National Social Anxiety Center • San Jose/Silicon Valley

San Jose/Silicon Valley Chapter of National Social Anxiety Center

The Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley has joined the National Social Anxiety Center, a regional association of centers offering evidence-based therapy by certified cognitive therapists.

As a member of the National Social Anxiety Center representing the Silicon Valley and San Jose region, it will help us further our mission of providing compassionate, scientifically-based therapy for adults, children and teenagers with social anxiety, selective mutism, obsessive compulsive disorders and other anxiety-related issues.

Types of Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety is an excessive fear of negative evaluation, judgment, embarrassment, scrutiny, criticism or rejection. It can lead to low self esteem, avoidance, isolation and depression. Social anxiety can appear in various forms and situations. Here are some common situations where you might feel anxious:

  • Initiating “small talk” with strangers, acquaintances, co-workers or classmates and/or continuing a conversation once it has begun
  • Forming friendships, dating or developing deeper and more intimate relationships
  • Transitions and unfamiliar situations such as starting at a new job, attending a new school or attending a meet up group for a activity you are interested in
  • Interacting with authority figures such as supervisors, executives, teachers, doctors or policemen
  • Asking for help from others such as asking for directions when you are lost or returning an item to a store
  • Networking at a professional event and joining a group conversation already in progress
  • Attending a job interview and worrying about how you are coming across to the interviewer
  • Speaking up in small groups or large group setting including delivering a formal speech or presentation to a group, expressing your opinion during a discussion at a meeting, introducing yourself, and/or answering or asking questions
  • Performance situations such as acting, singing, dancing, or playing a sport
  • Common everyday tasks when performed in public such as eating, drinking, typing, writing, reading, walking in front of others, answering the telephone or initiating a telephone call
  • Worrying that others may notice you are anxious if you blush, sweat, or tremble in public

Cognitive Behavioral Model of Social Anxiety

In the cognitive behavioral model of social anxiety, social anxiety is maintained by the following:

  • A strong belief that you are somehow inadequate compared to other people and that other people will notice your weaknesses or differences and be critical and judgmental.
  • Inability to tolerate feeling anxious in social situations and/or that people will notice and think negatively of your ability to cope.
  • Performing “safety” behaviors that make you feel safe in the short term but prevent you from learning such avoidance, drinking alcohol, arriving early or leaving late, bringing a friend and many others.

Cognitive Behavior Treatment of Social Anxiety

The goal of cognitive behavior therapy is to help you change the negative beliefs and behaviors that are maintaining your social anxiety by having new learning experiences. While therapy is tailored for each individual, the main components of cognitive behavior therapy for social anxiety are:

  • Education: education about how social anxiety starts and is maintained.
  • Personalized Assessment: identifying your specific thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that are maintaining your social anxiety
  • Skills Training: learning new social skills, gaining new coping skills and eliminating safety behaviors.
  • Exposure Therapy: developing a hierarchy of feared social and performance situations and exposing yourself in a gradual manner to these situations so you can practice new responses.
  • Schema Change: forming new beliefs about yourself and your ability to cope with social situations.
How to Get Help for Social Anxiety

The Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley offers therapy and counseling for social anxiety, performance anxiety and other forms of social anxiety. We are located in Saratoga on the border of San Jose and Saratoga just 1/2 mile from Highway 85. With our convenient location near highway 85, we serve the Silicon Valley communities of San Jose, Saratoga, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Cupertino and Campbell, CA. Call us at (408) 384-8404 to get help for Social Anxiety.

Serving the Silicon Valley communities of San Jose, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Cupertino, Campbell, Mountain View, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and Santa Clara, CA

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