What Therapy Is Best for Social Anxiety & How Does Therapy Help?

There isn't a single therapy that is considered ‘best’ for social anxiety as it can vary based on individual history, circumstances and needs.

Social anxiety is a problem common to many people. Your therapist will look with you to try and understand the origins of your fear. Often this is a fear of being judged, feeling embarrassed or feeling ashamed.

As an integrative therapist I have a wide variety of tools in my toolbox and I will pick the tool that is best for you and your own social anxiety. For example, many people have a fear of public speaking. One of the ways in which I help professional people overcome this fear is to sign up with one of the organisations that have regular public speaking events to see what it feels like to do it and to report back to me and discuss it with me. I call this the ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ cure.

The most effective therapy for you will depend on your individual history needs and circumstances so it's important to discuss all this with your therapist. Getting therapy can greatly improve your quality of life and help you overcome your social anxiety. Contact me today and schedule an initial consultation.

How does therapy help social anxiety?

Therapy helps social anxiety by looking at the origins of the anxiety and ways in which it can be overcome.

As an experienced integrative therapist, I will challenge some of the negative beliefs that might be underlying your social anxiety. I will often suggest to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’, in other words in a safe, limited way to see what it’s like to actually do the thing that you fear most. For example, if you’re scared of going to parties, we might discuss what your fear is about and see what it’s like to go to a party for a very limited time. We would subsequently discuss what the experience was like for you and how it made you feel.

How does social anxiety counselling work?

In social anxiety counselling you talk about your anxiety to a qualified, experienced, trained therapist who will listen attentively and without judgement to your problem. In this non-judgemental situation, you would express aloud exactly what the fears are. Together with your therapist you would try to establish the underlying causes of the anxiety. You might then move on to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. This would involve, to start with, some limited exposure to your fear. For example, if you have a fear of going to a dinner party your therapist might suggest seeing what it’s like to briefly meet someone just for coffee. The very act of actually doing what you fear most can be positively transformative.

Social anxiety counselling can be a highly effective way to manage and overcome social anxiety. If you are struggling with social anxiety, contact me today and start your journey towards managing and overcoming your fears.