Individual VS Group Therapy
There are pros and cons for both individual and group therapy. Individual therapy will be the treatment of choice for some sufferers. Other people will choose to start with individual sessions and then graduate to a group program. Other people may feel confident enough to embark upon a group program without prior individual therapy
PROS OF GROUP THERAPY
Groups offer the opportunity to:
Discover that you are not alone, other people have social phobia
Make new friends, share your experience of social anxiety and pick up tips from other sufferers
Role play feared social situations in a supportive environment and receive feedback from other people.
Save money as group therapy tends to be cheaper than individual sessions
CONS OF GROUP THERAPY
May be too threatening for some people
Group therapy specifically for social anxiety may not be available in your area
PROS OF INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
Greater availability
1:1 attention
A greater focus on your specific issues
CONS OF INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
More expensive
Role playing will be limited as only the therapist is available to simulate feared social encounters