Personal Change Stories

Social Anxiety Help

Larry Cohen, LICSW

Personal Change Stories:

How Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy(CBT) Has Helped Socially Anxious People Change Their Lives

These anonymous stories have been submitted by former clients of Social Anxiety Help in Washington, DC. Take the time to view, read and/or listen to some of these stories to see the quite varied ways that doing cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety has helped many people turn their lives around. Each client’s experience working in CBT is unique. Your personal experience is likely to have some similarities as well as some differences to the stories told here.

M’s Story

(video)
31-year-old gay, white man Washington, DC

“I can just be me…. I moved forward. I took a risk, and the result has paid itself out so many times!”

T1’s Story

(video)
33-year-old African American female Washington, DC

“I needed to present this facade of perfection. I didn’t want to be another stereotype. For me, I was representing my entire race at such a young age, at 14.”

K’s Story

(video)
33-year-old married, white woman Maryland, suburban DC

“I felt like I didn’t really fit in with most people… I felt like I was just bad at having conversations, that I never knew what to say.”

R1’s Story

(written)
30-year-old African-American woman Washington, DC

“I was bullied by all of my classmates…. I am a good person. No one can ever make fun of that.”

Liz’s Story

(audio & written)
27-year-old Hispanic woman Maryland, suburban DC (immigrant from Peru)

“People are finally starting to see me differently. I’m pretty confident that there are going to be more great things along the way that are still there for me to discover later. Social anxiety therapy has really changed my life.”

D’s Story

(written)
37-year-old white, male writer Colombia, South America (formerly of Washington, DC)

“I struggled with shyness and low self-esteem, specifically with regard to my physical appearance and feelings of attractiveness.”

S’s Story

(written)
44-year-old single, female nurse Washington, DC

“My life is different now. I feel like I can be who I always was inside.”

I’s Story

(audio and written)
56-year-old gay male, retired investment banker Washington, DC

“It is possible to find personal strength and happiness.”

Mike’s Story

(written)
34-year-old Jewish man Costa Rica, Central America (formerly of Maryland, suburban DC)

“I finally had the courage to do things I’d always hoped I’d be able to do”

C’s Story

(written)
33-year-old transgender, white woman Maryland, suburban DC

“I fell into a core belief that I’m fundamentally different and defective and that I have nothing in common with those I perceive to be ‘normal.'”

R2’s Story

(written)
26-year-old African American woman Washington, DC

“I was living too much in my head, instead of being mindful and in the moment in social situations.”

J’s Story

(written)
24-year-old gay man Washington, DC

“Did I fit in? Was I gay enough?”

T2’s Story

(written)
29-year-old South Asian man Washington, DC

“Would people notice my nervousness? Would I say something dumb?”

Judy’s Story

(National Public Radio audio broadcast)
57-year-old white lesbian Washington, DC

“Now it just seems like the experiments I did in the very beginning look so easy to me, that I could do it without even thinking or without becoming at all nervous.”

Justin’s Story

(written)
25-year-old white man Washington, DC

“Just having any person stopping by my cubicle at work would bring feelings of trembling, blushing, sweating, and extreme tension.”

N’s Story

(written)
36-year-old African-Caribbean female Washington, DC

“I felt tense, self-conscious, and paralyzed by the fear that others would notice my anxiety and ridicule or think less of me. I feared that asserting myself would erode my relationships and alienate cherished family and friends.”

 

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