Social anxiety treatment in Melbourne.
Rehearsing a sentence before you say it. Replaying a conversation for three days afterwards. Turning down things you actually wanted to do, then feeling worse for turning them down.
Social anxiety is one of the most common reasons people come to see a psychologist, and one of the most responsive to treatment. Our AHPRA-registered psychologists work with it at our Carlton, St Kilda and Ringwood North clinics and by telehealth across Australia. No referral needed to book.
More than being shy.
Shyness is a temperament. Social anxiety is a fear of being judged that shapes what you do — and quietly narrows your life around avoiding it.
Anticipation
Dread building for days before something ordinary. Sometimes the anticipation is worse than the event.
Self-monitoring
Watching yourself from the outside mid-conversation, tracking how you're coming across instead of listening.
The post-mortem
Replaying it afterwards, finding the one awkward moment, and returning to it for days.
Physical signs
Blushing, sweating, a shaking voice or hands — and then anxiety about those being visible.
Safety behaviours
Sitting near the door, drinking to loosen up, rehearsing lines, keeping to questions so you never have to talk about yourself.
Avoidance
Declining presentations, dating, parties, phone calls. Relief in the moment, and a smaller life over time.
It often sits alongside other things — low mood, general anxiety, or drinking that started as a way to manage social situations. That's ordinary, and it doesn't complicate treatment as much as people expect.
How it's treated.
Social anxiety has one of the better-established treatment evidence bases in psychology. The core of the work is usually the same: reducing the self-monitoring that makes social situations feel so exposing, then gradually testing the predictions anxiety makes — at a pace you set.
Your psychologist will explain what they'd suggest and why, and you can say if something isn't working. Nobody is going to make you do anything you haven't agreed to.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
The most extensively researched approach for social anxiety — working on attention, prediction and the safety behaviours that keep the fear intact.
About CBT →Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Reducing the struggle with anxious thoughts rather than arguing with them, and moving toward what you actually want.
About ACT →Schema Therapy
Often considered where the fear of judgement goes back a long way and feels like part of who you are.
About Schema Therapy →Telehealth
Starting by video is a legitimate option, not a lesser one — and for social anxiety it's often what makes a first appointment possible.
About telehealth →Three steps, and the first is tiny.
Say hello
Book online rather than calling if that's easier — plenty of people with social anxiety do.
Get matched
Our admin team pairs you with a psychologist who works with social anxiety.
First session
A conversation, not a performance. Fifty minutes, and you set the pace.
More on what to expect in therapy, or meet our psychologists.
More affordable than you might expect.
Our fees sit below the APS recommended rate, and several funding pathways can reduce what you pay: Medicare rebates with a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan, NDIS funding for self- and plan-managed participants, TAC, WorkCover, and EAP if your employer offers it. Call and we'll walk you through exactly what you'd pay, or see our fees page.
Frequently asked questions.
Is social anxiety just shyness?
No. Shyness is a temperament and doesn't necessarily cause distress or restrict what you do. Social anxiety involves a persistent fear of being judged that leads to avoidance, and it tends to narrow your life over time — turning down work, study or relationships you'd otherwise want.
Do I need a referral or a diagnosis?
Neither. You can book directly. A referral only matters if you want a Medicare rebate, which needs a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP — see our Medicare page.
Will I be made to do things I'm not comfortable with?
No. Treatment does involve gradually approaching situations you've been avoiding, because avoidance is what keeps the fear going — but you decide the steps and the pace, and nothing happens without your agreement.
Can I start with telehealth?
Yes, and it's a common starting point with social anxiety. Telehealth sessions run by secure video with the same psychologists, and Medicare rebates apply on the same basis as in-person appointments. Some people move to in-person later; some don't.
How many sessions will I need?
It varies with how long it's been present and how much it's affecting your life, so a number given in advance would be misleading. You'll review progress with your psychologist as you go.
What if I'm too anxious to make the phone call?
Book online instead, or send an enquiry and we'll reply by email. You won't be asked to explain anything on the phone that you'd rather write down.
Booking online is fine.
You don't have to call, and you don't have to explain anything in advance.
Reviewed by Dr Simon Vincenzi, Clinical Psychologist and Director of Clarity Psychology.