“Is psychotherapy good for social anxiety?”
I have social anxiety and want to treat it. Is psychotherapy good for social anxiety?
3 Answers
Yes, if you cannot make any progress you may have to consider alternative treatment and meds if everything fails.
Psychotherapy can be an effective treatment for social anxiety disorder. Sometimes, it’s the only treatment you need. Therapy can help you learn:
-New skills to handle social situations that cause fear
-Healthy habits that can lower your anxiety overall
-New ways to think through situations that make you anxious
The most effective type of therapy for social anxiety disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It helps you identify and change thoughts that make you more anxious in social situations. You’ll also learn how your thoughts, emotions, and actions affect each other.
As part of CBT, your therapist may use several techniques to help with social anxiety. Ones that can be especially helpful include:
Exposure therapy: In exposure therapy, you will intentionally put yourself in situations that cause anxiety. The goal is to practice new ways to manage your fear. Your therapist will help you go slow, first with imaginary exposures and then with real-life exposures. This helps you become more confident and comfortable in social situations.
Cognitive restructuring: This is a CBT skill that helps you identify and change negative thought patterns that contribute to anxiety. For example, you may have negative thoughts like, “People don’t like me” or “I am going to embarrass myself.” The cognitive restructuring will help you learn to replace them with more helpful thoughts, such as, “I have some good friends that like to do things with me” or “People have said that I have some good ideas.”
Social skills training: Social skills training can help build your confidence around other people. You will practice role-playing and rehearsing to use your new skills in specific situations.
-New skills to handle social situations that cause fear
-Healthy habits that can lower your anxiety overall
-New ways to think through situations that make you anxious
The most effective type of therapy for social anxiety disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It helps you identify and change thoughts that make you more anxious in social situations. You’ll also learn how your thoughts, emotions, and actions affect each other.
As part of CBT, your therapist may use several techniques to help with social anxiety. Ones that can be especially helpful include:
Exposure therapy: In exposure therapy, you will intentionally put yourself in situations that cause anxiety. The goal is to practice new ways to manage your fear. Your therapist will help you go slow, first with imaginary exposures and then with real-life exposures. This helps you become more confident and comfortable in social situations.
Cognitive restructuring: This is a CBT skill that helps you identify and change negative thought patterns that contribute to anxiety. For example, you may have negative thoughts like, “People don’t like me” or “I am going to embarrass myself.” The cognitive restructuring will help you learn to replace them with more helpful thoughts, such as, “I have some good friends that like to do things with me” or “People have said that I have some good ideas.”
Social skills training: Social skills training can help build your confidence around other people. You will practice role-playing and rehearsing to use your new skills in specific situations.
Check this link out...
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/psychotherapy-social-anxiety-disorder
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/psychotherapy-social-anxiety-disorder
