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Articles, Help, and Support
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Supplemental Audio tapes for anxiety are now available. This is a question we get asked every day. For the past two years, we have tried listing therapists (professionals who are licensed only) from anywhere in the world who specifically indicate that they specialize in successfully treating anxiety disorders. Research, particularly since 1990, has been consistent in finding that cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most effective therapy in treating the anxiety disorders as well as the usually-related dysthymia (low mood). We have received very few responses and are concerned that some of the responders are not running active CBT programs (including the essential behavioral groups for social anxiety) and the outside-the-office therapy ("experiments") that are vital to help overcome these disorders. Our reports back, especially for social anxiety, have not been reassuring. Here is what you should look for when you seek help: A licensed therapist (psychologist, etc.) who specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders. It is best that they are treating only people with anxiety disorders, as generally, they will be more knowledgeable about anxiety. They should be using cognitive-behavioral therapy and have many methods, strategies, concepts, and statements (the practical tools to help pull you up out of the anxiety quicksand). These strategies and methods should be fully explained to you and should be written out for you so that you can take them home with you and read it and/or practice it. Simply talking to a therapist for an hour usually proves to be a waste of time. Social anxiety people need a behavioral therapy group (see all our other articles about this) and a program that allows them to conduct "experiments" in the real world with a friend or friends from the group. Cognitive therapy by itself, while necessary, is usually not enough to help people out of social anxiety. That is why we always emphasize the active, behavioral, hierarchical-structured group that must be in place and running for people with social anxiety. (For example, most of the time we have two complete groups running, and several months of the year we have three active behavioral groups functioning). For Our Out of Town Friends: Intensive Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program for Social Anxiety We
are continuing our comprehensive and intensive CBT program for people with social anxiety
coming in from out of town. We have room in each group for 6-10
people. See the CBT Intensive page for future details.
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