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Social Anxiety Disorder

Don’t Hide Behind Your Fear and Anxiety in Social Settings

  • Go past your fears of being judged with treatments for social anxiety disorder
  • Face social situations with confidence and build your self-esteem
Find a Therapist call 855-722-4422
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What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social anxiety is more than being introverted or shy. It leads to pain and disruption in a person's life. But don't feel alone; we are there to help you every step of the way.

The nervous feelings before and during social contact, attending events or interviews, giving presentations, or even when just making eye contact can be debilitating. We understand how uncomfortable these situations can be. This intense fear of being in social situations where you feel you'll be watched or evaluated by others can make you miss valuable moments. Social anxiety disorder is more than shyness or periodic nerves. Our social anxiety disorder therapist are here to help you talk about your fears and work together to make the necessary changes for you to live a better life.

Social Anxiety Therapy for Men

Social anxiety disorder in men interferes with their daily functioning leading to extreme distress & performance anxiety.

Social Anxiety Therapy for Women

Women with a social anxiety disorder might have difficulty meeting new people, maintaining relationships, and attending social events.

Social Anxiety Therapy for Adolescents

Children with social anxiety disorder experience extreme distress over everyday situations. Constant feelings of being watched or judged may cause them to isolate or shut down.

Signs of Social Anxiety Disorder You Should Not Ignore

The experience may vary from person to person, but if you have social anxiety, you may face some of these symptoms.

Excessive self-consciousness

Excessive self-consciousness

Avoiding social situations

Avoiding social situations

Sweating & trembling

Sweating & trembling

Accelerated heartbeat

Accelerated heartbeat

Blood Pressure issues

Blood Pressure issues

Muscle Tension

Muscle Tension

Inability to Catch a Breath

Inability to Catch a Breath

What Causes Social Anxiety Disorder?

Many people who develop social anxiety disorder do so after traumatic experiences. They might feel depressed and have low self-esteem due to:

  • Genetics
  • Unique Neurology
  • Environmental factors

How Can Social Anxiety Be Treated?

Based on the severity and persistence of your symptoms, our social anxiety disorder specialists work closely with you and prepare a customized social anxiety disorder treatment plan to help you recover.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is recommended for treating social anxiety disorder. Based on the belief that what you think affects how you feel, and your emotions affect your behavior, CBT aims to work on how you feel about social situations that give you anxiety.

Our social anxiety disorder specialists help you to learn how to manage anxiety through relaxation techniques and breathing practices. We assist you in challenging the negative thoughts that trigger and fuel social anxiety and substituting them with more balanced views & help you face the social situations you fear in a gradual, systematic way rather than avoiding them.

Interpersonal therapy

This form of psychotherapy assists you with underlying personal issues affecting your social, private, or professional life. In some cases, this can pertain to unresolved suffering, sudden shifts in your everyday life, or disagreements with loved ones and peers.

This social anxiety disorder treatment aims to develop healthy communication skills and understand how you can relate them to resolving burdens and conflicts. It’s one of the most common therapy methods in treating social anxiety disorder.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

The objective of acceptance and commitment therapy is to ease the effort to control anxious thoughts and increase involvement in noteworthy actions that align with expected life goals.

It highlights acceptance as a way to deal with unhealthy thoughts, emotions, signs, or circumstances & also prompts increased commitment to a healthy & healing journey.

Teletherapy

It’s found that teletherapy can help those with a social anxiety disorder who might defer or avoid in-person treatment. This is expected due to anxiety on encountering someone new in person, even if their role is a therapist.

Having that extra space and time can improve results for people with social anxiety since their anxiety isn’t intensified by being in the physical existence of a therapist.

Peer Support Programs

Peer support programs provide an opportunity for people who have gained considerable healing from social anxiety treatments to aid others in their recovery journeys.

Peer specialists prompt healing, enhance hope and network through role modeling and activation, and augment existing treatment with teaching and empowerment.

Meet Our Team of Social Anxiety Disorder Therapists

Our team of social anxiety disorder therapists and counselors can help you with customized treatment plans to help overcome the challenges.

Insurance We Accept

Book Your Appointment

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Frequently Asked Questions

Our Therapist | Insurance Coverage | Services Offered | Privacy

It's common to experience anxiety in specific social settings. For instance, giving a presentation or going on a date can make you feel butterflies in your stomach. But when you have a social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, you constantly worry about how others will react to you in social situations and feel self-conscious and embarrassed.

When you have a social anxiety disorder, your life may be disrupted by avoidance caused by fear and anxiety. Extreme stress may negatively impact your relationships, daily routines, job, studies, and other activities. Some symptoms to mention are:

  • Persistent, severe anxiety or dread that you would be harshly judged, shamed, or humiliated in a particular social scenario
  • Avoiding uncomfortable social situations or going through them with great fear or anxiety
  • Excessive anxiety that is unjustified given the circumstances
  • Social anxiety in adults often affects how they live their life
  • Any form of fear or anxiety that cannot be explained by disorder, medication, or substance addiction

Social anxiety disorder most likely results from a complex mix of biological and environmental factors, similar to many other mental health conditions. Potential reasons include:

  • Inherited qualities - There is a familial tendency for anxiety problems. Yet, it's unclear how much anxiety is inherited and how much is the result of taught behavior.
  • Brain architecture - The amygdala is a part of the brain that may regulate the fear response. People with an overactive amygdala can experience a more intense fear reaction, making them more anxious in social circumstances.
  • Environment - Some people may experience severe anxiety after being in an uncomfortable or embarrassing social situation, suggesting that social anxiety disorder may be a learned behavior. Additionally, there may be a link between social anxiety disorder and parents who are either more controlling or overprotective of their kids or exhibit anxious behavior in social circumstances.
  • Negative Encounters - Social anxiety disorder may be more common in kids subjected to bullying, taunting, rejection, or other forms of humiliation. In addition, this condition may be linked to different unfortunate life experiences such as family strife, trauma, or abuse.

Even though they may appear outgoing and confident, a person with social anxiety may be exceedingly uncomfortable in social settings. It's possible that others won't even be able to sense their uneasiness. Even though it frequently appears to be situational, shyness is more noticeable. In other words, shyness often manifests itself at particular moments. Some possible signs of social anxiety in adults are:

  • Rapid heart rate.
  • Trembling.
  • Sweating.
  • Nausea or a stomachache.
  • Having trouble breathing.
  • A feeling of faintness or dizziness.
  • Having the impression that your mind is blank

Although treatment for social anxiety disorder typically involves consulting a licensed therapist, you might attempt some of these strategies as well to deal with circumstances that are likely to elicit symptoms:

  • Learn techniques for reducing stress
  • Get some exercise or keep yourself moving frequently
  • Get adequate rest
  • Consume a nutritious, balanced diet
  • Skip the alcohol
  • Limit or avoid caffeine

If you have been experiencing the symptoms mentioned above. We suggest you look for help. You can connect with Lifebulb to book your appointment by calling us on our 24x7 active helpline. You can also find us online by simply searching 'social anxiety therapist near me' or ‘therapist for social anxiety near me.’

The condition of social anxiety is curable. But it can be crippling if left untreated. A person's professional and social life may be severely disrupted by the symptoms of social anxiety disorder, which can also lead to a loss of social support, poor performance at work and elsewhere, deteriorated relationships, and a lower quality of life. The symptoms of social anxiety disorder may be lessened with proper care, significantly enhancing the quality of life. Low self-esteem, despair, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts are just a few mental health issues to which social anxiety disorder is linked. If you have been experiencing any symptoms, simply search 'social anxiety therapist near me' or 'social anxiety cure' to reach out to Lifebulb immediately.

Social anxiety disorder can benefit from a variety of treatments. The effectiveness of social anxiety therapy will differ from person to person. Some clients only require one kind of treatment, while others can require a combination. Your primary care physician may recommend therapy or refer you to a psychologist or mental health professional. Some options are:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT teaches you new coping mechanisms for anxiety, such as switching out negative ideas with optimistic ones.
  • Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): Clients discover how to live a values-based life despite unpleasant feelings by using mindfulness, acceptance, and behavioral methods.
  • It's found that teletherapy can help those with a social anxiety disorder who might defer or avoid in-person treatment. It is expected due to anxiety on encountering someone new in person, even if their role is a social anxiety disorder specialist. Having that extra space and time can improve results for people with social anxiety since their anxiety isn't intensified by being in the physical presence of a social anxiety disorder specialist.
  • Peer support programs allow people who have gained considerable healing from social anxiety treatments to aid others in their recovery journeys. Peer specialists prompt healing, enhance hope and network through role modeling and activation, and augment existing treatment with teaching and empowerment.

Lifebulb therapists and counselors specialized in providing in-person or online social anxiety therapy, counseling, care, and treatment for a wide variety of mental healthcare needs and issues, including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, grief & loss, trauma, PTSD, couples counseling, marriage counseling, life transitions, adjustment disorders, bipolar, schizophrenia, eating disorders, child counseling, teen and adolescent therapy, anger management, career coaching, life coaching, ADHD treatment, family therapy, panic or social anxiety attack, phobias, substance abuse, virtual therapy, online counseling, EMDR, EFT, and many more.

Your first session with a Lifebulb social anxiety disorder specialist or counselor won't simply be a background or demographic information-gathering session - We know deciding to get help is a big deal and a difficult step. That's why our first offline or online social anxiety therapy session with you will be about providing you with the service you're seeking and proving that the therapy process can work with the right effort and commitment from both sides.

We believe getting access to a social anxiety disorder specialist or counselor should be quick and easy. So our process is straightforward. Simply browse our therapists' bios to find the right fit for you and schedule a virtual counseling or in-person counseling session online. Or call our office, and a team member can help make sure you're matched with the right social anxiety disorder specialist or counselor for you and your goals. Whether online social anxiety disorder treatment therapy or offline therapy, your therapist will help you with an individualized social anxiety disorder treatment plan to help you reach your specific goals.

If you are experiencing an emergency right now, please call 911 right away. While Lifebulb is not a crisis center and Lifebulb social anxiety disorder specialists and counselors are not emergency services, we understand that urgent matters can and will pop up from time to time. You will have direct email and phone access to your therapist or social anxiety treatment center, who will make their best effort to be available to you when you reach out. Depending on your specific social anxiety disorder treatment plan, your social anxiety disorder specialist may provide you with resources to use or contact when situations occur beyond the scope of your online therapy or offline therapy work together.

When you book a session with your therapist or counselor, our team will email you a confirmation of your appointment date and time with a link to the virtual social anxiety therapy room. Click the link and log in to the virtual therapy room a few minutes before your session, and your social anxiety disorder specialists will meet you there.

Yes. All of our therapists are able to provide best online social anxiety therapy and social anxiety disorder treatment services to our clients.

We use a HIPAA-compliant video counseling service integrated into our Electronic Health Records System to provide a smooth process for our clients to engage in online social anxiety therapy sessions. Booking a session with us is easy. Simply call our office or request a specific session time from our website, and a team member can book you with the best possible fit as a social anxiety disorder specialist or confirm your online session details. We'll review insurance information and a few simple policies and email you a confirmation of your session date and time, whether in-person or virtual therapy.

Booking a session with us is easy and flexible, with several options. You can call our office, and a team member can book you with the best fit-in therapist. We'll review insurance information and a few simple policies and email you a confirmation of your session date and time, whether in-person or virtual. Or you can select your ideal social anxiety disorder specialist from our website, select a session time that works for you, and we'll reach out to you to confirm your appointment details.

We have a flexible cancellation policy. Call our office or reach out to your counselor or social anxiety disorder specialist 24 hours or more before your online social anxiety therapy session time to cancel or reschedule any appointment at no cost.

Social anxiety disorder treatment is often a long-term process that can help in improving overall mental health. It has been demonstrated that therapy can enhance feelings and behaviors and is associated with healthy adjustments to the brain and body. There is never a guaranteed "cure," but therapy helps make positive lifestyle changes.

We have a flexible social anxiety therapy cancellation policy. Simply call our office or reach out to your counselor 24 hours or more before your session time to cancel or reschedule an in-person or virtual therapy appointment.

We accept many major commercial insurance plans for social anxiety therapy, including Aetna, Amerihealth, Cigna, Optum Health, United Healthcare, Tricare, and others. If you don't see your insurance listed, we would be happy to verify your benefits to see if we can accept them, and if not, we offer you an affordable self-pay rate.

At Lifebulb, we operate without any ongoing membership or fees. We believe that everyone deserves to receive the best online social anxiety therapy service experience. And we believe those benefits should come free of any ongoing out-of-pocket fees simply for engaging in therapy. With us, your only social anxiety therapy session costs will be those set by your insurance provider or our low self-pay rate.

While many practices accept only self-pay clients or out-of-network benefits, at Lifebulb, we aim to keep your costs low by accepting most major insurance plans. Often the out-of-pocket expense per online social anxiety therapy session is a low copay determined by your specific insurance provider and plan. We also offer a self-pay rate lower than many practices for those without insurance or simply preferring not to use their healthcare benefits for in-person or virtual therapy.

At Lifebulb, we are extremely picky about who we hire to help you achieve your social anxiety therapy goals. But we understand that every social anxiety disorder specialist may not be the perfect match for every client. If your social anxiety therapy experience is less than you hoped, we will help you get set up to see someone you prefer.

While the majority of our clients opt to have their insurance benefits to get social anxiety therapy, we offer a low self-pay rate as well.

We take the responsibility of maintaining your privacy seriously. Lifebulb is considered a covered entity under HIPAA guidelines, which means we are subject to all HIPAA rules and regulations. If you have any questions (or recommendations) about our privacy and security practices, we want to help. Contact us at privacy@lifebulb.com.

Therapists that don't enjoy their workplace are often, unfortunately, unable to provide their clients with the best possible level of counseling and social anxiety therapy. That's why at Lifebulb, our social anxiety disorder specialists are our top priority. This means that your counselor or therapist can provide you, their client, with the best treatments for social anxiety disorder treatment because they enjoy the work they do in session with you, where they work, and who they work with.

Our online social anxiety therapy sessions are all conducted by our therapist aid social anxiety in private spaces, and our video platform is contained within our HIPAA-compliant Electronic Health Records system, so your face, voice, and data are always private and protected.

Lifebulb is considered a covered entity under HIPAA guidelines, which means we are subject to all HIPAA rules and regulations. If you have any questions (or recommendations) about our privacy and security practices, we want to help. Contact us at privacy@lifebulb.com.

At Lifebulb, our biggest difference lies in our therapists. Many practices, large and small, often put growing businesses before growing people. It may sound simple, but at Lifebulb, we treat our social anxiety disorder specialists like valuable people that provide a valuable service. What does that mean for our clients? While we believe therapists and counselors, regardless of where they work, do their best for their clients, we've found that social anxiety disorder specialists who genuinely enjoy where they work are able to provide the best treatment for social anxiety disorder to those they help. To that end, our primary goal at Lifebulb is to provide our therapists with the best possible environment in which to operate. In doing so, we believe Lifebulb clients are best positioned to accomplish their treatments for social anxiety disorder goals through in-person counseling or virtual therapy for social anxiety disorder.

At Lifebulb, we are extremely selective about the therapists we hire because we know choosing the right therapist can make all the difference in our clients reaching their goals. Our social anxiety therapists are all educated at the masters level and above and have received several years of hands-on training before becoming fully licensed clinicians. Even among the pool of highly trained therapists, we only work with those who align with our core values. That way, we know your social anxiety disorder specialist will go the extra mile to help you and offer the best treatment for social anxiety disorder online or in-person counseling.

Lifebulb’s social anxiety clinic has several locations for providing in-person counseling and is adding more regularly. We also provide telehealth or online social anxiety therapy session services for those who may live distant from our offices.

All our counselors are highly educated and trained and have received their full clinical licensure from practicing counseling. We also thoroughly interview each of our therapists, ensure that they pass a background check, and train them in-house to work with us. Additionally, we ensure that each of our counselors and social anxiety disorder specialists participates in ongoing education to continue to provide the best in-person and online social anxiety therapy services possible.

It is important that our clients work with the best possible fit as a social anxiety therapist for their specific treatments for social anxiety disorder. This is why we provide detailed bios of our therapists for our clients to review before reaching out to us. If you have a specific social anxiety disorder specialist in mind to work with, we would be happy to schedule you to see them. We also understand that our clients don't always match perfectly with their therapist, and in the case of a less-than-great fit, we will help you to find the right match among our team and, if necessary, provide the best referral we can to someone more suited to help you beyond our walls.

We do employ licensed clinical psychologists, as psychologists can offer services, such as best online social anxiety therapy services and psychological testing, that many other license types are unable to offer. Many times, your counselor or social anxiety disorder specialist can work in tandem with a psychologist to provide therapy and psychological testing when necessary to better provide for your specific needs or goals. In this way, we are able to better provide for a wider range of your needs.

A professional counselor is a master- or PhD-level mental health professional approved by a state licensure board to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. The exact name of a professional counselor's license can vary by state, but some of the most common are: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC).

Resources

Explore our comprehensive resources to learn more about social anxiety disorder.