Social Anxiety
(KY-CARDS) is proud to be the Louisville regional clinic with The
National Social Anxiety Center (NSAC). NSAC was established with the
intent of making the highest quality, evidence-based psychotherapy
services to treat social anxiety available to those in need. We aim to do
this through research, collaboration, dissemination to clinicians and
educating the public. Visit NSAC here for more information.
SOCIAL ANXIETY
Social anxiety is the most common anxiety disorder and the third most common mental health condition in the United States. Social anxiety disorder affects roughly 15 million adults each year and typically begins around age 13 (for more information on statistics about social anxiety disorder, visit the Anxiety and Depression Association of America here). Although only one-third of individuals suffering from anxiety disorders receive treatment, social anxiety symptoms and social anxiety disorder are very treatable in a time-limited fashion.
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for social anxiety disorder. Dr. Chapman is a recognized expert in the assessment and treatment of social anxiety disorder and has published numerous articles describing CBT for social anxiety in addition to describing social anxiety treatment in the media/social media. Dr. Chapman also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Andrew Kukes Foundation for Social Anxiety (for information on social anxiety and Dr. Chapman’s role with AKFSA click here). Through the utilization of CBT, Dr. Chapman teaches each client to become his or her “own Psychologist” through the use of evidence-based techniques which generally takes place in 9-12 sessions. Treatment of social anxiety includes the following components:
- Psychoeducation about the nature of social anxiety including what causes social anxiety
- Teaching clients to recognize the three components of social anxiety and the three components of treatment (which includes homework)
- Teaching clients to treat thoughts as hypotheses rather than facts
- The importance of gradually confronting social anxiety-provoking situations after the aforementioned skills are learned
Dr. Chapman served as a consultant for the new edition of the “Managing Social Anxiety: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach (3rd Edition)” as part of the Treatments That Work series.
#022 – Social Anxiety with Dr. Kevin Chapman
Why Do We Do That?
In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with clinical psychologist, Dr. Kevin Chapman. They discussed how social anxiety is a normal human emotion, the lies we tell ourselves about our ability to socialize, the role of culture and race in the experience of social anxiety, and how to retrain our brains to overcome negative thinking.
How To Overcome Social Anxiety, According To Experts
The first step to overcoming social anxiety is understanding what it actually is. “Social anxiety is a fear of social situations,” says Kevin Chapman, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder and director of the Kentucky Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders.