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About Social Anxiety

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5 Types of Therapy for Social Anxiety

March 8, 2019 by Arlin Cuncic, M.A.

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*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). Please see my disclosure policy. If you need help finding a mental health professional, call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit BetterHelp to chat with a licensed therapist for an affordable price.

Social Anxiety Therapy to Know About

Did you know that there are a number of different types of therapy for social anxiety?While most people have heard of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), it is not the only type of therapy for social anxiety.

The good thing is that many of the techniques used in different types of therapy for social anxiety can also be applied as self-help strategies. So, it can be helpful to be aware of the different types of therapy for social anxiety.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Let’s start with the most well-known and effective therapy for social anxiety—CBT. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is just as it sounds: one part changing your thoughts, one part changing your behaviors.

(*Note: We all know social anxiety can be hard to manage. This book on Amazon is the best I have found to deal directly with the problem. Listen for free with your 30-day trial of Audible.)

Typically, a person will spend about 16 weeks working one-on-one with a therapist and a workbook. You will learn how to replace unhelpful thoughts related to your social anxiety and also how to gradually push yourself to face the social and performance situations that cause you anxiety and fear.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and commitment therapy for social anxiety involves identifying your values in life and then working to accept your anxiety while adhering to what you see as important. Instead of trying to eliminate or reduce your negative thoughts, in ACT, you choose to accept them but not pay as much attention to them.

For example, you might be taught to view your thoughts as leaves floating down a river or as passengers on a bus: they are there but you don’t need to get caught up in them. Acceptance and commitment therapy is also a good candidate for self-help that you can practice on your own at home, and there are several books on the topic to help you with that.

Mindfulness-Based Techniques

These aren’t strictly considered to be a type of therapy for social anxiety, but mindfulness-based techniques are also often used for social anxiety. The goal of mindfulness is to practice focused awareness.

This means, instead of being caught up in negative thoughts in your mind, you focus your attention on your surroundings. Each time you find yourself starting to panic, you would return yourself to mindful awareness, such as by using your senses (five things you can see, hear, touch, feel, smell).

Psychodynamic Therapy

Yes, I’m talking about the stuff Freud did! Well, kind of. Psychodynamic therapy is a shorter version of the psychoanalysis that Freud pioneered.

This type of therapy for social anxiety might be applied by a therapist looking to uncover underlying causes such as harsh or critical parents, underlying conflicts such as a fear of success, and worries about making a perfect first impression. It isn’t likely that you could practice this type of therapy for social anxiety on your own as a self-help technique.

Interpersonal Therapy

The focus of interpersonal therapy for social anxiety will be on the personal relationships in your life that need attention. Given the nature of social anxiety, this type of therapy may be very well suited to the problem.

Unfortunately, there is still not a lot of research evidence on the use of this type of therapy for social anxiety. It’s also not likely something that you can do on your own as self-help. However, if your main problem is anxiety in your relationships with others (as opposed to a public speaking fear or fear of leaving your house/being in a crowd), then this type of therapy may be helpful for you.

Self-Help Books

If you don’t have access to a therapist to receive one of these types of therapy for your social anxiety, I strongly recommend purchasing a self-help book—particularly one on cognitive-behavioral therapy or acceptance and commitment therapy methods.

A good choice for ACT is the Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Social Anxiety and Shyness. If you prefer to try CBT, I suggest The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook.

Related Articles about Social Anxiety

  • Get Your Free CBT Worksheet for Social Anxiety
  • 5 Benefits of CBT for Social Anxiety
  • How Online Therapy Can Help Anxiety

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5 Types of Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder



Here are some of my favorite social anxiety tools

Thanks for reading! I hope you found some helpful tips. Since this site is about social anxiety, I wanted to also share some tools I use that I hope you’ll find helpful. Some of these are affiliate links, so if you decide to try them, I’ll earn a commission. However, I only recommend things I have used myself and would recommend to a friend or family member.

Online Therapy: For online therapy, I have personally used and like the service offered by Betterhelp. It's easy to get started from the comfort of your home. You'll even get a discount on your first month of therapy when you use my link.

Doctor Visits: For doctor visits, Web Doctors offers convenient online appointments.

Audible Subscription: I recommend a lot of self-help books on this site, but I actually prefer an audiobook subscription over print books! My favorite subscription service is Audible because it has all the best-sellers and they stay in your digital library forever (even if you end your subscription). You can sign up for a free trial and listen to your first two books for free.

Social Anxiety Masterclass: The Social Anxiety Masterclass is my signature course where I walk you through everything I know about how to manage social anxiety. If you're not ready to enroll in the course, be sure to subscribe to my email newsletter to hear about special deals!

Filed Under: Treatment Tagged With: acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, social anxiety therapy, therapy for anxiety

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Hi there, my name is Arlin. I help you stop worrying what people think so you can live the life you want. You can learn more about me here.

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