Is therapy necessary for social anxiety? Like does it really work? I've been to my university's counselling services and saw no progress after a year's worth of seeing them. I did individual and two group therapy programs and I hated going and sometimes felt worse after. They're not psychologists in that they can't diagnose me if that matters.
There is an outside resource I can use in my town but I called them a month ago, said they would call me back the next day but never did.
So is there other alternatives or should I give therapy another try? Also any advice as to how to stop talking myself out of going/ calling?
>>17366534
If you went to therapy and in the first try failed to help you with social anxiety than yes I could easily argue that your problem is preaty fucking severe. The simple fact that you talk your self out of it even though you know you have a problem is sign.
Either the therapists were shit or you went in with the conviction it wont work(psichy stuff is highly reliant on your own will to change).
>>17366643
>Either the therapists were shit or you went in with the conviction it wont work
Yeah it was a combination of the two but the "thinking it won't work" came later when the counselors were just having me vent and that's it. Group was just uncomfortable and boring because all it did was show me that I wasn't alone in my feelings but I already knew that.
>The simple fact that you talk your self out of it even though you know you have a problem is sign
That makes sense because my anxiety talks me out of anything and this would be no different. But I think the fact that my town's psychological service didn't reach out to me after I called really made me feel like I don't deserve. Pathetic I know but I always find ways to put myself down.
I know I need to get help it's just that my one source my insurance covers appears unreliable and may be a sign that they aren't the best for treating people.
>>17366689
So basicly your question is about where to get help.
Ok if you do have money I suggest going somewhere else even if it is not insurance covered. Better to have a problem solved than living with it and have it cause more shit (and possible fonancial loss).
Also you could maybe give the guys that didnt reach out to you after you called another shot. Maybe some kind of error happened and they lost your number/appointment/what ever the hell they had for you. Especially if they are one of the few in your town. Preaty sure you are not the only guy there with problems.
Also I think you kinda missed the point of groop therapy. Its more of a duo of look more people have that problem not only you AND what did others do to cope with it. What was bad and what was good what would I have done instead etc. Again if the therapist was shit than it could be explained
>>17366534
I only found group therapy to work when I felt like those in the group were my peers.
Similar age and background, with similar problems as myself.
>>17366718
I'll plan to call them tomorrow since they are not open on weekends and look into some other places since my hometown is the biggest in my state and should have much more options. The downside is that my hometown is about an hour away and that could really conflict with my school schedule when college starts back up. But it's the only place that would have anything nearby since I live in the Midwest and things are very spread out.
In group we did talk about how to cope with things like you said. I may have been too frustrated with therapy at that point to really take anything in and usually we had to go around the room giving our solutions to problems/ moods so the whole time I was trying to prepare something to say and wasn't paying enough attention I suppose.
>>17366750
In my group everyone went to my university and were all the same age (with one exception he was in his mid to late 20s while I was 21 - no big different).
The background was fairly similar in some cases but most were more sociable than I was (again with that one exception).
As for problems my second group was more designed around anxiety with the first being a general group that had problems I never experienced. The issue with the second group however was that my group eventually just focused on stress that was school related (i.e. homework or exams) which wasn't what I wanted to talk about but it's kind of hard to change subjects in group and I felt that I would just hog the limelight or something.
>>17366785
I think saying your word is part of the therapy. So you really should have talked about what was on your mind then.
Also since you said you were already not that into therapy you were kinda on a path to failure. Try agin with more confidence not in the therapy but in your power to change for the better.
Its bad to go I with a negativistic view about therapy.
Is just as bad if not worse to go and expect therapy to be a holy grail of salvation.
As I stated before therapy requiers you to have the mentality for change and improvement or else it will fail.
>>17366810
I definitely keep that in mind when I start going back to therapy. I'll try out a new place and start back with individual therapy and may be work slower to group (I jumped right into it when it was offered when I should have prepared and learned more about it).
But if I am reading your post correctly are you saying that I should just look at therapy as a tool or a means to help me take further steps to bettering myself? If so, I need to keep that in mind. I certainly did feel that it would "cure" me and I understand now that wasn't a good mentality.
>>17366834
Thats what our psichology proffesor told us. Therapy is not like literal medication. It needs your "cooperation" in order to work. There are objective studies that show therapy works but as I know its a consensus that therapy is the helping hand for YOU to get better.
So yeah be possitive and place your trust in your self to change.
