Social anxiety may be cramping your style and even seriously impacting the quality of your life - more than you know. Sometimes naming it can be a huge relief, especially if you can finally take steps towards getting the help that you need.
Social anxiety is a fear of social situations and interactions with others that leads to self-consciousness, poor self-esteem, feelings of inferiority and negative self-evaluation and judgment. People with social anxiety disorder experience fear and have an excessive concern about being judged negatively by others, which leads to inhibitions, embarrassment, shame and humiliation as well as avoidance of interpersonal experiences and situations.
Sadly, left untreated, the solution of avoiding social situations and turning to solitary activities and isolation interferes with healthy development and can lead to dependence on impersonal social interactions, via video gaming and the internet.
Below is a partial list of situations where individuals may experience significant emotional distress:
Psychotherapy for social anxiety disorder can help adolescents and adults avoid isolation and psychological pain by building confidence and developing coping skills to manage fear and anxiety. My approach in therapy is eclectic and tailored to individual needs by using EMDR therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy or DBT skills as well as Mindfulness, acceptance and stress reduction techniques. By helping people challenge negative, unhelpful thoughts that accompany social anxiety as well as practice new behaviours, people are supported to recover or develop their confidence and build a hopeful, active and satisfying life.