Did therapy help reduce your social anxiety?

[vanessa-1998]

Hello everyone. I've been seeing a therapist due to severe anxiety and depression and I don't think it's working out-- the therapist just doesn't seem like a good fit. I don't feel like I can tell her everything. She also doesn't really employ a method for coping with anxiety; it's more like she just lets me rant, which is can be beneficial but can only do so much. The next step is to find a new therapist of course, but it would be awesome to look for signs or techniques that an effective therapist treating social anxiety employs. I've been suffering from social anxiety for years and I'm tired of it constantly obstructing my life. If you have any tips about seeking professional help, that would be greatly appreciated. An answer to the title of my thread would also be welcome.

 

[triceps]

Hi vanessa and welcome. It's difficult to suggest specific therapies to ask a new therapist if they have expertise in. I'll share my experience. I attended a weekly anxiety group for five years. The therapist utilized a therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and I would have to say it really helped some members and had marginal results for others. One huge advantage our therapist had was a very close relationship with an M.D. who would prescribe medication upon the therapists' recommendation. The M.D. would also count our attendance to the group meetings as enough observation to warrant renewal of meds where normally you'd have to see the doctor every six months to get refills. It saved alot of money for us. Hopefully you can glean some info from my experience that might help in your choosing a new therapist.