Conditions We Treat
Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment in California
Board-certified telepsychiatry anywhere in California, in English, Punjabi, Hindi, and Spanish.
We treat social anxiety by telehealth anywhere in California. Your provider is board certified and speaks English, Punjabi, Hindi and Spanish.
At a Glance
- Secure video visits anywhere in California
- Care in English, Punjabi, Hindi, and Spanish
- Initial evaluation $250, follow-up visits $199
- HSA and FSA cards accepted, superbills on request
Social anxiety disorder is more than shyness. It is an intense fear of being judged, embarrassed or rejected. It can make meetings, classes, dates and even phone calls feel unbearable. Left untreated, it shrinks your world one avoided situation at a time.
Mindful Sewa Psychiatry treats social anxiety through telehealth visits anywhere in California. Many people with social anxiety find video far more comfortable than a waiting room full of strangers.
Social anxiety disorder often starts in childhood or the early teen years. It can look like a quiet kid who never raises a hand, or a teen who skips lunch in the cafeteria. Because it begins so early, many adults assume it is just their personality. It is not a fixed trait. It is a treatable anxiety condition, and people improve at every age.
Some people fear almost every social setting. Others fear one kind of situation, such as public speaking, eating in front of others or talking to a boss. This narrower type is called performance-only social anxiety. Both kinds respond to treatment. Knowing which one you have helps shape the plan.
Signs and Symptoms of Social Anxiety
- Intense fear of being judged or embarrassed
- Avoiding speaking up, eating or performing in front of others
- Blushing, sweating, shaking or nausea around people
- Rehearsing talks beforehand and replaying them after
- Trouble making eye contact
- Turning down chances to avoid being seen
- Dread in your body before social events
- Using alcohol to get through social situations
How We Treat Social Anxiety by Telehealth
Treatment combines medication management with gradual, planned practice facing feared situations. SSRIs and SNRIs are the usual first choice. For some performance settings, a medicine taken only before the event may also help.
Care happens by video, which makes it easier to start. Over time, the goal is real-world confidence. That can mean speaking up in meetings, building friendships and showing up fully for your life.
What Keeps Social Anxiety Going
Social anxiety runs on a cycle. Before an event, you picture everything going wrong. During it, you watch yourself closely, looking for signs of embarrassment. Afterward, you replay each moment and focus on what you think went badly. Each round makes the next event feel scarier.
People also lean on hidden safety behaviors. These include rehearsing lines, avoiding eye contact, staying on your phone, holding a drink to hide shaky hands or leaving early. They feel protective. But they stop you from learning that most talks go fine. Treatment helps you drop them one at a time.
Social Phobia Therapy and Medication
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is the leading talk therapy for social anxiety, which is also called social phobia. It helps you catch harsh guesses, such as the thought that everyone will find you boring. Then you compare them to what really happens. Over time, your brain updates its sense of social risk.
A core part of this work is graded exposure. You list feared situations from easiest to hardest. You might start by asking a store clerk a question and later work up to speaking in a meeting. Each step is planned, practiced and reviewed. Mindful Sewa offers supportive psychotherapy by video, which many people find an easier place to start.
Daily SSRIs and SNRIs are the main medicines for broad social anxiety. Examples include sertraline, paroxetine and venlafaxine. They lower overall fear so practice feels more doable, and they take several weeks to show full effect. For performance-only anxiety, a beta blocker such as propranolol may be used before an event to calm shaking and a racing heart.
Choosing the Right Medicine for You
Benzodiazepines are used only when clinically appropriate and allowed under current telehealth rules. They are not the main plan for most people. Your prescriber decides what fits your health, your goals and your other medicines.
Medicine works best as a support for practice, not a replacement for it. As fear drops, you can take on harder steps. Follow-up visits check your progress and adjust the plan as your confidence grows.
Social Anxiety Treatment From Los Angeles to Orange County
Mindful Sewa sees patients by telehealth from anywhere in California. That includes people looking for social anxiety therapy in Los Angeles and social phobia treatment in Irvine, Fullerton, Tustin, Yorba Linda and the rest of Orange County. It also includes the Bay Area, Sacramento and the Central Valley. There is no office visit, no traffic and no waiting room.
All you need is a private space and a phone or computer. Care is offered in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Spanish, and new patients are usually seen within days. When you are ready, you can book a first visit online without a phone call. Many people with social anxiety find that a lot easier.
What to Expect at Your First Appointment
Your first visit is a one-on-one video conversation. There is no waiting room and no small talk with strangers. We move at your pace and find your specific triggers. Then we build a plan you feel able to follow.
Ready to start? Book a comprehensive evaluation, review our transparent fees, or take the symptoms quiz first.
Services for Social Anxiety
Medication Guides Related to Social Anxiety
These plain-language guides cover medicines used for social anxiety. They are background reading, not advice. Your prescriber decides what fits you at your evaluation.
- Citalopram (Celexa), SSRI antidepressant
- Clonazepam (Klonopin), benzodiazepine
- Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), SNRI antidepressant
- Escitalopram (Lexapro), SSRI antidepressant
- Fluoxetine (Prozac), SSRI antidepressant
- Fluvoxamine (Luvox), SSRI antidepressant
- Paroxetine (Paxil), SSRI antidepressant
- Sertraline (Zoloft), SSRI antidepressant
- Venlafaxine (Effexor XR), SNRI antidepressant
- Vilazodone (Viibryd), SSRI and serotonin partial agonist antidepressant
Related Reading
Articles from our provider on social anxiety and related topics.
FAQ
Common Questions About Social Anxiety
Is social anxiety just shyness?
No. Shyness is a personality trait. Social anxiety disorder is a medical condition that causes real distress and avoidance, and it responds to treatment.
Can medication help social anxiety?
Yes. SSRIs and SNRIs lower baseline anxiety so practice and facing fears become possible. For a specific performance, such as a presentation, a prescriber may consider propranolol. Your prescriber decides what fits you.
Is telehealth a good fit for social anxiety?
Often it is the best fit. Starting care from home removes one of the biggest hurdles, which is the anxiety of going to an office. So people tend to begin care sooner.
How long until I feel better?
Medicines like SSRIs often take six to eight weeks to show clear benefit. Practice skills add to that over the following months. Everyone moves at a different pace, and follow-up visits track your progress.
Why do I replay conversations for hours afterward?
This is called post-event processing, and it is very common in social anxiety. Your mind reviews the talk looking for mistakes and tends to ignore what went well. Treatment teaches you to notice this habit and step out of it.
Can social anxiety cause blushing and a shaky voice?
Yes. Blushing, sweating, a shaky voice, trembling hands and an upset stomach are all common. Many people fear these signs will be noticed, which adds even more anxiety. Treatment can lower both the fear and the body response.
Is it social anxiety or am I just an introvert?
Introverts enjoy quiet time and recharge alone, but they are not driven by fear of being judged. Social anxiety is based on fear and makes you avoid things you actually want to do. If fear holds you back from work, school or friends, an evaluation is worth it.
Can teenagers get treatment for social anxiety?
Yes. Social anxiety often begins in the early teen years, and early care can prevent years of avoidance. Mindful Sewa treats children and teens with a parent involved, all by secure telehealth video.
What if being on video makes me nervous too?
That is very common, and it is fine to say so at the start. Visits are one on one with no one else watching, and most people settle in after a few minutes. How the camera feels can even become part of your practice plan.
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