Dr. Chapman and the Kentucky Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders
(KY-CARDS) is proud to be the Louisville regional clinic with The
National Social Anxiety Center (NSAC). NSAC was established with the
intent of making the highest quality, evidence-based psychotherapy
services to treat social anxiety available to those in need. We aim to do
this through research, collaboration, dissemination to clinicians and
educating the public. Visit NSAC here for more information.
DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH ANXIETY?
Do you become extremely anxious when talking in front of a group or during public speaking? Do you struggle with initiating or maintaining conversations? Is it difficult for you to eat around others at restaurants or perform in front of others? Is it difficult for you to interact with new people? Are there situations that you avoid completely or can only do with a companion (e.g., going shopping, attending parties)? Do you escape situations that involve others so that you won’t experience anxiety out of fear of shame or embarrassment? If so, you may experience symptoms consistent with social anxiety. Social anxiety is an experience we all have in situations where we might be negatively evaluated by others. However, many people suffer from social anxiety so much that it makes work, school, and social relationships difficult. When social anxiety becomes so intense that it messes things up in our lives, it may become what is known as social anxiety disorder.
SOCIAL ANXIETY
Social anxiety is the most common anxiety disorder and the third most common mental health condition in the United States. Social anxiety disorder affects roughly 15 million adults each year and typically begins around age 13 (for more information on statistics about social anxiety disorder, visit the Anxiety and Depression Association of America here). Although only one-third of individuals suffering from anxiety disorders receive treatment, social anxiety symptoms and social anxiety disorder are very treatable in a time-limited fashion.
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for social anxiety disorder. Dr. Chapman is a recognized expert in the assessment and treatment of social anxiety disorder and has published numerous articles describing CBT for social anxiety in addition to describing social anxiety treatment in the media/social media. Dr. Chapman also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Andrew Kukes Foundation for Social Anxiety (for information on social anxiety and Dr. Chapman’s role with AKFSA click here). Through the utilization of CBT, Dr. Chapman teaches each client to become his or her “own Psychologist” through the use of evidence-based techniques which generally takes place in 9-12 sessions. Treatment of social anxiety includes the following components:
- Psychoeducation about the nature of social anxiety including what causes social anxiety
- Teaching clients to recognize the three components of social anxiety and the three components of treatment (which includes homework)
- Teaching clients to treat thoughts as hypotheses rather than facts
- The importance of gradually confronting social anxiety-provoking situations after the aforementioned skills are learned
“The fourth episode in KET’s You Are Not Alone series, Depression and Anxiety, takes an in-depth look at the two most common mental health problems that young people face. We hear a personal story from a young woman who has benefited from therapy and medication and now counsels others, and learn about the ways depression and anxiety can manifest from Dr. Christopher Peters from the University of Louisville. We also visit an organization in Georgetown that uses equine therapy to help youth, and learn how virtual reality can help people overcome anxiety from Dr. Kevin Chapman, PhD.”
Why does going to the gym make some people feel anxious?
At some point, pretty much everyone has experienced some degree of social anxiety, which is intimately linked with performance anxiety, says L. Kevin Chapman, a Kentucky psychologist and a member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
“Social anxiety is technically a marked fear of social or performance situations in which negative evaluation may occur. This negative evaluation can occur in any social situation, but the gym is a perfect platform for people to potentially look at and judge you and your performance.”
Dr. Chapman served as a consultant for the new edition of the “Managing Social Anxiety: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach (3rd Edition)” as part of the Treatments That Work series.
#022 – Social Anxiety with Dr. Kevin Chapman
Why Do We Do That?
In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with clinical psychologist, Dr. Kevin Chapman. They discussed how social anxiety is a normal human emotion, the lies we tell ourselves about our ability to socialize, the role of culture and race in the experience of social anxiety, and how to retrain our brains to overcome negative thinking.
How To Overcome Social Anxiety, According To Experts
The first step to overcoming social anxiety is understanding what it actually is. “Social anxiety is a fear of social situations,” says Kevin Chapman, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder and director of the Kentucky Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders.