Description

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In this episode, we sit down with psychologist and CBT expert Dr. Deborah Dobson to discuss her new book Living Well with Social Anxiety. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, Dr. Dobson offers a compassionate and highly practical look at what social anxiety is, how it develops, and most importantly—how to move beyond avoidance and toward a more connected, fulfilling life.

Key Themes

• Understanding the social anxiety cycle: thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, avoidance patterns, and how they reinforce each other
• Why avoidance feels safer—and why it makes anxiety worse long-term
• Self-monitoring as a core CBT skill for breaking the cycle
• The continuum from shyness to social anxiety disorder to avoidant personality traits
• Impact of technology and post-pandemic remote life on anxiety and social skill atrophy
• Exposure principles: graded, values-guided, and compassionate rather than forceful
• The role of sensitivity, empathy, and introversion as strengths rather than flaws
• Public speaking, dating, small talk, and other high-anxiety social tasks
• The importance of seeing social anxiety as a long-term trait that can be managed—not a personal failing or something to “cure”
• Maintaining gains after therapy: preventing relapse and building ongoing resilience

Deborah Dobson, PhD, spent her decades-long career specializing in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary and a Fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the Canadian Association for CBT, and the Canadian Psychological Association. She received the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award for her extensive advocacy work in mental health. Since retiring from clinical practice in 2023, she continues to train and consult in CBT.