APA Psychotherapy Video Series: Specific Treatments for Specific Populations

In ""Shyness and Social Phobia"", Dr. Anne Marie Albano demonstrates her cognitive - behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to treating the common issue of shyness and social phobia. Shyness is a relatively benign personality trait inherent in some individuals, whereas social anxiety occurs in most people at different developmental stages. For some people, the experience of shyness or social phobia is continual and so intense that it may interfere with their employment and social life. In this session, Dr. Albano works with a 24-year-old man with social phobia who is unable to go to college classes or to work. He only goes out if he can drink, a self-defeating coping strategy that often accompanies this disorder. Dr. Albano completes an assessment of the client and shows the beginning of her treatment approach, including psychological education and an exposure exercise, before providing a tailored homework assignment. Dr. Albano's approach to the treatment of social anxiety disorder is steeped in the cognitive - behavioral model. In effect, nonclinical social anxiety is viewed as a normal, developmentally appropriate reaction to social or evaluative situations. It is expected to occur periodically in response to certain developmental stages (e.g., ages 4-6, upon starting school; ages 12-17, when social-evaluative demands increase for the adolescent) and to certain environmental stressors (e.g., being evaluated, interviewed, or entering new situations with unfamiliar people).