I hope you can take a moment to celebrate your success in reaching out to start a new relationship. In working with social anxiety, we'll consider the exceptions in your life—the times when you have connected with strangers, when you’ve entered into a new social environment, when you’ve stayed longer at a social event. We’ll bring curiosity to what made those experiences exceptional for you. We’ll then bring those differences, as well as, newly learned skills into corrective experiences in the therapy room and the least risky environments for you outside of therapy. We will likely use EMDR and somatic therapy approaches to work through the engrained difficult messages and bodily experiences of social anxiety from your past to increase your confidence in your capacity for present and future social connections.
Social anxiety or social phobia make living in the world a challenge. Fear of judgment and feeling embarrassed about possible inappropriate behavior or perceived failures to perform up to some standard make it difficult to function many social situations. Confidence can be regained.
There are variations of social anxiety & treatment thus should be individualized. Shyness is a challenge often misdiagnosed as social anxiety. Social anxiety arising from aspergers/autism likely has a brain processing component &therapy must address these details as early as possible.
My therapeutic style is collaborative, authentic, compassionate and client-centered. I am committed to providing the highest quality of care. I provide a safe, caring and nonjudgmental environment that centers on client needs. Each therapy session promotes personal growth and success!
The dread and anxiety bubble up anytime you think about having to interact in certain situations or with certain individuals. You can feel it in your chest and belly and all you want to do is retreat to where you feel safe and at peace. Feeling anxiety in social settings can be so challenging. You are not alone. I can help you begin to feel more calm and connection and most importantly help you be your authentic self in anxiety provoking situations.
Social anxiety is a debilitating condition that impacts millions of people. If left untreated, this condition can worsen over time leading to several negative outcomes. Dr. Christina Gietzen has over 20+ years of experience successfully helping individuals develop tools for recovery from social anxiety utilizing a multimodal approach to treatment including psychotherapy, mindfulness, and neurofeedback.
Some of us get anxious in social situations where we feel we have lost control. We tend to shy away from those situations. We can feel small and self-conscious. It is important to gain self-confidence so that social situations do not get the best of us. I utilize EMDR and EFT to support growth and a feeling of presence in these stressful situations.
Social anxiety can come in many forms from sweaty palms to out right panic attacks. There’s no reason you should have to suffer through it any longer. Drop me a line and let’s talk about how to get you feeling confident and in control.