What is the Social Anxiety Program?
The Social Anxiety Program is a free self-guided online learning program from Mental Health Online that provides information on social anxiety and teaches you skills and strategies to:
- Identify and monitor the symptoms of social anxiety
- Reduce social anxiety symptoms through relaxation and breathing techniques
- Discover and challenge unhelpful thoughts
- Make lifestyle changes that will boost your mood
- Use exposure therapy as a way to face feared social situation
- Protect your mental health and wellbeing after the course.
Who is the Social Anxiety Program for?
The Social Anxiety Program is available for Australian residents over the age of 18 and may be helpful for people with mild to moderate levels of anxiety or anyone who:
- Has difficulty feeling comfortable in social situations
- Has a general sense of dread or doom at the thought of socialising
- Worries about the feeling of anxiety itself
- Is self-conscious about other people looking at or talking about them
- Feels overwhelmed with negative and/or thoughts of worry.
If you’re unsure if the Social Anxiety Program is right for you, you can complete Mental Health Online’s mental health assessment, e-PASS, which will make recommendations about which program(s) might be better suited for you.
Remember that anxiety is a treatable condition. There are many things that you can do to feel better in the moment, as well as long-term strategies that work to treat anxiety. Lifeline is always here for you if you want to speak to someone.
How does the Social Anxiety Program help?
Consisting of 12 self-paced modules that can be completed over the course of 12 months, the Social Anxiety Program uses principles from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you:
- Understand the link between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
- Recognise patterns of thinking and behaviour
- Identify and challenge core beliefs
- Learn new behaviours and techniques to improve your mental health and wellbeing.
Getting started with the Social Anxiety Program
To get started with the Social Anxiety Program, head to the Mental Health Online website. It’s free but does require you to register.
While the Social Anxiety Program can be completed independently, you can also sign up to the organisation’s free Therapist Assist option to access 12 weeks of support from a trained Mental Health Online therapist while you use the program.
