Social Anxiety therapists in Chicago, Illinois IL
Browse Social Anxiety therapists in Chicago. Compare credentials, specialties and therapeutic approach. Contact a therapist to learn more.
Social Anxiety
Beck Gardner
Pre-Licensed Professional, M.A.
Social anxiety is another difficulty that people face which can often be helped by better understanding the nuances of your fears and the ways it may have once protected you. I hope to help you understand your social anxiety and feel supported as you try out new ways of being with people that might feel too scary to try alone.
3 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60657
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois
Social Anxiety
Merrisa Dawn Santos
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC, NCC, CCTMHP, CCTP
In assisting individuals with social anxiety issues, I provide a supportive and understanding environment to explore their concerns. Through therapy, we work on understanding the underlying factors contributing to their anxiety, such as negative beliefs or past experiences. I offer strategies to manage anxiety symptoms, including relaxation techniques, cognitive restructuring, and exposure therapy. Together, we practice social skills and gradually confront feared social situations, building confidence and reducing avoidance behaviors. The goal is to empower individuals to navigate social interactions with greater ease and enjoyment, ultimately improving their overall well-being and quality of life.
5 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois (Online Only)
Social Anxiety
Pavan Prasad
Psychiatrist, M.D.
Dr. Prasad specializes in treating mood disorders and Adult ADHD . He use a holistic approach, treating the full person rather than just symptoms. Dr. Prasad helps to treat treat mood, self-esteem, and concentration problems, as well as working with more diffuse issues around identity, interpersonal
11 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60611
Social Anxiety
Lincoln Park Psychology, Inc
Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Psychologists, LCPC, LPC, LCSW, LSW, CADC, AMFT
Social anxiety can make everyday interactions feel overwhelming, leaving you stuck between wanting connection and fearing judgment or embarrassment. Our therapy services help you break free from the fear that holds you back from social situations, public speaking, meeting new people, or simply being yourself around others. Through evidence-based approaches, we'll help you understand the roots of your social anxiety, challenge anxious thoughts, develop practical coping strategies, and gradually build confidence in social settings. You'll learn that the catastrophic outcomes you fear rarely happen, and that you can handle uncomfortable situations more effectively than you think. Social anxiety doesn't have to control your life—with the right support, you can develop genuine comfort in your own skin and create the meaningful connections you deserve.
17 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60657
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois
Social Anxiety
Mary Mesiha
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LICSW
College can be an exciting time—but it can also bring intense pressure to fit in, make friends, and find your place. If social situations leave you feeling anxious, self-conscious, or worried about being judged, you’re not alone. Many students quietly struggle with these same feelings. In therapy, we’ll work together to understand your anxiety, build coping skills, and increase your confidence so you can feel more at ease connecting with others and fully engaging in college life.
27 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois (Online Only)
Social Anxiety
Cultivate Your Essence
Registered Psychotherapist, LPC, LCPC, MFT
Social anxiety can make relationships, work, and everyday interactions feel overwhelming. We help clients understand the roots of social anxiety, develop practical coping skills, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, and build confidence in social and professional settings.
8 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois (Online Only)
Social Anxiety
Cami K McBride
Psychologist, PhD
Like other forms of anxiety, there is no need to suffer with social anxiety that limits one's interactions.
20 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois (Online Only)
Social Anxiety
Reshma Rampersad
Psychologist, Psy.D.
Therapy for social anxiety is centered on creating a safe and supportive space where you can gradually build confidence in social situations. Using a blend of cognitive-behavioral strategies, exposure techniques, and mindfulness practices, we work to challenge anxious thoughts, develop effective coping skills, and increase comfort in interactions. My goal is to help you shift from fear and avoidance to a place of self-assurance and meaningful connection with others
7 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois (Online Only)
Social Anxiety
Mind Body Connections
Counselor/Therapist
Using IFS and EMDR techniques as well as body based approaches, we will help you understand the origin of your social anxiety and work towards decreasing this stress so that you can live your best interpersonal life possible.
28 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60613
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois
Social Anxiety
Anne Zakaras
Counselor/Therapist, LCPC, ATR-BC, PMH-C
When social anxiety takes hold, everyday interactions can feel like a performance where you are constantly being critiqued. Anne provides a warm, deeply validating, and low-stakes environment to help you safely unpack the fear of judgment, rejection, and overthinking. As a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) clinician, she specializes in helping individuals quiet the exhausting inner commentary that tells them they don't fit in, allowing them to rebuild real confidence in their relationships and public spaces.
Anne’s integrative approach is uniquely designed to calm the hyper-vigilance of social anxiety. By pairing evidence-based clinical practices with creative art therapy, she offers a non-verbal outlet to process underlying insecurities when traditional "talk therapy" feels too exposed or intimidating. Together, you will practice regulating your nervous system in real-time, silencing the post-event rumination loop, and setting comfortable boundaries. Whether your social anxiety is a lifelong battle, tied to professional burnout, or amplified by major life milestones like chronic illness or the isolating transitions of parenthood, Anne is dedicated to helping you step back into connection with others on your own terms.
8 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60640
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois
Social Anxiety
Andrew McKenzie, Psy.D.
Psychologist
Social anxiety can leave you replaying conversations, worrying about how others perceive you, or avoiding situations that matter to you. We'll explore the fears and beliefs that fuel those patterns with curiosity rather than self-criticism, recognizing that they often developed for understandable reasons. As therapy progresses, you'll learn more flexible ways of responding to anxious thoughts so they have less influence over your choices. My hope is to help you feel more present, confident, and authentic in your relationships.
15 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60640
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois
Social Anxiety
Dr. Ryan Kitts Schallon
Psychologist, PsyD
Social anxiety is not shyness. It is the experience of being watched by a judge who lives inside your own head — a judge who arrived long before you ever chose to listen to it. Every room becomes a performance. Every interaction is graded. The exhaustion is not from other people. It is from the constant labor of self-surveillance. Therapy works not by teaching you to ignore the judge but by understanding whose voice it actually is, and why it was installed in the first place.
3 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60613
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois
Social Anxiety
Dr. James R. McClymonds
Psychologist, Psy.D., HSPP
Are you stressed out? And is it getting harder to "just not think about it?" I specialize in helping people work through stressful transitions and high-conflict situations. Through individual or couple's therapy, we can work together to achieve the goals you've wanted, but have felt out of reach.
19 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60603
Social Anxiety
Juliette Grantham
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC
I'm Juliette Grantham, a psychoanalytic psychotherapist specializing in social anxiety.
Social anxiety is more than shyness. It can look like rehearsing what you will say before you say it, dreading plans you actually want to keep, then picking yourself apart for hours afterward. You may find yourself watching yourself from a distance in conversation, convinced everyone can see what you are hiding, or avoiding opportunities entirely rather than risk being perceived.
I work psychoanalytically, which means we take up not just the fear but what it is organized around. Social anxiety carries an unconscious logic worth understanding: it usually says something about how you see yourself and how you imagine others see you, and those impressions were formed somewhere. In sessions we trace them back, including how they show up between us, since a fear of being judged tends to surface in the room as well.
If you have been managing social anxiety by staying small, I would be glad to talk.
2 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60603
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois
Social Anxiety
Brittany Statler, Intuitive Wellness Therapy Group
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW
Headline: Beyond the "Polite Mask": Finding Genuine Connection in a World of Over-Control
The Loneliness of Always Being "On"
Do you find yourself meticulously managing how you come across to others or changing yourself to adapt to everyone in the room? For many high-achievers, social anxiety doesn’t look like shaking hands; it looks like a "polite mask," a rigid adherence to social rules, and an exhausting internal monologue that critiques every word you say. You may be highly successful and well-liked, yet you feel deeply disconnected and "on the outside" of your own life.
My Approach: Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT)
I specialize in a unique, evidence-based approach called Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO-DBT). Unlike traditional therapies that teach you more self-control, RO-DBT is designed for those who already have too much of it. We focus on the "biological" side of social signaling to help you feel safe enough to be seen.
Together, we will target the roots of social isolation by:
Fostering Radical Openness: Learning to drop the shield of perfectionism and lean into the "messy" beauty of unfiltered human feedback.
Building Flexibility: Breaking the rigid "shoulds" that dictate how you interact, allowing you to be spontaneous and authentic in real-time.
Enhancing Social Signaling: Learning how to use your body and voice to signal safety and warmth, which naturally invites deeper, more rewarding connections.
20 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois (Online Only)
Social Anxiety
Sarah Farris
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LCPC, LPC
Social anxiety can feel overwhelming, impacting relationships, confidence, and the ability to participate in areas of life you care about. Symptoms may include self-doubt, reassurance seeking and rumination, feeling embarrassed, and avoiding social situations. I utilized evidence-based therapy including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and mindfulness methods to help clients face their fears and better manage discomfort in social settings.
14 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60613
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois
Social Anxiety
Dr. Adam Shafer (Chicago, IL)
Psychologist, Psy. D., M.A.
The ambivalence people can experience in the desire for interpersonal connection while feeling uneasy or anxious in the presence of others can be difficult.
17 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60607
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois
Social Anxiety
Allyson Stephens
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, MSW, LCSW
It can be hard to engage socially especially if we have unresolved trauma. I want to help give you the tools to feel comfortable in social situations so you can get the support you deserve. I use IFS, EMDR, Somatic Therapy, CBT, and DBT for this issue.
8 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois (Online Only)
Social Anxiety
Dr. Andrew Bingman
Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, PsyD
Social anxiety is rooted in a fear of rejection and/or judgment by others. I work with clients to help identify the source of this fear while highlighting strengths and positive attributes that clients possess, which helps to empower clients to seek and develop meaningful relationships.
15 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois (Online Only)
Social Anxiety
Natalie A Shafer
Counselor/Therapist, MA, NCC, LPC
For those who struggle with social anxiety, everyday interactions may feel overwhelming and bring fears of judgment, self-consciousness, or a tendency to withdraw. These responses are understandable and often rooted in a need for safety and belonging. Together, we explore the underlying patterns, build confidence, and develop ways of engaging with others that feel more comfortable and authentic.
2 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60607
Online in Chicago, IL Illinois
Chicago's size and diversity mean therapists here cover an exceptionally wide range of specialties, with strong representation in trauma, anxiety, depression, and cultural identity work across the city's distinct neighborhoods. The South and West Sides experience community-level trauma tied to violence and systemic inequity, driving particular demand for therapists who specialize in PTSD, grief, and resilience-focused work. The city is home to Rush University Medical Center, Northwestern Medicine, and the University of Chicago Medicine, with a large independent practice community concentrated in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wicker Park, and the Loop. Chicago also has robust bilingual therapy communities serving its large Spanish-speaking, Polish, and Mandarin-speaking populations.
Social Anxiety therapists in Chicago, Illinois Statistics
Social Anxiety therapists in Chicago, Illinois average 16 years of experience and charge around $201 per session. 98% offer online sessions. The top treatment approaches are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (78%), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) (46%), and Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian) (37%).
Average years in practice
16 Years Experience
Average cost per session
$201
Accept insurance
44%
Offer sliding scale
34%
Gender ID
| 60% |
Female |
|
| 36% |
Male |
|
| 3% |
Non-Binary |
|
| 1% |
Gender Fluid |
|
Session Type
| 55% |
In Person and Online |
|
| 43% |
Online Only |
|
| 2% |
In Person Only |
|
Top Treatment Approaches
| 78% | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) |
| 46% | Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) |
| 37% | Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian) |
| 36% | Behavioral Therapy |
| 32% | Psychodynamic Therapy |
| 30% | Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) |
| 29% | Existential / Humanistic Therapy |
Ages Served
| 98% | Adult |
| 75% | Young Adult |
| 49% | Senior |
| 47% | Teen |
| 23% | Children |
Client Focus
| 50% | Women |
| 38% | LGBTQ+ |
| 36% | Men |
| 24% | Military / Veterans |
| 21% | Christian |