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Introduction
Some clients with social anxiety describe a powerful inner critic that puts them down during and after social situations, fuelling anxiety and often driving low mood. For many, self-criticism is an old, deeply ingrained habit, and some therapists report it becomes a roadblock in treatment. The encouraging news is that it can be successfully targeted and overcome, once we and our clients learn to spot it and address it.
The event will be equivalent to 2hrs of CPD.
Content
In this session, we will explore how to switch off the inner critic when it interferes with therapy. For example, when clients attack their performance during behavioural experiments or criticise themselves harshly while watching video of themselves in treatment. We will also look at how to target self-criticism directly, using key interventions from Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder (CT-SAD) alongside some additional manoeuvres. We will also cover how to work with people whose inner critic is an echo from the past (for example, the voice of a critical parent or attacking bully). The session will include video illustrations of treatment and the chance to practise applying some of the clinical manoeuvres to our own therapist inner critic (a companion most of us encounter from time to time!).
Learning Objectives
• Learn how to spot and formulate the role of self-criticism in social anxiety disorder within the Clark and Wells (1995) model and treatment appraoch.
• Develop skills in helping clients to switch off their inner critic if it interferes in treatment
• Build confidence in addressing self-criticism using core CT-SAD interventions
• Learn additional manoeuvres that can be used to reduce self-criticism, including when it has its origins in early socially traumatic memories.
Training Modalities
Didactic content, client testimony, Q&A, role-play video illustrations of therapy self-experiential exercises.
Key References
OxCADAT Team (2024) Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: A guide for NHS Professionals, accessible at: https://oxcadatresources.com/therapist-manuals/
Warnock-Parkes, E., Wild, J., Thew, G.R., Kerr, A., Grey, N., Stott, R., Ehlers, A., Clark, D.M. (2020) Treating social anxiety disorder remotely with cognitive therapy. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 16;13:e30.
Warnock-Parkes, E., Wild, J., Thew, G., Kerr, A., Grey, N., Clark, D.M. (2022) ‘I’m unlikeable, boring, weird, foolish, inferior, inadequate’: how to address the persistent negative self-evaluations that are central to social anxiety disorder with cognitive therapy. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist;15:e56.
Wild, J., & Clark, D. M. (2011). Imagery rescripting of early traumatic memories in social phobia. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 18(4), 433–443.
Several helpful video illustrations, treatment manuals and other key papers can be found at: www.oxcadatresources.com.
About the presenter
Dr Emma Warnock-Parkes is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and senior research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma (OxCADAT, University of Oxford). Emma has worked in CBT for over 20 years and for most of her career has specialised in the research, development and dissemination of Cognitive Therapy treatments for Social Anxiety Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Working with the OxCADAT team, alongside David Clark and Anke Ehlers, Emma is a co-author of CT treatment manuals, has authored several clinical guidance papers and developed numerous training materials for clinicians (freely available at oxcadatresources.com). She is a co-author of Overcoming Social Anxiety and Building Self-confidence: A Self-help Guide for Teenagers. Emma is also one of the clinical leads of the NHSE funded Top Up Training Course in Cognitive Therapy for PTSD.
Who should attend
This event is aimed at clinicians who have some knowledge and experience of delivering CBT for social anxiety in practice and who want to develop their skills further. Although the session will be mostly focused on treatment of adults, the key principles and interventions will be applicable to adolescents.