Anxiety Therapist | California
Social Anxiety
For many people, social situations activate a fear of being judged or evaluated by others, leading to apprehension and avoidance of social interactions. If you have ever experienced social anxiety intensifying to the point of significant distress or interfering with your goals in life, you are all too familiar with the self-critical thoughts and expectation of judgment from others that comes along with it.
What is Social anxiety?
The suffering of self-critical thoughts are often believed to find their origin in what Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) calls core beliefs, which are global and longstanding “truths” of how we see ourselves, others, and the world.
These beliefs are often based on life experiences and conditionings, rigidifying over time into a theme of oneself that may sound something like “I’m inadequate” or “I don’t belong” in the case of social anxiety. Once formed, such distorted and unhelpful core beliefs often contribute to a pattern of perceiving, thinking, and responding to others and social situations in ways that further perpetuate their assumed reality and inherent suffering.
YCBT Services is proud to be the Bixby Knolls – Long Beach, CA
regional clinic for the National Social Anxiety Center, which was
established to make quality psychotherapy services available to those in need. Through research, collaboration and educating clinicians and the public, NSAC is committed to improving services and care for people seeking help for social anxiety. Visit NSAC here for more information about Social Anxiety.
How is Social Anxiety Treated?
Studies have shown Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to be the most effective approach to treat social anxiety.
We will work together to conceptualize what patterns of your thinking, feeling, physiology, and behavior have been serving to unintentionally maintain the components of social anxiety.
Next you will learn and apply specific skills and strategies to experiment with and develop new and empowering responses to break free of old negative cycles.
WHAT YCBT CAN DO FOR YOU
What to expect with Social Anxiety Treatment
Within a collaborative and supportive treatment relationship, we will work hard to develop the new skills and structured approaches needed to shift negative cycles of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. With motivation and hard work you can make progress expanding your comfort zone, learning to regulate your feelings, and gaining confidence in your ability to cope with more and more social situations.