Welcome to the Social Anxiety Alliance UK home page!
What is Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety involves an excessive fear of social situations. Sufferers will often fear being embarrassed or worry about being negatively evaluated by others. Anticipatory anxiety and situational avoidance are common, and individuals may endure social situations with a high level of discomfort. Everyone’s experience of social anxiety is likely to be different. The scope of the anxiety may be focused on specific types of social situations or generalised to almost any social encounter. Please see here for technical definitions.
People with social anxiety are sometimes advised to just face their fears, with the idea that this will automatically improve things – but it’s often not that simple. Many people with social anxiety already face their fears on a regular basis (they have to!), but recovery often requires a structured and comprehensive approach due to the nature of the disorder.
Children and young people with social anxiety may avoid school. Severe social anxiety has the potential to impact every aspect of communication and interaction with others.
Progress usually involves learning about social anxiety (from NHS webpages and guidance or self-help books) and then either accessing What the NHS Offers, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) , Self-help, or other therapeutic approaches to develop more helpful thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
For further information, including prevalence data, see Find out more.
Our Mission and Goals
Our charity mission is to foster a society in which social anxiety is widely understood, with easy access to appropriate information, support and treatment so that no one has to face social anxiety alone.
Our goals:
(1) Help those affected by Social Anxiety find the information and resources they need.
(2) Increase public awareness and empathy towards social anxiety.
(3) Promote and improve access to appropriate and effective treatment.
Providing links to self-help resources
Providing information on accessing NHS and private therapy
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Collaborating with UK mental health charities to develop social anxiety information and resources
