Helping Students Overcome Social Anxiety

Carrie Masia Warner, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Montclair State University in New Jersey, Research Scientist at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at New York University Langone Medical Center. Dr. Masia Warner is an expert in pediatric anxiety disorders and school implementation of evidence-based interventions. She has systematically developed and evaluated interventions for children and adolescents in community settings, with a focus on enhancing the identification and treatment of teenagers with social anxiety and training front-line school professionals. She has published over 65 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Daniela Colognori, PsyD, is Clinical Director of the Tourette Syndrome Clinic at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She is also a founding partner at Specialized Psychological Services, a private clinical practice, where she provides cognitive-behavioral therapy for individuals with anxiety, mood, tic, and body-focused repetitive behavior disorders. Dr. Colognori’s research interests and publications focus on improving access to evidence-based interventions for youth with anxiety and mood disorders through partnerships with schools. Chelsea Lynch, MA, is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at Florida State University (FSU). She worked in the NYU Langone Medical Center’s Child Study Center on a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of counselor-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety in schools. Ms. Lynch has also worked in clinical outpatient, residential, and forensic settings. She currently conducts psychological assessments and provides evidence-based psychological treatment to adults and youth in the community as a student therapist in the FSU Psychology Clinic. Her research interests include evaluating psychological risk factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of co-occurring psychological disorders.

I. Recognizing and Addressing Social Anxiety at School
1. What Is Social Anxiety?
2. Why Treat Social Anxiety at School?
3. Identifying Students Struggling with Social Anxiety
II. Promoting Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS)
4. Educating Teenagers about Social Anxiety
5. Socially Anxious Thinking 101
6. Realistic Thinking
7. Go Ahead, Start the Conversation
8. Maintaining Conversations and Extending Invitations
9. The Secret to Meaningful Conversations: Listening to What Others Say
10. Your Needs Matter: Learn to Speak Up!
11. Facing Your Fears: Creating a Fear Ladder
12. Climbing the Ladder: Exposure Practice in School
III. Supplementary Strategies
13. Getting Parents Involved: How Can They Help?
14. School Social Events and Peer Facilitators
15. Classroom Strategies for Teachers
IV. Other Practical and Clinical Considerations
16. The Nuts and Bolts of Helping Anxious Students at School: Putting It All Together
17. Applying Intervention Skills to Other Anxiety Concerns
18. Keep It Up!: Ways to Maintain Student Progress