Social Phobia and Social Anxiety

Social phobia, or as its sometimes called social anxiety disorder, can be hugely debilitating to any sufferer.

It can lead to some people avoiding social situations altogether.

It is vital for anyone who thinks they are suffering from social phobia/social anxiety to reach out for support such as counselling, which has been proven to make a profound difference to people suffering from this condition.

Take the first step to beating social phobia and arrange an appointment today – 0161 285 1925.

Do You Have Social Phobia/Social Anxiety?

There are different kinds of social phobia which are experienced to different degrees, ranging from feeling uncomfortable or on ‘edge’ in a specific social situation to suffering panic attacks in social situations. There are also specific social phobia which relate to certain ‘performance’ situations such as public speaking.

However, if you experience a number of the following feelings and thoughts, you probably suffer social anxiety to a degree and can be helped by counselling with Stockport Counselling Services.

• If you worry constantly about embarrassing yourself in social situations
• If you have a strong fear of experiencing humiliation in social situations
• If you constantly think what others may be thinking about you, and this is usually negative
• If you feel uncomfortable eating in social situations
• If you have excessive fear of speaking in social situations
• If you don’t like performing simple activities such as writing in front of other people or using public toilets
• If you avoid social gatherings because you think people will not like you, or because you always feel uncomfortable

Physical symptoms are related to these feelings, usually manifesting themselves as blushing, shaking, sweating, feeling dizzy or tense and anxiety attacks.

Help For Your Social Phobia

At Stockport Counselling Services, we have considerable experience and training in helping people exactly like you.

Counselling techniques such as cognitive behavioural therapy prove extremely effective in treating social phobias/social anxiety.

By listening to how you think and feel, we can gently challenge the thoughts and beliefs which cause social anxiety such as ‘mind-reading’ when sufferers often think they know what people think about them to ‘catastrophic’ thinking when sufferers believe something bad will happen if they behave in a certain manner.

This process can also be extended to gradual exposure to social situations that are usually avoided, and help to improve confidence while changing thoughts and feelings that underlie social phobia.

Call SCS today for a friendly chat about how we can help you.

Appointments can also be taken over the phone for anyone who initially would rather not visit our clinic.