What We Treat
Evidence-based, individualized treatment for social anxiety from licensed clinicians, in person in San Pedro or online.
Social anxiety is an intense fear of being judged, embarrassed, or negatively evaluated in front of other people. The worry usually starts well before the situation and lingers long after it ends. You might know the fear is bigger than the moment calls for and still feel it grip you anyway. Over time, many people start arranging their lives to avoid the situations that set it off, which shrinks their world even as it brings short-term relief.
Fear of being judged, criticized, or embarrassed in front of others.
Steering clear of social or performance situations such as meetings, classes, parties, or speaking up.
Blushing, sweating, a racing heart, shaky voice, or nausea when the spotlight turns on you.
Worry that builds for hours or days before an event you cannot avoid.
Replaying interactions afterward and picking apart everything you said or did.
Social anxiety often overlaps with related conditions, and our clinicians treat the whole picture rather than a single label. Each area below has a page that explains how we approach it.
Broader worry and tension that often sits alongside the fear of judgment.
Sudden surges of fear that can strike in social and performance situations.
Focused fears such as public speaking, treated with the same gradual exposure.
Intrusive thoughts and rituals that can center on social judgment, treated with exposure and response prevention.
Social anxiety and depression often occur together, so we treat them as one connected picture.
Social anxiety has first-line, evidence-based treatments, and our clinicians are trained to deliver them. We build a plan with you and work at a pace you can manage.
A first-line treatment for social anxiety. It helps you notice the predictions your mind makes about how others see you, test those predictions against what actually happens, and build more realistic ways of reading social situations.
A core part of the work. You and your therapist build a ladder of social situations and step into them on purpose. As you stay with each one, your anxiety falls on its own and the avoidance loses its hold.
Helps you make room for the nervous feelings that show up around people and act on your values instead of waiting for the anxiety to disappear first.
| Approach | Best suited for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| CBT | Fear of judgment and negative evaluation | Tests the predictions your mind makes about how others see you against what actually happens. |
| Gradual exposure | Avoidance of social and performance situations | Step by step, you enter feared situations so anxiety falls and avoidance loses its hold. |
| ACT | Nervous feelings that show up around people | Builds room for discomfort so you can act on your values instead of waiting to feel calm. |
Starting therapy should feel clear, not overwhelming. Here is how it works at Coastwise.
We start with a short, private conversation to understand what you are dealing with and what you want from therapy.
We pair you with a licensed clinician who treats social anxiety and fits what you are working through, not whoever happens to be free.
Your clinician builds a plan with you and works at a pace you can manage, so progress feels steady and sustainable.
We work with adults and teens whose social anxiety ranges from manageable but draining to severe enough that it shapes school, work, and relationships. Because social anxiety so often travels with anxiety and depression and can overlap with panic attacks, our clinicians treat the whole picture rather than a single label.
See us in person at our San Pedro office or work with a clinician securely online anywhere in California. CBT and exposure work translate well to telehealth, and practicing skills in your own daily settings is often an advantage.
We use CBT to work on the thoughts that fuel the fear of judgment, paired with gradual, planned exposure to the social situations you avoid, so your nervous system learns they are survivable. ACT helps you act on what matters to you rather than letting anxiety set the rules. Your therapist builds the plan with you and moves at a pace you can manage.
No. Shyness is a temperament. Social anxiety is a persistent, intense fear of being judged or embarrassed that leads you to avoid or dread everyday situations, and it can interfere with work, school, friendships, and dating. When that fear starts shrinking your life, it is treatable, and treatment works well.
Many people feel meaningful change within a few months of consistent work, though it varies with severity and how long the pattern has been in place. Because the gains come from practicing in real situations, steady week-to-week effort tends to matter more than the total number of sessions.
Yes. Social anxiety therapy works well over secure video, and starting from a setting where you feel safe can make the early work easier. We see clients in person in San Pedro and virtually across California, and many blend the two.
We work with insurance, and many clients use their benefits toward therapy with us. Call (424) 536-3002 to learn how your insurance can help cover the cost of therapy.
Social anxiety responds to the right treatment. Call us for a free, confidential consultation and we will match you to a clinician who treats it.
Call (424) 536-3002 Get Started