Social Anxiety and Shyness
A user-friendly Cognitive Behavioural Treatment Protocol
Learn how to integrate CBT into your practice
Why do this Course?
While a degree of anxiety is normal (and natural) in certain social situations, some people can become excessively anxious before – and during – such situations. This anxiety, specific to social situations, can cause great suffering and disruption and is believed to affect about one in eight adults in Ireland at any one time. For children and teenagers too, it can greatly disrupt school and education experiences. In an age of social media, many studies are now looking at how an increase in online interactions might be leaving us less practiced in, and therefore more anxious about, real face-to-face interactions!
Many people are, unfortunately, suffering in silence – either because they are not asking for help or because they simply cannot access help. But help is available. Psychotherapy helps. More specifically, certain cognitive behavioural psychotherapy treatment protocols have proven themselves to be very effective for social anxiety and shyness.
NICE1 guidelines recommend that such CBT treatments be delivered by ’trained and supervised people, closely adhering to empirically grounded treatment protocols’. Research is showing, however, that ‘non-cbt’ psychotherapists, who are properly trained (and supervised) in a specific cognitive behavioural protocol - for a specific issue/disorder - can also produce good outcomes. The benefits of this are obvious: effective talk therapies, delivered to a high standard of competency, and accessible to more people, more promptly.
This one-day workshop has been carefully designed to provide psychotherapists with a structured, easy-to-use, treatment protocol that is suitable to use with clients who present with social anxiety. Whether your established way of working with clients is ‘cognitive behavioural’ or ‘integrative’, this training course will equip you to work confidently and effectively with the client who presents with this issue.
(follow-up training and supervision may be provided on request)
Many people are, unfortunately, suffering in silence – either because they are not asking for help or because they simply cannot access help. But help is available. Psychotherapy helps. More specifically, certain cognitive behavioural psychotherapy treatment protocols have proven themselves to be very effective for social anxiety and shyness.
NICE1 guidelines recommend that such CBT treatments be delivered by ’trained and supervised people, closely adhering to empirically grounded treatment protocols’. Research is showing, however, that ‘non-cbt’ psychotherapists, who are properly trained (and supervised) in a specific cognitive behavioural protocol - for a specific issue/disorder - can also produce good outcomes. The benefits of this are obvious: effective talk therapies, delivered to a high standard of competency, and accessible to more people, more promptly.
This one-day workshop has been carefully designed to provide psychotherapists with a structured, easy-to-use, treatment protocol that is suitable to use with clients who present with social anxiety. Whether your established way of working with clients is ‘cognitive behavioural’ or ‘integrative’, this training course will equip you to work confidently and effectively with the client who presents with this issue.
(follow-up training and supervision may be provided on request)
What will I get from this course?
On completion of this one-day workshop, participants will;
- Know the criteria for assessing, diagnosing (DSM V), and measuring social anxiety disorder/social phobia
- Have a clear understanding of the differences and similarities between social anxiety and other anxiety disorders
- Be clear on the theory and the structure of a specific cognitive behavioural treatment protocol for social anxiety (Clark & Wells, ’95).
- Be practiced in having a structured conversation, and developing a cognitive behavioural ‘case formulation’, with a client
- Be confident in presenting this case formulation to the client, as a way to understand THEIR social anxiety
- Know how best to present the treatment plan to the client (either as a stand-alone treatment, or as a specific protocol-driven treatment integrated into their broader therapy programme)
- be practiced in ‘cognitive re-structuring’ techniques, as a means to challenge some of the client’s unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about his/her experiences
- be practiced in applying simple (but powerful) ‘behavioural experiments’ that further help to challenge the client’s beliefs about his/her social experiences
- Leave with a comprehensive resource pack, packed with useful information and resources to support them - and their clients - throughout the treatment process.
Who Should Attend?
This workshop is influenced by the amazing work being done in the UK on ‘Improving access to psychological therapies’(IAPT). Extensive clinical studies have shown that ‘low intensity’ cognitive behavioural interventions can be delivered, safely and competently, by psychotherapists from different theoretical backgrounds - as well as other healthcare practitioners (GPs, practice nurses, social workers…) if they receive appropriate training.
If you work regularly with clients who struggle with mild-moderate social anxiety, then this course will add tremendously to your skills, and your confidence, in working with this group. Prior introductory training in CBT will, of course, be beneficial. However, no previous such CBT training is necessary for this workshop. If you want a learning experience that fully equips you to deliver a proven treatment intervention, with confidence and expertise – then this is the course for you!
If you work regularly with clients who struggle with mild-moderate social anxiety, then this course will add tremendously to your skills, and your confidence, in working with this group. Prior introductory training in CBT will, of course, be beneficial. However, no previous such CBT training is necessary for this workshop. If you want a learning experience that fully equips you to deliver a proven treatment intervention, with confidence and expertise – then this is the course for you!
About the Presenter
Rosario Nolan is a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, Trainer and CBT Supervisor. She is based in Navan, Co. Meath, running a successful private practice for the past seventeen years. Through extensive study (at home and abroad) Rosario has continued to work tirelessly towards delivering excellence in the treatment of Depression and the Anxiety disorders through:
As someone with a wealth of experience in adult learning (both as a participant and as a leader), Rosario believes that the learning experience she provides, be it; CPD workshop, certified training course, or clinical supervision, should always model the CBT core competencies of
With a Masters degree in Family Therapy & Psychotherapy, a Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and a certificate in clinical Supervision, among others, Rosario is also an accredited member of both BACP2 and BABCP3.
Rosario has taught cognitive behavioural psychotherapy modules to degree level and, at a World Conference, presented research on vocational counselling. She has also worked on the Primary Care Counselling Programme – an excellent HSE programme designed to bring good quality psychotherapy to GP practices.
- Individual face-to-face psychotherapy
- Online resources
- The training of other psychotherapists and healthcare professionals in the delivery of ‘low intensity’ CBT, using specific treatment protocols
- Providing CBT clinical supervision to psychotherapists and healthcare practitioners, to further support excellence in practice.
As someone with a wealth of experience in adult learning (both as a participant and as a leader), Rosario believes that the learning experience she provides, be it; CPD workshop, certified training course, or clinical supervision, should always model the CBT core competencies of
- Structure and Clear agenda
- Collaboration and Shared decision-making
- Guided Discovery and Behavioural Experiments and…
- Creativity!
With a Masters degree in Family Therapy & Psychotherapy, a Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and a certificate in clinical Supervision, among others, Rosario is also an accredited member of both BACP2 and BABCP3.
Rosario has taught cognitive behavioural psychotherapy modules to degree level and, at a World Conference, presented research on vocational counselling. She has also worked on the Primary Care Counselling Programme – an excellent HSE programme designed to bring good quality psychotherapy to GP practices.
- NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. www.nice.org.uk)
- BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy)
- BABCP (British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies).
