Social Anxiety Help
Larry Cohen, LICSW
NOTICE: Sessions are offered in person (observing public health guidelines), or over secure video calls.
Shy? Unassertive? Self-conscious? Embarrass easily? Public speaking fear? Performance anxiety? Avoid or don’t enjoy socializing? Avoid interacting with or being around strangers? Difficulty meeting people or forming relationships? Uncomfortable speaking in groups? Shy bladder? Sexual anxiety? Think of yourself as fundamentally different, not fitting in, not good enough?
Free Workshop in Washington, DC
Results-oriented Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, CBT, for social anxiety, social phobia, assertiveness training, low self-esteem, paruresis, other phobias and anxiety problems, depression, and LGBT concerns. Larry Cohen, LICSW: providing psychotherapy and counseling services in Washington, DC, since 1990. See Services We Offer.
Listen to this 8-minute radio interview with Larry Cohen, LICSW, Director of Social Anxiety Help, about what social anxiety is. (It aired on the Not Broken radio show of the Canadian Mental Health Association.)
National Public Radio Story
on my social anxiety therapy group
Overcoming Shame-Based Social Anxiety and Shyness: A CBT Workbook to Move Past Feelings of Self-Consciousness or Defectiveness and Live with Confidence
By Larry Cohen, LICSW, A-CBT
This easy-to-use, comprehensive workbook will guide you, step by step, in learning and practicing the best evidence-based strategies and skills to overcome social anxiety and shame, and to build self-confidence and pride. This user-friendly workbook is helpful for both those suffering from social anxiety, and the therapists seeking to help them more effectively. This book has been endorsed by the foremost social anxiety researchers around the world (Richard Heimberg – US, David M. Clark – UK, Stefan Hofmann – Germany, Ronald Rapee – Australia), and a major leader and disseminator of CBT (Judith Beck – US). Learn how to conduct behavioral experiments to test and change your anxious thinking. Learn to identify, challenge and change your shame-based core beliefs. Learn how to focus mindfully on the conversation or activity in the moment, and treat your distressing thoughts like background noise. Learn how to drop self-defeating behaviors you’ve been leaning on like crutches, and overcome self-critical rumination and worry. Extensive chapter supplements on specialized topics, as well as worksheets, questionnaires and resources are available online for free with this book.
Read More or Buy Now
Watch this interview with Larry Cohen, cofounder and Chair Emeritus of the National Social Anxiety Center, about his CBT for social anxiety workbook he authored: Overcoming Shame-Based Social Anxiety and Shyness. The interview was conducted by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) on January 22, 2026.
Personal Change Stories
how cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
has helped socially anxious people
change their lives
If you have any questions or comments, please email Larry Cohen, LICSW, with offices in Washington, DC.
Social Anxiety Help is a founding regional clinic of the National Social Anxiety Center (NSAC): nationalsocialanxietycenter.com
Standing Up for Marginalized Persons
Vecteezy