Saturday CBT Group for Social Anxiety

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The Anxiety Network

Social Anxiety Disorder:

All-Day Saturday Comprehensive CBT Group for
Social Anxiety Disorder

This is a local program for people within driving distance of
The Social Anxiety Institute (SAI) in Phoenix.
Please see the Social Anxiety Site for current details.

Charges: We charge for one (1) therapy session for the whole day, although you will be in therapy close to five (5) hours. : We charge for one (1) therapy session for the whole day, although you will be in therapy close to five (5) hours.

Contracts: We need to use a contract for these all-day sessions because your place is being held in the group despite the fact you may not be able to attend a session; thus, if you are absent, charges still apply. Note that your absences have been built into the system, and the charges are very low, relative to other all-day programs.: We need to use a contract for these all-day sessions because your place is being held in the group despite the fact you may not be able to attend a session; thus, if you are absent, charges still apply. Note that your absences have been built into the system, and the charges are very low, relative to other all-day programs.

NOTE: We have shifted our social anxiety therapy emphasis toward more intensive approaches, whenever possible, because the results we have seen from comprehensive CBT have been stronger than the traditional approach. Thus, beginning in February 1999, SAI instituted an all-day (Saturday) comprehensive cognitive-behavioral therapy group for social anxiety. This is the principal (local) CCBT group for social anxiety disorder. Three "semesters" run throughout the year.

2. Two individual appointments with Dr. Richards need to be scheduled before the start of the comprehensive CBT session, so that the diagnosis is clear, the program can be explained and understood, and the basics of the program can be fully covered.

3. We will notify you as soon as possible as to your acceptance. Please remember this is a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral therapy group for social anxiety disorder only. We do not "mix" people with different anxiety disorders.

12:00-2:30 Behavioral Group - we work on our personal anxiety hierarchies, structuring these activities to meet your own individual needs in overcoming anxiety in social situations. Dr. Richards runs the afternoon behavioral therapy group.

As usual, everything is voluntary and you are always the boss. We move slowly and gently up our hierarchies, we do not want to attempt to move too far too fast. Most everyone entering the group is surprised at how easily they adjust and fit in with the other group members.

At the end of the first group, people are usually amazed at the amount of progress they have made, relative to where they were when they started.

There will also be encouragement and support to go out with other group members some time during the week and do "experiments" in the real world.

For example, if Jack has a hard time going up to a salesperson and stating what we wants to buy, then Jack and Rob can go to a mall and Jack can actually do his "experiment" with Rob there as a support person, a person to remind Jack of the cognitive strategies he should be using, and then as a person to give Jack an accurate portrayal as to what went on after the real-life "experiment" is over.

In turn, Jack can help Rob with one of his social anxiety problems. Rob may have difficulty in talking to strangers, so many "experiments" can be done. Rob can pass strangers to start with and say "Hello, how are you?" He can start up a conversation with a person close to him in a store or at a restaurant.

The opportunities for real-life experiments are plentiful and need to be incorporated into the comprehensive CBT treatment. We always have people interested in doing real-world experiments with other people from the group.

Charges: We are charging only for one hour session for the entire day's therapy. We are no longer filing insurance (this is due to the insurance companies' general lack of honesty to us about what they will cover; the advent of managed care has signaled the death knell for mental health care problems), but will be happy to sign your papers for you so that you can file. We will charge the one hour regular rate for the entire day's therapy. We have participants sign a contract for the fall, summer, or spring sessions to make sure the group is made up of people who are motivated and committed to overcoming social anxiety.

The one hour session rate is $140.00, and we usually have some sliding scale fee openings at our regular sliding fee scale rates (listed below):

At present, using the sliding rates below, a person is receiving one full DAY's worth of therapy for less than that of the price of one 50-minute session.

We will have you sign a formal statement as to your financial status if you use the sliding scale fee rates: Insurance cannot be mixed with sliding scale rates. If you opt to go the insurance route, we have to charge you the full cost of the program. The sliding fee scale is only accessible to people who need to use it:

Our group sizes are limited, and we cannot have more than 8 people for the cognitive therapy. If you are interested in the Saturday program for social anxiety, please call the office (local people only please, who are interested in the Saturday program).

Behavioral Saturday Therapy: Most returning people attend the behavioral (afternoon) session only. Space is limited for this. This option is only available to those who have completed cognitive therapy in some form at SAI. We always encourage participation in more than one group for people with social anxiety, as your participation moves you farther along the pathway to overcoming this anxiety disorder.

Thus, if you choose to participate in the next behavioral therapy group, the costs to you are made considerably lower to encourage you to continue your progress and healing.: Most returning people attend the behavioral (afternoon) session only. Space is limited for this.

Charges for the behavioral group only (afternoon): Second and all further groups: $300.00 total (usually for a 14-week cycle). We do need a signed contract for the behavioral portion of the group, too.

A BIG THANK YOU to Michael J. Lee in helping to clarify all aspects of this program.

The Anxiety Network Home Page

The Anxiety Network is an international outreach to educate and inform the general public about the anxiety disorders, and to educate and support people with anxiety disorders.

Thomas A. Richards, Ph.D., Psychologist

THE SOCIAL ANXIETY INSTITUTE, INC.

Phoenix