Bridget Flynn Walker - Social anxiety relief for teens : a step-by-step CBT guide to feel confident & comfortable in any situation

In Social Anxiety Relief for Teens , Bridget Flynn Walker provides all the tools kids need to start recognizing, challenging, and overcoming their social anxiety. If your life feels limited or miserable because of social anxiety, give this book a try. If you know a young person who is struggling with social anxiety, encourage them to follow the clear, simple, and easy-to-understand steps laid out in this excellent volume.

Eli R. Lebowitz, PhD , director of the Yale Child Study Center Program for Anxiety Disorders, and author of Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD

Social anxiety is very common, and it can really hold you back. This can be a really big problem when you are teenager. Fortunately, there are very effective skills to deal with this problem. This book is a step-by-step guide to manage and overcome this problem. Dont suffer in silence. There is a way out. This book will help you.

Stefan G. Hofmann, PhD , professor at Boston University, and author of The Anxiety Skills Workbook

This workbook is an excellent tool for teenagers struggling with social anxiety. Bridget Flynn Walker provides a stepwise and structured plan, rooted in scientific evidence, to help teens guide themselves through the process of understanding the nature of their social anxiety. The vignettes and FAQs really make the content of the book come to life. The content around exposures, which are the heart of the book, is well explained and easy to understand. I am going to definitely use this book with patients.

Rachel Busman, PsyD, ABPP , clinical psychologist, and senior director of the Child and Adolescent Anxiety & Related Disorders Center at Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants

In clear, direct, relatable language, Bridget Flynn Walker has followed up her acclaimed book for parents of anxious kids with an indispensable guide for teens with social anxiety. The practical, step-by-step approach is grounded in the most current research and reads like your wisest relative encouraging you along the way. I hope my pediatrician colleagues place copies in their waiting rooms!

David Becker, MD, LMFT , clinical professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco

In clear, teen-friendly language, Bridget Flynn Walkers Social Anxiety Relief for Teens walks the socially anxious teen step-by-step down a cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) path toward more successful social engagement. As soon as I read it, I thought of several kids to whom I must get this book!

Margo Thienemann, MD , clinical professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, and cofounder and lead psychiatrist at the Immune Behavioral Health Clinic at Stanford Childrens Health

Now more than ever, this accessible and practical guide is a must-read for any adolescent suffering from social anxiety, as well as any adult in their life. It simultaneously honors the whole person and their experience, all while giving concrete and achievable steps toward healing. Bridget Flynn Walker is gifted at reaching teenagers where theyre at, and this text is a reflection of her gifts.

Katie Blaesing , counselor and anti-bias education coordinator at The Hamlin School

Both pithy and thorough, Bridget Flynn Walker carefully explains what social anxiety is, how avoidance and safety behaviors maintain social anxiety, and how teens can cope with and overcome social anxiety. While covering typical and more taboo aspects of social anxiety, Walker never blames or shames teens for being anxious. This amazing book talks directly to socially anxious teens in a way that is clear, direct, and relatable.

Daniela Owen, PhD , assistant director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy; and author of Right Now, I Am Fine

Just in time, in a world awash in overwhelming worries, here is a clear and straightforward guide on how to master social phobias. Bridget Flynn Walkers prescriptive, step-by-step instructions provide the tools to successfully navigate stressful social situations. If you or your teen is struggling with anxiety and you are ready to take it on, this is the book for you.

Laurel Schultz, MD, MPH , community pediatrician at Golden Gate Pediatrics in San Francisco, CA

Publishers Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright 2021 by Bridget Flynn Walker

Instant Help Books

An imprint of New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

5674 Shattuck Avenue

Oakland, CA 94609

www.newharbinger.com

Cover design by Amy Shoup; Acquired by Jennye Garibaldi; Edited by Marisa Solis

All Rights Reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Walker, Bridget Flynn, author. | Tompkins, Michael A., author.

Title: Social anxiety relief for teens : a step-by-step CBT guide to feel confident and comfortable in any situation / by Bridget F. Walker, PhD. Michael A. Tompkins.

Description: Oakland, CA : New Harbinger Publications, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021007019 | ISBN 9781684037056 (trade paperback)

Subjects: LCSH: Social phobia in adolescence--Juvenile literature. | Social phobia in adolescence--Treatment--Juvenile literature. | Anxiety in adolescence--Juvenile literature. | Cognitive therapy--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC RJ506.S63 W35 2021 | DDC 618.92/85225--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021007019

Contents

I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and in their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in front of them that hid the truth. This is what I had done. I had built up false pictures in my mind and sat before them. I had never had the courage to demand the truth. Had I made one step forward out of my own shyness

Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca

Foreword

Do you feel anxious when youre around people? Do you worry that people dont like you? Are you convinced people think youre weird? Do you sweat, shake, or feel nauseous when youre asked to give a report in front of a class or when you perform in a sport? Will you do anything to avoid talking to people you dont know well? Do you avoid going to a party or out on a date? Do you even avoid looking people in the eye, or saying hello to people you know? If any or all of these ring true for you, youll want to try the program that is described in this book.

Dr. Bridget Flynn Walker is a clinical psychologist who has worked for many years with teens who suffer from different types of anxiety. Im thrilled that she has now put the methods she uses successfully in her office into this book, which deals specifically with social anxiety. You can work with this book on your own, or you can use it with the assistance of your therapist or counselor. In this book, Dr. Walker guides you through the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program she has tailored for teens. She lays it out step by step and answers many of the questions you may have about social anxiety and this program.