Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder in Weston

Hey There!

My name is Diana Garcia, and I specialize in therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder in Weston, FL.

You might be feeling:

  • Frozen with fear whenever someone invites you to go out. You’re internally conflicted. On one end, you so desperately want to make some solid friends but the thought of socializing feels worse than a root canal. 
  • Tired of people thinking that you’re cold or distant because you’re on your phone at parties or keep to yourself. 
  • Defeated when your mind tends to yell at you that something is wrong with you! Whether you’re too boring, don’t have cool hobbies to comment on, or you’re just too awkward! 
  • Overwhelmed when you think of having to engage in small talk. What do you talk about? Where do you look? Do you bring topics up? Or should you focus on asking about them? The confusion and stress is real!

I get it; it feels crushing, and I’m here to help. 

I help people gain the skills and trust in themselves to start mastering social situations like a pro!

Schedule a complimentary consultation with me today if you’re ready to feel better. 

Signs & Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder

At the core, Social Anxiety Disorder is about this fear of being judged or scrutinized in social settings. The type of social setting can range depending on what triggers this fear in you. You might struggle with bigger get-togethers or feel more overwhelmed in a more intimate setting. Regardless of what type of situation, you get nervous that you’re going to do something wrong and that others will notice it. Some common signs of  social anxiety include:

  • Belief that something is wrong with you and that others will notice it when you’re engaging socially. Again, whether your think you’re just not interesting enough or something about your appearance is less than. 
  • This fear of being criticized leads you to engage in some type of avoidance. This can be all-out avoidance, such as RSVPing a big fat NO to any get-togethers that bring this on. Or it can look like avoidance once you’re in the situation, including using your phone as a shield so you don’t have to engage, staying in the kitchen, only engaging with people you know, being more of a listener than a talker, or leaving early. 
  • This fear and avoidance have impacted your life negatively, whether that means you have few or no friends. Or maybe you’ve noticed you stopped yourself from moving up in your career due to being afraid of public speaking (a form of social anxiety) or the need to network. 
  • When you’re in social settings, you think that others can just tell that your are nervous, making you feel further like something is wrong with you.
  • You might believe that you have no social skills and don’t understand social rules. 
  • You might struggle with some everyday activities that involve others, including ordering food on the phone, returning an item in person, or talking to your co-workers in the break room. 

Get Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder in Weston

Struggling with Social Anxiety can make you feel so excruciatingly lonely and cause you to shrink your life. I want you to know that there truly is another way. You can learn the tools and skills to help you have a life filled with meaningful friendships and the confidence to put yourself out here when it matters. Don’t hesitate to reach out and start working on yourself.

Schedule a free consultation

My Approach to Counseling for Social Anxiety Disorder in Weston

My approach to counseling for social anxiety includes understanding better the relationship you’ve been having with social anxiety up to this point. The first couple of sessions will be focused on exploring the impact that social anxiety has had in your life, all the different ways you’ve tried to handle it on your own, both successfully and unsuccessfully, and identifying your goals for counseling.

Once we both have a clear sense of the general direction for our work together, the focus will be on learning about social anxiety and the different components involved, including the role of anxious thoughts, the associated uncomfortable feelings, any physical sensations that are common and ultimately how you behave in the face of your anxiety. 

I primarily use interventions from a therapy called Acceptance and Commitment (ACT). The focus of ACT is to be able to help you live a meaningful and pursue the things that matter to you, whether that’s friendships, romantic relationships, or being able to put yourself out there to move up in your career. You will engage in these activities no matter what’s showing up for you internally. Don’t worry, we’ll focus on incorporating some tools to help you learn how to deal with sticky thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations that tend to get in your way.

Some of our work can include engaging in some exercises in and outside of the session, ultimately with the hope of strengthening your toolbox when you need it most. That also means we might do some exercises that bring up this fear of being judged or criticized.

FAQ for Social Anxiety Disorder Therapy in Weston

There’s some evidence that if a relative had social anxiety, you could be predisposed to social anxiety. But more important than the role of biology is the role of learning. How you learned to react to your social anxiety and how you saw others in your life handle social anxiety could play a huge role in developing social anxiety.

When you engage in avoidance and safety behaviors, you impede your ability to integrate new learning. You miss the opportunity to learn that you can be in social settings without all the scary things happening. 

Additionally, certain experiences could also have an impact, including if you experienced negative social events that had a lasting impact or if you grew up in a family that placed a big emphasis on social performance/engagement. 

You’re not alone in struggling with social anxiety. Social Anxiety falls under the umbrella of Anxiety Disorders, the second most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorder. It’s estimated that approximately 15 million Americans are impacted by Social Anxiety. Fear of public speaking is a subtype of Social Anxiety, which many endorse as challenging. 

Even if you don’t meet official criteria for the disorder, it’s pretty normal to have instances when certain social settings bring on feelings of anxiety. If you’re noticing an increase in the severity and frequency of these instances, that’s something to make a note of and to consider further exploring what’s changed.

Therapy is an effective intervention for social anxiety. Therapy can help you understand the role that your social anxiety is playing in your life. And more importantly, it can help you change your relationship with social anxiety so it can stop taking over your life. Unfortunately, too many people hold off on seeking therapy for various reasons. Additionally, some individuals seek medication management as another intervention. A psychiatrist would be the best person to help you explore medication options. 

If therapy is not an option for whatever reason, there are tons of resources that you can explore on your own. At the core, it’s important to recognize what’s the main fear when it comes to your social anxiety and to slowly learn how to confront this fear in your life. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Start slow and continue building your inner strength to handle challenges. 

Here are links to two of my blogs on books to help with social anxiety:

It certainly can! If you’re struggling with social anxiety and feel that you don’t have a good grasp on handling it, it can impact how you view yourself. Difficulties with your self-esteem could also show up in social settings. Luckily, whether it does impact your self-esteem, you can learn how to overcome it so you feel much more self-acceptance, self-compassion, and confidence in your ability to handle the social settings that are important to you.

Ready to focus on you?

Schedule a free consultation

Other Areas Served for Counseling for Social Anxiety Disorder

Davie, Plantation, Southwest Ranches, Sunrise, Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, South Florida.

My office is located 5 minutes away from Exit 15, Royal Palm Blvd W, of I-75, allowing me to provide counseling for Generalized Anxiety Disorder to residents in the areas listed above. Additionally, I offer Telehealth (video) sessions across the state of Florida. So I can offer video sessions if you’re physically located anywhere in Florida from the comfort of your home. If you have any questions about Telehealth, contact me here.