There are many therapeutic treatments available for teen social phobia, but the most recommended form is Cognitive – Behavioral Therapy.(CBT).

The theory behind CBT is very realistically put as . . . the way you think, directly affects the way that you feel, . . . and the way you feel directly affects your behavior. It follows from this that if a teen can be taught to alter the way he/she thinks about social situations, then the teen will feel better and act better in such occasions.

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy Teaches—

n  How the physical symptoms of the phobia are controlled through breathing and relaxation exercises.

n  To recognize negative mental thoughts and attitudes, teaching just how to remove anti-social thoughts and replace them with more productive, positive thoughts.

n  CBT will teach the teen how to face up to social occasions step by step and slowly, rather than to just turn his/her back on the situations and avoid them.

Group therapy can play a beneficial role in teaching the teen by using such methods as acting, mock interviews and gradually introduce the teen to real world social situations and demonstrate that they are not frightening events at all, thus reducing the phobia of the teen.

Therapy for Reducing Phobia Physical Symptoms in the Teen.

a). With the back held straight and the shoulders relaxed. Place one hand on the stomach, the other on the chest.

b). Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, there should be little movement experienced on the chest. Hold this breath for 2 seconds.

c). Breath out through the mouth for 6 seconds, again there should be little or no movement of the chest.

d). Continue to breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Establishing a rhythmic pattern of  4 seconds in, 2 seconds hold and 6 seconds out.

Overcoming Negative Thoughts Therapy.

This is very much under the control of the teenager, he/she will be taught to face up to intrusive negative thinking, and trained to deal with them, for example.

n  The teen will be taught to self-question.

n  If the teen is due to make a class presentation, the negative thoughts may be  ‘ I’m going to look a fool and blow the presentation, I know I will be too nervous’.

n  The teen will be taught to self-analyze his/her thoughts and ask instead  ‘ Wait a minute! Do I know for sure that I will blow my presentation’ or ‘ even if I am nervous will my classmates necessarily think I am nervous’

n  By a little self-analyses the teen will become to realize that such negative thoughts are within him/herself and do not exist in reality.

n  Slowly the teen will understand, and insight will be gained, which will bring about the normalization of their social lives.

The most helpful thing a teen will learn from therapy is to face and stand up to the fears, and not to avoid them, avoidance only serves to add fuel to the anxiety, and make it grow and continue.

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