Treating Social Phobia

372 Words2 Pages
Steve Withrow PSY-150 13. June, 2011 Several treatments seem to help people who experience social phobia. Two treatments used for social phobia include behavioral treatments and pharmacological treatments. Treatments, behavioral treatments and pharmacological treatments help alleviate symptoms of social phobia. The most common type of behavioral treatment includes the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy also known as CBT. A study was conducted comparing cognitive behavioral therapy and Educational Support Groups to see which one works better (Curtis, 2004). The experiment contained four stages. These stages included teaching patients to realize irrational thoughts, confronting otherwise fearful situations, cognitive restricting and assigning homework. The Educational Support Groups consisted of group therapy, communication and assertiveness. After the twelve weeks there were significant improvements from participants from both treatment groups. But participants in the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBGT showed more improvement. The participants involved with the CBGT had less negative thoughts and maintain positive results for a longer period of time. Both studies proved the importance of letting individuals who suffer from social phobia to confront their fears, realize negative thoughts, and learn how to interact with others in a positive manner. Family therapy is the second therapy used in the treatment of social phobia. Treatment is most beneficial when family therapy is combined with CBT (Ollendick & King, 1998). The family therapy includes 40 minute sessions and individuals in the family working together to solve symptoms associated with social anxiety. In this study parents awarded children to reward courageous behaviors and used “planned ignoring” to terminate fearful behaviors. Both empathy and relaxation techniques we used to address the social
Open Document