How to Conquer Social Anxiety
To Register, call 217-203-2008 or email [email protected]
About the Facilitators
Group Facilitator: Counselor Sophie Dixon
Sophie Dixon is a National Certified Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor. She has experience working with adults, children, and adolescents struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, adjustment problems, and LGBTQIA populations. She also has expertise in running social anxiety groups.
Group Assistant: Intern Maddy Hopkins
Maddy Hopkins is an intern working towards her Master's degree in Social Work. She has experience working with depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, and LGBTQIA issues with individual, adults and kids.
Who Should Attend this Social Anxiety Group?
This group is for college-age students who have extreme nervousness, intense fears, or feelings of panic in social situations or public settings. The approximate age of group members is 18-23.
Can you relate to any of these social situations?
- Feeling tense and extremely nervous when around people or groups of people, especially if they're strangers
- Afraid to speak in class or walk across the class
- Intense fear when making phone calls or talking to people you don't know
- Scared or anxious when in public spaces (shopping, eating at restaurants, etc.)
- Terrified when dating or meeting new people
You may experience some of these feelings when feeling socially anxious:
- Afraid that you'll do or say something embarrassing
- Worry that people may judge you
- Feel panicky - you're short of breath, your heart pounds, and you might feel like you're going to die
- Scared that people will notice you're intensely nervous by seeing you blush, sweat or shake, etc.
- Fretting at night that keeps you awake or having anxious nightmares about being in social settings
- Isolated and lonely because you avoid situations or places that might trigger your anxiety
Group Structure and Details:
This group is focused on education, support, and therapeutic exercises to help you manage Anxiety.
The group is offered in 6-week blocks. You can sign up for subsequent blocks after completing an initial 6 sessions.
Week 1: Introduction to Managing Anxiety with Exposure Therapy
- Introductions
- Education about exposure therapy and anxiety in the brain
- Preparation to begin exposure exercises to help reduce your anxiety in Weeks 2-5
Weeks 2- 5 - Each Week will consist of:
- Rating your progress on a scale of 1-10
- Sharing experiences and progress
- Learning and practicing new coping skills for managing anxiety when it occurs
- Group exposure exercises
Week 6: Termination Session
- Explore your progress and changes in social anxiety symptoms
- Discuss options for future anxiety work (other groups, exposures to do on your own, individual services, etc.)
- Participate in a "fun" final group exposure activity
Dates and Time:
6 Weekly Sessions: Wednesdays, October 5–November 16, 2022
6:00 - 6:50 PM
Location: Champaign Counseling Office in Savoy (7 Dunlap Court, Savoy IL).
Fee:
$50 per session
*Insurance coverage available. Contact us for details. Clients must adhere to Champaign Counseling's 24-hour cancelation policy.
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