COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT OF SOCIAL ANXIETY: A CASE STUDY

Abstract

Cognitive-behavioral theory claims that an individual creates social anxiety to a certain extent by exaggerating the consequences of his failure and public performance in front of the audience (Labaš, 2021; according to Konig, Peulić, Matijević, 2018). Social anxiety or fear of public speaking is a form of anxiety and denotes a normal reaction, state of alertness and stimulation of awareness to danger (Labaš, 2021). This reaction to danger can cause vigilance, combativeness, withdrawal or flight, which on the one hand helps in overcoming difficulties, but on the other hand can be an extremely uncomfortable state. In this regard, it is most beneficial to change the perception and attitude towards social anxiety. This paper presents cognitive-behavioral therapy in the treatment of social anxiety in a 19-year-old girl. The treatment lasted a month and a half, more precisely, five sessions were conducted. The therapy consisted of the following cognitive behavioral techniques: alleviating the fear of public speaking through a change in perception and psychoeducation, practicing presentation skills, shifting focus, and the like. It is important to note that this is a client with extremely developed personal capacities and resources, therefore the treatment was completed relatively quickly, and the set initial goals were met. The evaluation of the effect of the implemented cognitive-behavioral treatment was done on the basis of clinical evaluation, subjective reporting of the client as well as standard questionnaires for psychological assessment. The following questionnaires were used in this work: AAQII, SGSE, CORE, YSQ and SCL-90.