Social Anxiety
Social Anxiety Therapy in Newport Beach, CA
Treatment for social anxiety, social phobia and fear of being judged
Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC, CHT is a Newport Beach psychotherapist specializing in anxiety, phobias and trauma, including social anxiety and social phobia. Practicing since 1997, she is a Certified EMDR Therapist and Certified Hypnotherapist, author of Anxiety Annihilated and creator of The A.R.O.L.Y.N. Method™, serving Newport Beach, Corona del Mar and surrounding Orange County communities.
Written and clinically reviewed by Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC
Psychotherapist · EMDR Certified · Certified Hypnotherapist · Author of Anxiety Annihilated · Practicing since 1997
Do you feel anxious about what other people think of you?
Maybe you replay conversations after they happen. “Did I say something stupid?” You hesitate to walk into a room where you don't know anyone. You avoid speaking up because you're afraid you'll embarrass yourself.
Or you appear confident to everyone else while internally worrying about being judged, rejected or exposed.
Social anxiety can quietly influence relationships, dating, friendships, work and everyday decisions.
What is social anxiety?
Social anxiety involves significant fear or anxiety related to situations in which you may feel observed, evaluated or judged by other people. It can show up differently from person to person. You may experience anxiety around:
- Meeting new people
- Dating
- Parties and social events
- Networking
- Speaking in meetings
- Public speaking
- Eating in front of others
- Being the center of attention
- Making phone calls
- Talking with authority figures
- Expressing disagreement
- Asking for something you need
- Entering a room alone
- Performing in front of others
The anxiety can continue after the social situation is over
Social anxiety doesn't necessarily end when you leave the room. You may replay what happened: “Why did I say that?” “They probably thought I was awkward.” “I should have handled that differently.”
This post-event rumination can reinforce anxiety about the next interaction. Therapy can help identify and address the thoughts, emotional responses and behavioral patterns that keep this cycle going.
Social anxiety isn't necessarily shyness
Someone can be naturally quiet or introverted without having social anxiety. The important question isn't whether you enjoy being the center of attention — it's whether fear is restricting your life.
Social anxiety may become a clinical concern when fear and avoidance cause significant distress or interfere with relationships, work, education or everyday activities. An individualized assessment can help determine what's happening and what type of treatment may be appropriate.
Treatment for social anxiety
Arolyn's approach is individualized rather than based on a single technique. Depending on your needs, treatment may incorporate:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy — identifying thoughts, predictions and behaviors that reinforce social anxiety.
- EMDR — considered when social anxiety is connected with distressing experiences such as humiliation, bullying, rejection or another emotionally significant event, and when clinically appropriate.
- Clinical hypnotherapy — incorporated as part of treatment when appropriate to the client's goals.
- Somatic techniques — recognizing and responding differently to physical reactions such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, shaking, blushing, muscle tension or feeling unable to speak.
- Solution-focused therapy — emphasizing practical goals and the changes the client wants to make in everyday life.
- The A.R.O.L.Y.N. Method™ — Arolyn's framework for addressing anxiety, phobias and trauma.
The A.R.O.L.Y.N. Method™ for social anxiety
- A — Assess the situations, thoughts and triggers that generate anxiety.
- R — Reframe interpretations and predictions about judgment, rejection and embarrassment.
- O — Observe thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and avoidance patterns.
- L — Learn therapeutic tools and practice new responses to anxiety-provoking situations.
- Y — Yield to a different response instead of automatically following the established anxiety pattern.
- N — Normalize healthier responses in everyday social situations through practice and integration.
Public speaking and performance anxiety
Social anxiety doesn't always affect every social situation. You may feel perfectly comfortable talking with friends but become intensely anxious when you're expected to give a presentation, speak during a meeting, address an audience, perform, interview for a job, attend an important professional event or be evaluated by other people.
Treatment can focus specifically on public-speaking or performance anxiety without assuming that every social interaction is a problem.
What if I look confident but feel anxious inside?
Social anxiety isn't always obvious. Some people become very skilled at hiding it. You may be successful professionally, socially active and appear confident while internally experiencing intense self-consciousness or fear of evaluation.
The fact that other people don't notice your anxiety doesn't mean it isn't affecting you.
Avoidance can make social anxiety stronger
Avoiding an uncomfortable situation usually provides immediate relief. You skip the party. You don't speak during the meeting. You decline the invitation. Your anxiety decreases.
That relief can reinforce avoidance, making the next situation feel even more threatening. Treatment can help interrupt this pattern and develop new responses to anxiety.
About Arolyn Burns
Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC, CHT is a California licensed psychotherapist who has practiced since 1997, specializing in anxiety, phobias, trauma and chronic pain.
She is a Certified EMDR Therapist and Certified Hypnotherapist, the author of Anxiety Annihilated and creator of The A.R.O.L.Y.N. Method™. Her private practice serves clients in Newport Beach, Corona del Mar and surrounding Orange County communities.
Stop letting fear of judgment make your decisions
You don't have to become the loudest person in the room. The goal is to help fear stop deciding whether you enter the room at all.
Schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation with Arolyn Burns.
Who you would be working with
Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC is a Newport Beach psychotherapist specializing in anxiety, phobias, trauma and chronic pain. She provides EMDR therapy and clinical hypnotherapy and has been practicing since 1997.
- CA LMFT #MFC40173, LPCC #LPC54
- M.A. Clinical Psychology, Azusa Pacific University
- 10× Best Newport Beach Therapist
- 2333 E Coast Highway #C, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625
Creator of The A.R.O.L.Y.N. Method™, the framework behind this work.
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In-person appointments at 2333 E Coast Highway #C, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625, and secure video sessions anywhere in California. Mon–Wed 11am–8pm, Thu 11am–2pm (by appointment only).