How to treat social phobia sucessfully

For a long time, social phobia had been neglected by the scientific community. Fortunately, since the beginning of the 90’s the amount of research and studies has increased considerably, and preliminary data indicate that we are able to offer effective treatments for patients with this disorder. This paper presents a cognitive-behavioural protocol to treat the generalized social phobia. This way of treating social phobia is based on the most recent data in the scientific literature and the clinical experience of the authors. The protocol has several steps. First, the aim is to teach the patient to identify their problem and its causes. The second step is dedicated to Cognitive Therapy as a way of controlling anxiety levels. The following step deals with behavioural experiments and exposure therapy, and from our point of view this is the most efficient ingredient of the protocol. Finally, the last step tries to secure gains and to reduce relapse.