Treating adults with social phobia: the development, implementation, and treatment outcome of Social Effectiveness Therapy (SET)

Social phobia is a disorder characterized by extreme social inhibition. Individuals with social phobia may experience anxiety in a wide range of social and performance situations. However, social phobia is a modern day treatment success story for the mental health professions. Since the disorder was entered into the diagnostic nomenclature in 1980, a considerable literature demonstrating the efficacy of both behavioral and pharmacological treatments has emerged. In the case of cognitive behavioral treatments, the evidence is particularly string. Our treatment program, Social Effectiveness Therapy (SET), includes a combination of exposure and traditional social skills training. SET has significant promise for the treatment of social phobia, particularly those with the generalized subtype. SET has been demonstrated to result in significant improvement in social skill as well as significant decreases in social distress. Future investigations will address its efficacy, as well as its effectiveness, in comparison to other forms of psychological and pharmacological interventions.