Help for Social Anxiety

Social anxiety disorder is the third largest mental health problem in the United States and affects approximately 13% of the population. It is similar to shyness, but is more intense and more disruptive to one’s life. Also known as social phobia, the central feature is a fear of humiliation despite knowing that the level of fear is unreasonable. For social phobics the situation that is feared is either avoided or else endured with extreme distress. An uncomfortable feeling of self-consciousness often develops that can interfere in relationships.

Some problems that people with social anxiety disorder report are:

• speaking in small and/or large group settings
• going to parties
• talking with authority figures
• conversing with a member of the opposite sex
• talking on the telephone
• eating, drinking and/or writing in public
• shopping in a busy store
• starting conversations with strangers

Having worked with many individuals with social anxiety over the years, I have found that a combination of individual therapy and group therapy (added later) to be the most effective combination. It is not required that you be in both types of therapy.

In INDIVIDUAL THERAPY you will learn how attempts to avoid anxiety can lead to patterns that create long-term distress. A mindfulness-based approach to anxiety will be taught that will allow for the experience of greater freedom from the effects of your fear. We then develop your willingness to take on some situations that you may have been avoiding so that you can practice your new skills. This phase will go at the pace that you can tolerate. It is during this exposure phase of treatment that group can be most useful.

In a SOCIAL PHOBIA GROUP the other members will also be struggling with social anxiety disorder. Your worries of being judged will be diminished by knowing that everyone in the room worries excessively about the same thing. In the group we will talk about how hard it is to have this problem, discuss all the ways it affects the members’ lives, and develop strategies to begin to engage in the world differently. The group will offer support and encouragement to take risks outside of the group as well as an opportunity for feedback, role plays, and problem-solving around relational difficulties that might be getting in your way. In addition, unlike most therapy groups, this group will have the option to meet with each other outside of group in order to continue practicing the skills that are being worked on.