Frequently Asked Questions

What is social anxiety disorder?



Unlike some other psychological problems, social anxiety is not well understood by the general public or by medical and mental health care professionals, such as doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, social workers, and counselors.



To learn more:

What is social anxiety?

Living with social anxiety. Social anxiety is the third largest psychological problem in the United States today. This type of anxiety affects 15 million Americans in any given year. Social anxiety is not endemic to the U.S. It is a worldwide, culturally inclusive disorder.Unlike some other psychological problems, social anxiety is not well understood by the general public or by medical and mental health care professionals, such as doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, social workers, and counselors.To learn more:

How do I know if I have social anxiety disorder?

https://socialanxietyinstitute.org



Read the articles and the personal experiences of others who have dealt with social anxiety. If you suffer from social anxiety disorder, it’s likely that you will strongly identify with the information provided there.



Click here for to use our self-test tool.

This tool will not give you an official diagnosis, but it may allow you to consider different aspects of social anxiety.



Self-consciousness and fear of being the center of attention (behavioral attributes) and irrational thinking habits and patterns (cognitive attributes) are the defining hallmarks of social anxiety disorder. Everyone with social anxiety disorder suffers from these specific cognitive and behavioral symptoms.



Beyond this point, other symptoms exist along a continuum. Some people with social anxiety find certain problems primary, whereas others find the same problem not as difficult.



Cognitive (mental) symptoms of social anxiety:

One thing that socially anxious people share is the knowledge that their thoughts and fears are basically irrational. That is, people with social anxiety know that their thoughts are not logical or rational when asked to explain them. For example, they realize others are not critically judging or evaluating them all the time, despite how they feel. They understand that other people are not trying to embarrass or humiliate them, despite how they may feel. They realize that their thoughts and feelings are somewhat irrational. Yet, despite this logical understanding, thought patterns that have existed for years do not magically go away overnight.



Physiological symptoms of social anxiety include

- writing in public

- fear of hands shaking

- eating or drinking in public

- blushing

- excessive sweating

- freezing when being the center of attention

- body dysmorphia



The good news is that social anxiety is not only treatable, but the treatment is also successful. Social anxiety no longer needs to be a life-long, devastating condition.



It is these automatic feelings and thoughts that occur in social situations that must be met and conquered in therapy. These feelings are tied to thoughts that are intertwined in a vicious cycle in the persons’ mind. Go to:Read the articles and the personal experiences of others who have dealt with social anxiety. If you suffer from social anxiety disorder, it’s likely that you will strongly identify with the information provided there.This tool will not give you an official diagnosis, but it may allow you to consider different aspects of social anxiety.Self-consciousness and fear of being the center of attention (behavioral attributes) and irrational thinking habits and patterns (cognitive attributes) are the defining hallmarks of social anxiety disorder. Everyone with social anxiety disorder suffers from these specific cognitive and behavioral symptoms.Beyond this point, other symptoms exist along a continuum. Some people with social anxiety find certain problems primary, whereas others find the same problem not as difficult.Cognitive (mental) symptoms of social anxiety:One thing that socially anxious people share is the knowledge that their thoughts and fears are basically irrational. That is, people with social anxiety know that their thoughts are not logical or rational when asked to explain them. For example, they realize others are not critically judging or evaluating them all the time, despite how they feel. They understand that other people are not trying to embarrass or humiliate them, despite how they may feel. They realize that their thoughts and feelings are somewhat irrational. Yet, despite this logical understanding, thought patterns that have existed for years do not magically go away overnight.Physiological symptoms of social anxiety include- writing in public- fear of hands shaking- eating or drinking in public- blushing- excessive sweating- freezing when being the center of attention- body dysmorphiaThe good news is that social anxiety is not only treatable, but the treatment is also successful. Social anxiety no longer needs to be a life-long, devastating condition.It is these automatic feelings and thoughts that occur in social situations that must be met and conquered in therapy. These feelings are tied to thoughts that are intertwined in a vicious cycle in the persons’ mind.

Can anyone overcome social anxiety? Social anxiety disorder can be overcome, although it takes both motivation and persistence on the patient’s part. But, barring cognitive problems (e.g., dementia, Alzheimer's Disease) everyone can make progress against social anxiety using the appropriate type of cognitive-behavioral therapy.



Systematically going through an appropriate cognitive-behavioral program, like "Overcoming Social Anxiety: Step by Step" allows your brain to change and develop new habits, if you stick with it every day and reinforce the strategies until each strategy becomes an automatic habit.

What is the Social Anxiety Institute? The Social Anxiety Institute is the foremost institution in the world for treating social anxiety. The Institute Director, Dr. Thomas A. Richards, has specialized in social anxiety since the early 1990s and the Social Anxiety Institute has had many thousands of patients.

Who is Dr. Thomas A. Richards? Dr. Thomas A. Richards is a licensed psychologist and director of the Social Anxiety Institute. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in psychology from Arizona State University. He is now in his twenty-fifth year of helping people overcome social anxiety disorder.



Dr. Richards suffered from social anxiety himself until he was about 40. He has seen people from all over the world and had the opportunity to work with them directly, individually and through social anxiety CBT groups.

What is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)? Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a combination or a "pulling together" of any and all methods, strategies, and techniques that work to help people successfully overcome their particular emotional problems.



The cognitive part of the therapy refers to thinking or learning and is the part of therapy that can be "taught" to the person. The person then needs to take what has been taught, practice it at home, and through means of repetition, get that new "learning" down into the brain over and over again so that is becomes automatic or habitual.



The behavioral component of CBT involves implementing or “doing” things in your life (or in an active, structured therapy group, consisting of people with clinical social anxiety). In the behavioral group, people voluntarily engage in practical activities that are mildly anxiety-causing, and proceed in a flexible, steady, scheduled manner. By moving forward in this manner, step by step, and through the use of repetition, the anxiety felt in social situations is gradually reduced.



In this program, we incorporate the behavioral therapy into the series as much as possible. We continue to work on supplemental materials which will help you engage in more behavioral aspects of the therapy.



Most people, unfortunately, do not have access to a structured, effective behavioral therapy group for social anxiety. This should not discourage you from starting therapy. Start first with cognitive therapy in order to set the stage for the behavioral therapy to be beneficial.

Why is CBT recommended for treating social anxiety disorder? Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been the only type of therapy to prove effective in permanently alleviating anxiety disorders and depression.



CBT is generally credited to Drs. Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis, who worked independently and challenged prevalent Freudian psychoanalytic theory in the 1950's for the majority of people with mental health problems.



The massive body of research we have today on social anxiety, beginning in the 1990s, was supported by the National Institutes of Mental Health, among others, and was under the direction of Dr. Richard Heimberg and Dr. M. R. Liebowitz. These are the original "gold standard" studies on social anxiety and its treatment.



Large-scale, long-range (i.e., longitudinal) studies over the past decade have consistently shown cognitive – behavioral therapy to be the only therapy that can be dependably relied upon to help people overcome clinical anxiety disorders.



Cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder is an active, learning therapy that makes people feel more in control of their lives, as they begin and continue learning specific anti-anxiety strategies.



The treatment programs at the Social Anxiety Institute all use cognitive-behavioral therapy, because this has been shown by countless journal articles to be the therapy of choice. The Social Anxiety Institute uses active, structured cognitive-behavioral therapy with an emphasis on acceptance, peace, and calmness.



Overcoming social anxiety involves using paradoxical techniques, so the therapy is counterintuitive in nature. This explains why people do not get over social anxiety disorder on their own. Anxiety goes away as we learn to respond to it with our positive emotions, such as calmness, peace, humor, relaxation, and acceptance. Anxiety is made worse by our negative emotions, such as frustration, fear, depression, agitation, and irritation. We learn in the therapy series never to get angry with anxiety, because anger makes our anxiety stronger and only feeds and fuels the fire.



If we are discussing what will work in helping us overcome social anxiety, then there is no process other than learning what is rational and then acting on it – thus, cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Why do you call your program “comprehensive” cognitive-behavioral therapy? At The Social Anxiety Institute, we call cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder "comprehensive" cognitive-behavioral therapy, to differentiate it from the general idea that cognitive concepts are simplistic and can be addressed by using only a few strategies.



A successful therapy program for social anxiety disorder must address the dozens of cognitive methods, strategies, and concepts that will allow people's brains (i.e., their brain associations or neural pathways) to literally change. The brain is continually learning, and irrational thoughts and beliefs can change as a result of this cognitive process.



A good therapy program will supply the necessary and specific strategies as well as indicate to people how and why they need to practice, work on, and begin to accept rational thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and perceptions.

I’ve tried CBT before, and it didn’t work. For the successful treatment of social anxiety, both the cognitive and behavioral therapy must be thorough and comprehensive. Reinforcement must be continuous, and the person must be motivated to stick to a thirty-minute a day practice routine.



This course of action is not the path of least resistance for either the therapist or the patient. However, it is the best way we know to overcome social anxiety disorder.



I receive dozens of e-mails and other correspondence each day, with one of the recurring themes being, "I went through cognitive-behavioral therapy and I didn't get any better. What’s wrong?"



The answer to this question is another question: "Did you receive appropriate, comprehensive cognitive therapy and appropriate, comprehensive behavioral therapy, and were the cognitive and the behavioral components of the therapy "reinforced together" in your mind by your therapist?



The cognitive-behavioral therapy we do for social anxiety does not contain the same information or proceed in the same manner as cognitive-behavioral therapy for other mental health care problems.



For example, CBT for depression is very different in nature than CBT for social anxiety. Because the problem is different, CBT for social anxiety contains different methods and strategies than CBT for depression, panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. Thus, cognitive-behavioral therapy, while always being active, structured, and solution-focused, must employ different ways of overcoming the particular emotional problem in question.



CBT is not a "set of methods" that work for all disorders. There are not simply two, three, or four strategies that work to help everyone with all kinds of mental health care problems.



The specifics or details of CBT are not universally applicable. This has been a thorny issue for professionals who do not really understand what cognitive-behavioral therapy involves.



When specific cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety is not understood or put into place, then people with social anxiety disorder will not receive the help and assistance they need to overcome this debilitating anxiety disorder.



Because each mental health care problem is different, and because people with social anxiety disorder respond to different CBT methods, strategies, and approaches, the professional should be cognizant of how to lead, guide, and help people with social anxiety overcome this specific anxiety disorder.



Do not be discouraged. Nearly every person who comes to the Social Anxiety Institute has a personal experience with trying other therapies, seeing other therapists, or being involved with another CBT group for anxiety – all to no avail. Often the person is left with the feeling that it is their fault that they didn’t get better or that, perhaps, they just can’t overcome social anxiety. It’s not your fault that previous programs or therapists didn’t understand social anxiety clearly enough to help you.



“Overcoming Social Anxiety: Step by Step” is a comprehensive program specifically designed to help you overcome this anxiety disorder. With the right help, with a program that understands how to gradually and effectively change your thoughts and behaviors, you can overcome social anxiety.

Are there other recommended therapies for treating social anxiety disorder? Many adjunct and pseudo-therapies exist. Some may be helpful as additions to CBT, and others are get-rich-quick schemes. Relaxation methods, some forms of hypnotherapy, massage, meditation, and acupuncture have been shown to be helpful sometimes in relieving symptoms of social anxiety. They are only adjuncts, however, as they do not help people to make permanent progress against social anxiety. Appropriate medications are sometimes helpful too, but they only temporarily address the problem.



Only a change in the brain's neural pathways (this is what "learning" is) can cause permanent changes to occur so that we can change irrational thinking into rational thinking and then act on it. This is the heart of cognitive and behavior therapy.

I’ve heard that mindfulness is recommended for anxiety disorders. Many therapeutic methods have been studied, but cognitive-behavioral techniques have been shown to work the best. In fact, treatment of social anxiety through these cognitive-behavioral methods produces long-lasting, permanent relief from the anxiety-laden world of social anxiety.



Don't let semantics and terminology about therapy throw you off. While it is correct and best to say we use "cognitive-behavioral" therapy, this includes a mindfulness approach to overcoming it, and it most definitely includes an acceptance of things as we continue to get better.



A successful therapy program for social anxiety disorder must address the dozens of cognitive methods, strategies, and concepts that will allow people's brains (i.e., their brain associations or neural pathways) to literally change. The brain is continually learning, and irrational thoughts and beliefs can change as a result of this cognitive process.



A good therapy program will supply the necessary and specific strategies as well as indicate to people how and why they need to practice, work on, and begin to accept rational thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and perceptions.

How long will it take me to overcome social anxiety? This answer will vary from person to person. We all want to overcome this disorder, but it is important to keep in mind that a pressuring expectation to recover too quickly will not help you. Pressure may, in fact, throw your progress off track. The reality for all of us is that our brains need time to learn this rational therapy. This is a gradual process, one which cannot happen overnight.



The most important elements in overcoming social anxiety:

1. An understanding and awareness of the problem

2. A commitment to carry through with cognitive-behavioral therapy even when it is repetitious and seems difficult

3. Practice, practice, practice to get that information (i.e., cognitive methods, strategies, and concepts) deep down into your brain - so that these cognitive methods become automatic habits.



Every person will be starting from a different point in terms of the level of severity of their social anxiety. Your progress is contingent upon your effort and consistency with the daily therapy. For all of us, the good news is that as long as we stick with the therapy and do not stop, we will see gradual improvement over time, until we overcome social anxiety altogether.



“Overcoming social anxiety” means that you no longer meet the criteria for the disorder as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM-5), the diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatric Association. These criteria can be found on our website or on the APA site.

Is the therapy hard to do? The therapy is not difficult to do. We clearly lay out what is to be done, and how it is to be done, day by day in each session. The difficulty for some may be in sticking with a new habit of daily therapy time. If you can stick with this habit, then you have overcome the “hardest” part of the therapy.



To make permanent progress against social anxiety, all you need to do is take one proactive, forward step at a time. There is no need to do anything more.



Always act and move forward -- but do it by taking one step at a time. Find the "easiest" of the anxiety options in the situation and work on it until you feel no anxiety, and then move up to the next easiest situation (or person).



One small step holds great power. It is these small steps that allow us to overcome social anxiety permanently, and these small steps add up more quickly than you may realize.

What does “doing therapy” mean? Doing therapy is essentially a daily habit of review and study time. This is explained clearly in session 1 which is provided entirely free for you to preview before purchasing the program. You can listen to the audio recordings by Dr. Richards and read and review the therapy handouts pertaining to that session.



In cognitive therapy for social anxiety at the Social Anxiety Institute, we start out with methods to lessen and control anxiety that calm us down when we face regular, daily situations. “Slow Talk” is the first cognitive therapy solution presented, and we start using this strategy in the first group therapy meeting.



Soon, we learn how to catch our automatic negative thoughts and we learn how to label them for what they are. We have several strategies that help us catch and stop this automatic negative thinking. “Catch, Stop and Label ANTs” is the first strategy employed. People begin to catch and stop their automatic negative thinking the first week they use this strategy. The process of overcoming social anxiety takes time (e.g., it takes time for the brain to change), but people using this strategy have success with it in the first month.



Then, we follow this up immediately with an explanation of why ANTs thinking and beliefs is damaging to us – and prevents us from overcoming social anxiety. We do this through conceptual strategies called “The ANTs Handout” and “The ANTs Convention." These strategies “burn” the message into our brains that continuing to have automatic negative thinking means that you are living with anxiety, emotional pain, and depression, and you do not have to live like this.



The moment you start using cognitive therapy and applying its strategies, anxiety is reduced, and you feel more in control of the situation and your life. Even one strategy is helpful, but for the change that everyone wants, it takes dozens of simple cognitive strategies – that are applied and practiced - to overcome social anxiety.



Cognitive therapy is rational and common sense, and is not difficult to learn. The reason why we use the specific strategies we use is clear from the beginning (i.e., the rationale).



Simply beginning cognitive therapy is a big step in the right direction. Using the strategies involved in overcoming social anxiety makes you feel better right from the start. Using the strategies, of course, is essential; just learning the strategies is not enough. It is in the application of these strategies in your daily life that control is felt.



Cognitive therapy is an active experience and one that allows you to use anti-anxiety methods in your daily life. By using these strategies, not only do you feel more in control of life, you feel better about yourself, and the direction it is going. You can see you are actually doing something that will make you less anxious and will take away the control anxiety has over you.

How do I use this therapy series? Preview session 1 for free to understand clearly how you will use this therapy series. Each session has a handout entitled “What to Do This Week”.

Should I see a therapist, do this program, or both?



For some, seeing a therapist may motivate you to keep up with the therapy. You may use this program and see a therapist.



If you choose to see a therapist rather than this structured program, ask your therapist what daily structure he/she will provide. It is the daily habit of therapy, not a weekly visit of 45 minutes, that will effectively get you over social anxiety disorder.



Click here for more information to consider when trying to find a therapist This program is designed as if you were coming personally to see Dr. Richards for 25 sessions of therapy. Thus, there is no reason why you must see a therapist to use this program.For some, seeing a therapist may motivate you to keep up with the therapy. You may use this program and see a therapist.If you choose to see a therapist rather than this structured program, ask your therapist what daily structure he/she will provide. It is the daily habit of therapy, not a weekly visit of 45 minutes, that will effectively get you over social anxiety disorder.

What if I need to talk to someone or ask questions about the therapy? When you sign up for “Overcoming Social Anxiety: Step by Step”, you will also be invited to a members-only discussion forum. This community is for users of the therapy program. You may read posts and questions from other users, ask your own questions, and connect with other community members here.

Who is this therapy appropriate for? What ages? This program is not age-specific. It is for anyone suffering from social anxiety. Series users should have the motivation and the maturity to understand the concepts and strategies outlined. Anyone 13 years old or younger must have the consent of their parents to use the program. One must be older than 13 to participate in the discussion forum.

My daughter/son has social anxiety. Can they use this therapy program?



As with most activities in life, for learning to be effective, the person should be a willing and motivated participant in this process. Therapy is a process of active learning.



If your friend has social anxiety and you are trying to help them by pointing them to this therapy program, we suggest you direct them to our website,



If your son or daughter has social anxiety, depending on their age, it may also be appropriate for you first to direct them to our website. Let your daughter or son find out more information. For younger children, you need to be more directed about this action. Use the website to learn more about social anxiety with your child, or take the information and put it into concepts your child can understand at his/her developmental age. You may choose to go through the therapy program together. Quite often we have parents, family members, or friends of the person with social anxiety contact us here at the Social Anxiety Institute. It is only natural that you want to help your friend or family member.As with most activities in life, for learning to be effective, the person should be a willing and motivated participant in this process. Therapy is a process of active learning.If your friend has social anxiety and you are trying to help them by pointing them to this therapy program, we suggest you direct them to our website, https://socialanxietyinstitute.org . Let the person educate themselves. Your friend may or may not be able to willingly and openly discuss their social anxiety with you. The website may help to open discussion on this topic, and may also help you understand what living with social anxiety is like.If your son or daughter has social anxiety, depending on their age, it may also be appropriate for you first to direct them to our website. Let your daughter or son find out more information. For younger children, you need to be more directed about this action. Use the website to learn more about social anxiety with your child, or take the information and put it into concepts your child can understand at his/her developmental age. You may choose to go through the therapy program together.

I have problems with the physical symptoms of social anxiety. Will this program help me with those? (blushing, sweating, shaking, twitching, etc.) As with all problems, everyone with social anxiety has slightly different symptoms. Some people, for example, find it hard to write in public because they fear people are watching and their hand will shake. Others are very self-conscious and find it difficult to hold down a job. Still others have severe anxiety about eating or drinking in the presence of other people. Blushing, sweating, and "freezing" are other physiological symptoms. Body dysmorphia – people find a certain part of their body (such as the face or neck) particularly "strange looking" and unacceptable.



Physical symptoms, and our irrational thoughts surrounding these symptoms, is a part of social anxiety for many socially anxious people. This program addresses these issues as well as others.



Lack of space prohibits a detailed discussion, but some of the everyday problems that must be worked on and solved if we say we are helping people overcome social anxiety, are the person’s:



a) misperception of themselves in terms of appearance, ability, and self-worth,

b) feelings of guilt and embarrassment arising from past social situations,

c) anger arising from past situations,

d) self-assertion strategies to show the person they do not need to be a doormat,

e) perfectionism and how to become more realistic, and

f) procrastination habits that exist because of social anxiety worries and doubts.

Will this program help me with depression? Depression is a very common result of a life stifled by social anxiety disorder. One may have clinical depression separate and apart from social anxiety. However, it is often the case that feelings of depression are a result of social anxiety. Thus, when we learn to overcome social anxiety, we are also reducing and eliminating the depression that results from it.

What if I am dealing with other anxiety disorders simultaneously?

https://anxietynetwork.com . For information and articles on other anxiety disorders, please refer to our website:

My social anxiety is very specific. I’m not sure your program is right for me. CBT is used for both specific and generalized forms of social anxiety disorder. This program helps those with mild to more severe forms of social anxiety.



Some users of the series will be more inclined to see their anxiety as a specific symptom rather than underlying social anxiety. Such a user may want to jump straight to discussions concerned with a specific issue or symptom of social anxiety. Unfortunately this is not an effective way to overcome the issue. We still must go through the cognitive steps laid out in the therapy in order to lay the solid foundation for healthy, rational cognitive changes in our thinking so that we can realize changes in our feelings and behaviors.



It is usually the case that the underlying issues involved with social anxiety symptoms go deeper than what some may feel is a specific, less general form of social anxiety.

Can I skip ahead to the sessions which are more relevant to me? You should not skip around. The program is designed in a step-be-step manner, each session building upon previous sessions. Dr. Richards discusses this in session 1 which you may preview for free.



Refer also to the previous question and answer for additional insight into this question.

I’ve tried other things. Why should I trust this program? We want you to overcome social anxiety as soon as you can, so you can live a "normal", anxiety-free life.



These are not merely empty words. We know how to help people get over social anxiety now. It is not rocket science anymore. We have developed (and are continuing to develop) ways and methods for you to overcome social anxiety.



This therapy program is the result of helping thousands of people overcome social anxiety over the past 25 years. To our knowledge, there is still no other program in existence as comprehensive and as focused on CBT for social anxiety disorder as “Overcoming Social Anxiety: Step by Step”.

When does this program start and finish? You may start the therapy program today, as soon as you sign up. There are 25 sessions in total. In general, we advise spending one week per session. To fully overcome social anxiety, most of us will need to review the therapy multiple times. The repetition and review of the program will reinforce your progress.

How long do I have access to the therapy? With the 1-time payment purchase of the therapy program, you have immediate lifetime access to the therapy and all future updates. With the monthly payment plan of 3 monthly payments, you will get lifetime access upon the successful completion of the three payments.

Will I have access to future updates? Periodically, there will be additions and updates to the program. You will have access to these future updates and additions, as well as the forum.

Is the program mobile / tablet friendly? Yes. Access the therapy program sessions via your desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone.

What if I am not satisfied with the therapy? We want you to feel that this program is right for you. We also want you to be ready to start therapy. For that reason we are offering session 1 of “Overcoming Social Anxiety: Step by Step” completely free for you to try before purchasing the program. Take advantage of previewing session 1 so that you can make your decision. Once purchased, the therapy program is non-refundable. Review our Refund Policy.

Do you offer any discounts? We do not offer discounts or seasonal promotion offers. There is no reason to wait or time your purchase for discounts as we keep the price consistent for all customers. Over the life of the Social Anxiety Institute and this therapy program, we have kept the price of the series at a level we feel is more than fair for the effort and work required to make the program available to you.



Our mission is to help you overcome social anxiety. This program is the equivalent of 25 sessions with a professional therapist, if not considerably more if you consider that most traditional sessions with a therapist are 45 minutes to an hour. We realize that any price of therapy is still a cost worth consideration. Consider not just the price but the value of the investment in your life and progress in overcoming social anxiety.

I want more information.

https://socialanxietyinstitute.org.



For information on other anxiety disorders, you may also go to

https://anxietynetwork.com. You can find more information on social anxiety atFor information on other anxiety disorders, you may also go to