniques through video lessons will appreciate the educational structure. The optional daily reminders and mood tracking help people build consistency. The 33-language support makes it accessible to non-English speakers. The HIPAA compliance claim may matter to people concerned about privacy with medical data.

The app is not suitable for people who need crisis support, it is a self-help tool, not a crisis line. Users experiencing suicidal thoughts or active psychiatric emergencies should seek immediate professional help, not rely on Tara the AI coach. Users who cannot afford apps with in-app purchases should test the free features carefully before assuming all content is free (the site does not specify). People who want human therapist contact will need to connect with their own therapist through the clinician platform, the app is not a replacement for a human relationship. Users whose insurance or employer covers only specific apps may find this doesn't fit their plan. The app may not work for people who prefer self-help without AI, since Tara is woven through the experience. Those seeking other therapeutic modalities (psychodynamic, somatic, family therapy) should consider Resiliens' other six apps or different platforms entirely.