Overcoming Dating and Social Anxiety: A 10-Week Skill Building Group starting 2/18/15

FAQs about the Overcoming Dating and Social Anxiety Group

1.    I’ve taken a similar workshop before.  Would I get something out of this group?

This group focuses on fundamental skills, some but not all of which we’ve taught previously in similar groups and workshops.  These fundamental skills go beyond basics.  We believe they are the foundation of anxiety recovery as well as the bread and butter of maintaining a low-anxiety lifestyle. 

If you’ve learned similar skills before, you may want to use this group to practice your skills in a group (read: anxiety inducing) environment.  In this way the group acts as an exposure therapy opportunity, i.e. a place to face your fears with support.  Repetition and practice are key when it comes to healing life-long issues like anxiety. 

If you feel you’ve got the fundamentals and basic group exposure down, contact us to find a group better suited to your needs.

2.    I’m scared! The group description mentions role-playing and I hear you use drama therapy in your workshops.  What if I’m too anxious to participate?

We’ll never forced you to do anything you don’t want to do.  We hope you’ll find the group environment to be one of support and acceptance.  While we encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, we also know that one of the keys to overcoming anxiety is to engage in moderately anxiety-inducing exercises in a supportive environment.  We do our best to tailor our exercises as such and encourage you to participate only to the extent you’re willing and able.

3.    How much of this group is focused on dating versus social anxiety issues?

The group focuses on both simultaneously.  In fact, dating anxiety is a subset of social anxiety however most people don’t know this -- we wanted to ensure we reached those of you who are dealing with dating issues but don't know anxiety's the culprit.  If you’re looking for a dating-specific group and feel anxiety isn’t your issue, please contact us to find a more suitable group.

4.    What are the fees for this group?

If you pay in full by February 1^st, 2015, the group fee is $500.  If you pay after 2/1, the fee is $550, which you can provide in either one payment or $50 at each session.  If you pay per session, you’ll need to submit a $100 non-refundable deposit to hold your spot in the group.

5.    Do I need to pay the full fee if I can’t make it to all the sessions?

Yes, you do.   

We know that life sometimes gets in the way.  And, as you can imagine, the very anxiety we're addressing in this group may stop members from attending some sessions. This is understandable, but we must receive full payment from each member to support the group's costs.  For this reason, we suggest you carefully consider and discuss in your intake call whether this group is right for you.  

Another note about attendance – if you know in advance that you will miss more than 2 sessions, we recommend joining a future group that you’ll be able to attend more frequently.  This is both to support your healing process (consistency is key!) and the integrity of the group.

6.    How many people will be participating?

We’ll start out with 15 people.  I say start because, as described above, life and anxiety may stop some of our members from attending sessions.  Chances are the group will be anywhere between 8 and 12 people on a given night, with the first meeting being the largest.

7.    Wow, that’s a lot of people.  I typically can’t function in that big a group.  Is this the right group for me?

Great question, and I encourage you to be honest with yourself about this – as mentioned above, once you’ve started the group you’ll be expected for all sessions regardless of your attendance, even if it’s social anxiety that’s keeping you from showing up.  Feel free to discuss this with us during your intake call.  And if you know this group will be too challenging, we encourage you to contact us about individual therapy.

8.    Who participate in your groups?

People from all backgrounds participate, which makes the groups wonderfully enriching.  Dating and social anxiety don’t discriminate -- you'll see group members of all ages, genders, cultures, races, sexual orientations, abilities, etc.  Because social and dating anxiety are cultural issues, the group tends to have a high percentage of people of color, immigrants, first generation folk, and others who come from oppressed and marginalized populations.  We seek to create an inclusive, culturally competent group environment.