Online Group Therapy For Social Anxiety

The OCD Center of Los Angeles offers eight weekly low-fee therapy groups, including an online group specifically for adults over the age of 18 with Social Anxiety. Please note that this group is limited to residents of California.

The goal of this group is to provide an inexpensive format in which individuals with Social Anxiety (also known as Social Phobia) can learn to more effectively challenge and manage their social fears within a safe, supportive environment. Please note that this group has one remaining space available.

Research has shown that group therapy can be particularly beneficial in the treatment of Social Anxiety /Social Phobia. Due to the nature of this condition, individuals with Social Anxiety / Social Phobia frequently isolate and avoid situations in which they will need to socially interact. As a result, sufferers become more and more sensitized to these situations, and have fewer and fewer opportunities to socially engage.

The mere act of regularly attending a therapy group provides participants with a opportunity to socially interact on a consistent basis, and to practice social skills being learned in the group. Group meetings allow individuals with Social Anxiety / Social Phobia to gently face their fears with the support of others who know just how difficult it is to confront years of social avoidance.

Our weekly group for adults with Social Anxiety / Social Phobia emphasizes Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This therapeutic approach has been repeatedly researched, and has consistently been found to be the most effective treatment for Social Anxiety. CBT techniques employed in our adult Social Anxiety group include Cognitive Restructuring, Imaginal Exposure, Mindfulness Based CBT, and Exposure Therapy. With the support of other group members, participants use these tools to directly challenge their Social Anxiety / Social Phobia symptoms, including fears related to:

• public speaking
• job interviews
• business meetings
• speaking to strangers
• speaking on the telephone
• eating or drinking in restaurants
• writing in public
• reading in public
• speaking with authority figures, such as teachers or supervisors
• dating
• parties, weddings and social gatherings
• public venues (i.e., concerts, stadiums)
• shopping
• movie theaters
• class outings
• speaking in class
• public restrooms (paruesis)
• situations in which performance is observed, such as dancing or team sports

Our weekly low-fee Social Anxiety / Social Phobia group meets online via webcam on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm.  The group is led by one of our professional staff therapists, Daniel Safavi, MA, and is limited to a maximum of eight (8) members. Please note that this group is open only to adults over the age of 18 who reside in California, and that participation requires an assessment prior to admission. The group follows the same CBT treatment protocol as our individual therapy program, and uses the same treatment manual.

Assessment for Group Therapy Participation

All of our groups are exclusively for adults over the age of 18, and all groups require an assessment prior to admission and participation. The goals of our group therapy assessment are three-fold:

• To make an accurate diagnosis.
• To explain group processes and procedures.
• To discern whether or not the individual being assessed is an appropriate candidate for participation in group therapy at OCDLA.

Please note that having an assessment does not guarantee admission to a group. A group assessment allows us to ascertain if there is any reason that we believe a prospective group member would not be a good fit for participation in one of our groups. We reserve the right to restrict and limit participation in all therapy groups that we offer.

About the OCD Center of Los Angeles

The OCD Center of Los Angeles is a private outpatient treatment center specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for the treatment of OCD and related conditions, including Social Anxiety. We have 13 therapists on staff, all of whom are either licensed or registered, and all of whom specialize in CBT. We treat adults, adolescents, and children, and offer services six days a week, including evenings and Saturdays.

Our Southern California office is located in Brentwood.

If you would like more information about participation in our Social Anxiety therapy / support group, or if you would like to discuss individual therapy, online therapy, or intensive treatment at the OCD Center of Los Angeles, please call one of our client coordinators at (310) 824-5200 (ext. 4), or click here to email us.