WEST BERGEN PROVIDES HELP FOR SOCIALLY ANXIOUS CHILDREN

• After only two weeks in high school, Josh drops out and refuses to return.
• Fourteen year old Lauren, a gifted violinist, won’t participate with her school orchestra.
• Kevin, a bright fifteen year old, is too shy to answer any questions in class.

 

Josh, Lauren and Kevin are only three of the countless youngsters that are being helped by West Bergen’s Social Anxiety Group for Teenagers.  Led by West Bergen therapists, Lillie Coleman, LCSW and Alan Koenig, LPC, the groups are an essential component of West Bergen’s Anxiety Program, one of the Center for Children and Youth’s specialty services.  The Anxiety Program provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment for children and adolescents who are experiencing unusual or excessive anxiety.

“Anxiety Disorders are the most frequent type of mental health problem in children today and can cause tremendous personal suffering”, Ms. Coleman noted.  It is estimated that as many as one in 10 youngsters suffer from an anxiety disorder.

What is social anxiety?

Social anxiety is an intense fear of being humiliated or embarrassed in social situations.  It often begins around early adolescence or even younger.  Children who suffer from social anxiety are often excessively shy and fear that they will say or do something in front of others that will cause embarrassment.

“It is different from shyness.” Ms. Coleman explained.  “Although shy youngsters might be uneasy around others, they don’t necessarily avoid situations that make them feel uncomfortable”, she added.  Social anxiety disrupts a child’s normal life, interfering with school and social relationships.

Social anxiety disorder can also be very disabling.  These children are often loners with no social skills.  According to a recent study, 75 percent of children with social anxiety disorder had few if any friends; half were not involved in after school activities and, also, did not like school and 10 percent refused to go to school at all.

In order to provide help for these young people, West Bergen implemented the Social Anxiety Group for Teenagers.  “Stand Up Speak Out”, meets once a week for 20 weeks and has approximately ___ participants.  The focus is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which seeks to identify and change harmful thought patterns and behavior and the physical symptoms they cause.

CBT is a combination of two kinds of therapy: cognitive and behavioral.  In Behavioral Therapy, youngsters learn how to change behavior through desensitization, relaxation, incremental exposure and breathing exercises.

 Cognitive Therapy focuses on thoughts, assumptions and beliefs.  With Cognitive Therapy, young people can learn to recognize and change “faulty thinking” patterns.

“The overall goal of the Group is to teach adolescents - with social anxiety - how to minimize their anxiety and avoidance of social situations by learning to cope with the anxiety they experience”, Mr. Koenig explained.

An essential adjunct to the Social Anxiety Group is the Parents Support Group.  Therapists Coleman and Koenig work with family members on a number of issues – helping parents manage their child’s symptoms; identifying effective parenting skills; learning as a family to confront the disorder and addressing the complex feelings that can arise when raising a child with anxiety.

“Parents and family members play a pivotal role in helping youngsters overcome social anxiety”, Mr. Koenig added.  Many socially anxious children have developed ways of avoiding anxiety-provoking situations.  It will take considerable hard work and practice, on their part, to overcome these patterns.  Parents often find themselves in the uncomfortable position of not knowing when to be patient with their child and when to push.  The Parents Support Group assists parents in managing this delicate balance.

The feedback from both the Teen and Parents Support Groups has been very encouraging.   Each week the teens, in addition to individual homework assignments, completed a daily log.  Accomplishments included: navigating Penn Station; going on a college interview; giving a 15-minute presentation in Spanish class; taking family members out to dinner and ordering for the table.

Comments from both teens and their parents have been very positive.

My daughter gives me a hard time going to individual therapy but really likes participating in the group.

I noticed my daughter utilizing her coping skills and practicing her relaxation techniques.

It is such a comforting feeling knowing that I am not alone… to be in a group with others who share the same struggles.

This program is a gift.

For further information, please contact Lillie Coleman or Alan Koenig at (201) 934-1160.