Social anxiety
Social anxiety is the extreme stress or discomfort that occurs in particular social or performance settings, such as talking to colleagues, public speaking, attending parties, and participating in meetings or class discussions. People with social anxiety tend to be preoccupied with how they come across to others, and expect to be judged negatively. As a result, people with social anxiety try to avoid the settings that make them uncomfortable, leading in turn to the perpetuation of their anxiety.
Effective treatment for social anxiety includes a combination of learning to focus your attention on others rather than internally, learning self-calming skills, learning to approach social situations more adaptively, and building confidence in your ability to cope with challenging situations by developing particular skills (such as deepening conversations). Using these general strategies, I will help you overcome the barriers that are interfering with your performance or obtaining the relationships you desire.
© Bronwyn Murray 2013