Social anxiety disorder causes extreme fear in social settings. People have trouble talking to people and attending social gatherings. They fear being judged or scrutinized by others. They may understand that their fears are irrational or unreasonable, but feel powerless to overcome them (Higuera, 2018).

Hanna has been experiencing social anxiety for over 5 years but it has gotten worse since she recently moved out of her parents house. She does not have any friends and has been staying in the house. She is unable to interact with people and can not make friends or meet new people. She is a photographer and unable to work due to her anxiety. She gets hot and sweaty and thinks everyone is staring at her and thinks she looks like a weirdo. She feels that everyone thinks she is a idiot, stupid and that she can not do her job.

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for social anxiety disorder can help Hanna identify these irrational beliefs and thought patterns and replace them with more realistic ones (Cuncic, 2021). Hanna should have individual therapy, not group therapy, due to her beliefs that everyone is looking at her and thinks she is an idiot and stupid. If she was to go to group therapy she may not participate due to these beliefs. CBT works by identifying unhelpful thoughts and changes the way an individual feels and behaves. The individual will be given homework that is key to their success. The individual will be exposed, over time, to anxiety-provoking situations in order to become desensitized. The ultimate goal is to change their core beliefs and how they interpret their environment. Changing these beliefs will have a lasting improvement of anxiety symptoms. CBT helps an individual learn new coping strategies and gradually decrease the fear of social situations (Cuncic, 2021).

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References

Cuncic, A. (2021, September 01). Therapy for social anxiety disorder. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-is-cbt-used-to-treat-sad-3024945

Higuera, V. (2018, September 3). Social anxiety disorder: Causes, symptoms & diagnosis. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/social-phobia