Adult Group for Social Anxiety
What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common forms of anxiety – roughly 1 in 10 individuals in the US report experiencing problematic social anxiety at some point in their life (Ruscio et al., 2008). Commonly feared social situations include public speaking, participating in meetings/classes, having one-on-one or group conversations, and expressing opinions or disagreement.
How is social anxiety disorder treated?
Over the past two decades, research has amassed in support of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for social anxiety disorder. CBT for social anxiety disorder involves learning skills to manage social anxiety and reduce avoidance, and practice skills by gradually entering feared or avoided social situations (“exposures”). Research suggests that CBT for social anxiety is similarly effective in individual and group formats (Barkowski et al., 2016, Powers et al., 2008). However, group CBT offers several advantages:
- Built-in opportunities for practice (e.g., public speaking, group discussions, expressing opinions)
- Support and feedback from two group co-leaders and other individuals experiencing similar symptoms
- Typically lower costs relative to individual treatment (see below)
Group format and schedule
At CARD, social anxiety groups typically include between five and eight clients and are led by two doctoral student trainees supervised by a licensed psychologist at CARD. The groups meet once per week for approximately 2 hours-2.5 hours (depending on group size).
Fee
Group fees are determined based on CARD’s group treatment sliding scale.
When is the next group starting?
New groups are formed every few months. If you are interested in the group please contact CARD at (617) 353-9610 to determine initial eligibility and be placed on the waitlist for the next group.
Ready to get started?
- Contact us if you have questions or if you are ready to get started.
- You may be eligible for free treatment as a part of our current research opportunities.
References
Barkowski, S., Schwartze, D., Strauss, B., Burlingame, G. M., Barth, J., & Rosendahl, J. (2016). Efficacy of group psychotherapy for social anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials. Journal of anxiety disorders, 39, 44-64.
Ruscio, A. M., Brown, T. A., Chiu, W. T., Sareen, J., Stein, M. B., & Kessler, R. C. (2008). Social fears and social phobia in the USA: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Psychological medicine, 38(1), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291707001699
Powers, M. B., Sigmarsson, S. R., & Emmelkamp, P. M. (2008). A meta–analytic review of psychological treatments for social anxiety disorder. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 1(2), 94-113.