Behavioural experiments: Helping your teen face fears

This resource is designed to help parents and carers understand the role of behavioural experiments in CBT for social anxiety.

It offers practical guidance on how to support young people in facing fears, with emphasis on encouragement, reflection, and patience. The tips promote collaboration and normalise uncertainty, reinforcing the caregiver’s role as a calm, supportive presence throughout the process.

References & Further Reading

  • Alves F, Figueiredo DV, Vagos P. (2022)  The Prevalence of Adolescent Social Fears and Social Anxiety Disorder in School Contexts. Int J Environ Res Public Health
  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
  • Clark, D. M., & Wells, A. (1995). A cognitive model of social phobia. In R. G. Heimberg, M. R. Liebowitz, D. A. Hope, & F. R. Schneier (Eds.), Social phobia: Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment (p. 69–93). The Guilford Press.
  • Connor, K.M., Davidson, J.R., Churchill, L.E., Sherwood, A., Weisler, R.H. and Foa, E., 2000. Psychometric properties of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN): New self-rating scale. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 176(4), pp.379-386.
  • Hofmann SG. Cognitive factors that maintain social anxiety disorder: a comprehensive model and its treatment implications. Cogn Behav Ther. 2007;36(4):193-209. doi: 10.1080/16506070701421313. (Accessed 29/02/24)
  • Kashdan, T.B. and Herbert, J.D., 2001. Social anxiety disorder in childhood and adolescence: Current status and future directions. Clinical child and family psychology review, 4, pp.37-61.
  • Knappe S., Sasagawa S., Creswell C. (2015) Social Anxiety and Phobia in Adolescents. Springer; Cham, Switzerland: Developmental Epidemiology of Social Anxiety and Social Phobia in Adolescents; pp. 39–70.
  • Leigh E, Clark DM. Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents: A Development Case Series. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy. 2016;44(1):1-17. doi:10.1017/S1352465815000715 (Accessed 29/02/24)
  • Leigh, E., Percy, R., Clark, D.M., Creswell, C. and Waite, P., 2023. Cognitive and behavioural processes in adolescents with social anxiety disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 170, p.104416.
  • Mohammadi, M.R., Salehi, M., Khaleghi, A., Hooshyari, Z., Mostafavi, S.A., Ahmadi, N., Hojjat, S.K., Safavi, P. and Amanat, M., 2020. Social anxiety disorder among children and adolescents: A nationwide survey of prevalence, socio-demographic characteristics, risk factors and co-morbidities. Journal of affective disorders, 263, pp.450-457.