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Exposure therapy for
social anxiety

Social anxiety can be especially hard to get help for. The therapists in our directory understand social anxiety, they work specifically with you to help you live the life you want.

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 clinicians treating social anxiety  countries  offer telehealth across regions

Therapists who can work with you

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What it looks like

Signs this is the problem

  • Rehearsing sentences before saying them, then reviewing them afterwards
  • Avoiding speaking up, eating in front of people, or being photographed
  • Drinking to take the edge off before anything social
  • Believing the blushing or the shaking is visible to everyone
Exposures a clinician might build with you

Social anxiety

  • Asking a shop assistant a slightly silly question on purpose
  • Deliberately spilling a little water in a cafe and letting it be noticed
  • Speaking first in a meeting, before it feels ready
  • Wearing your jumper inside out on a busy street for ten minutes
The goal of a social exposure is two-fold. First, usually the feared outcome doesn't happen; things are not as bad as we imagine them to be. This helps the brain learn over time. The second goal is to understand that even if the feared outcome did happen, you would be okay. This takes some time and practice.
The method

The Myths and Misconceptions of Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy sounds awful. It's usually the last thing any of us ever want to consider doing. The truth is, the word "exposure" is often misused, and exposure therapy is one of the most highly effective and researched treatments for anxiety, and it's not as scary or awful as it sounds.

Fear is a natural response in the brain, and keeps us safe in many cases. However, our fear response can become 'out of balance' and start impacting the quality of our life. Exposure is about practicing, in small, incremental steps, facing our fear to recalibrate this balance.

You don't have to do things actually dangerous. You don't have to 'like' the thing you are afraid of. There are no tricks, traps, or surprises. Exposure works best when you have a plan and you work through it.

A fear hierarchy, in practice SUDS 0–100

Contamination OCD · weeks 1–6

Hierarchies like this are built with your therapist. Clinicians on the directory can run them inside Bia — an app designed to help you practice exposure daily.

Read the full explainer →

Coverage

Where exposure therapy is available today

Exposure therapy can be hard to find. Our mission is to make effective, evidence-based exposure therapies accessible to all. Our map updates in real time as new providers join and our coverage increases. You can help by sharing this page and inviting any therapists that would be a good fit.

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For clinicians

Connect with Motivated Clients. Support Their Recovery with Guided Digital Exposure.

Listing in the Find Exposure Therapy directory is free. We offer a separate tool that improves the efficacy and adherence of exposure treatment by providing real-time adaptive exposure on a catalog of content.

Directory profile
Free

Connect with clients who are ready or already starting on exposure practice and looking for support.

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Bia for providers
Optional
The workspace

Pre-built hierarchies, curated exposure content, homework tracking - improve treatment adherence, reduce drop outs, and save time with Bia's provider portal.

See the provider tools 30 day free trial

Invite a therapist

Know someone who does real exposure work? Invite them to join the directory.

Common questions