The Shyness Home Page

Shyness and social phobia do not have to interfere with achieving professional and interpersonal goals. The pain of shyness can be relieved by challenging automatic thoughts and beliefs, and learning new behaviors.

This is The Shyness Home Page, a gathering of network resources for people seeking information and services for shyness. It is sponsored by The Shyness Institute, Palo Alto, California (an institute for research in shyness and social fitness). The Institute is also closely associated with The Social Fitness Center (for coaching) and The Shyness Clinic (for therapy).

(Note: This page is to encourage networking. The Shyness Institute cannot, and does not, necessarily evaluate or certify the quality of the services mentioned here.)

Announcements:

New book: Improving Social Confidence and Reducing Shyness Using Compassion Focused Therapy, by Dr. Lynne Henderson, will be published in the UK by Constable & Robinson in July, 2010, and in the US by New Harbinger Publications early in 2011.
Social Fitness Training Manuals, by Dr. Lynne Henderson, are now in print.
Click here for information on how to order.
New book chapter: Shyness, Social Anxiety and Social Phobia, Henderson, L., & Zimbardo, P. (2009, in press; draft – do not cite). In S. G. Hofmann & P. M. DiBartolo (Eds.), Social anxiety: Clinical, developmental, and social perspectives, second edition (2nd ed.). Taramani, Chennai,India: Elsevier. (click to download)
The Shyness Clinic, has become a part of the The Kurt and Barbara Gronowski Clinic at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology located in Los Altos, California.
Adult and adolescent groups are now forming at the Shyness Clinic
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program class available at The Social Fitness Center

Shyness Surveys:

Can I Count On You? Questionnaire

People sometimes use indicators or signs to help them answer questions like: “Can I count on this person to be there for me emotionally at difficult times ?” This scale studies the value of different indicators. No identifying information will be taken or kept. Thank you.

The Henderson/Zimbardo Shyness Questionnaire (Survey results)

The Shyness Institute is conducting a survey on shyness. This questionnaire has 35 questions. No identifying information will be taken or kept. Thank you.

Social Interaction and Technology Use Questionnaire

The Shyness Institute is conducting research on shyness and technology use. This questionnaire has around 100 questions. If you wish to be part of this study, please fill out this questionnaire. Altough your name appears in the consent section, it will not be kept with the data, so no identifying information will be included in our publications. Thank you.

The Kato/Markus Questionnaire

The Shyness Institute is conducting research on social fitness and cultural orientation. This questionnaire has 31 questions. If you wish to be part of this study, please fill out this questionnaire. No identifying information will be included in our publications. After you submit your answers, information about our research concerns. Thank you.

RESOURCES

Online Information:

Radio interview: 2/14/2010, KALW/NPR, Work with Marty Nemko. Lynne Henderson on coping with shyness/social anxiety in the workplace.
The Social Fitness Forum: An online bulletin board for discussions about social fitness: sharing strategies, resources, and networking.
"Shyness" in the "Encyclopedia of Mental Health": An overview of Shyness, what is known and how it is treated. (Academic Press, San Diego, CA; 1998)
Anxiety Disorders Association of America: A national organization for professionals, researchers, clinicians and consumers. Maintains a directory of practitioners working with anxiety disorders including social phobia. Contact via website or e-mail)
Shyness Brochure: A public information brochure (2 pages, 8 panels) on Shyness developed by the Shyness Institute and co-distributed by APA.
CyberPsych: A home page for psychology.
The Shyness Institute: A non-profit research corporation dedicated to research in the areas of shyness, social phobia, and related anxiety disorders. The Shyness Institute:
- Carries out research on shyness and Lynne Henderson's Social Fitness Model.
- Maintains The Shyness Reading List, a comprehensive list of self help and research materials on shyness.
- Maintains Research Papers, a collection of research works from the Shyness Institute.
Society for Interpersonal Theory and Resesarch (SITAR): An international, multidisciplinary, scientific association devoted to the advancement of interpersonal theory and research.
Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders Research Program: Research program at UCSD. Phone: (858) 622-6134. Email: veryshy@ucsd.edu
Online Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program for Shyness and Social Anxiety
Self-compassion Website: Kristin Neff. University of Texas at Austin.
Compassion Website: Paul Gilbert

Treatment Centers and University Programs:

The Shyness Clinic: located in Los Altos, California, offers a broad spectrum of psychotherapeutic services for shyness and social phobia including individual counseling, and structured therapy groups with licensed psychologists. Contact: 650-961-9300.
American Psychological Association: For referral information for psychologists in your area. Or call (800) 964-2000 to be connected to the referral system in your area.
Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University: David Barlow, Ph.D., Director; (617) 353-9610
Center for Shyness and Social Therapy: Jonathan Berent, M. S. W., Berent Associates; 17 Maple Drive, Greatneck, New York. (800) 248-2034
Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CU-CARD): Anne Marie Albano, Ph.D, ABPP, Columbia UniversityColumbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute; Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 74, New York, NY 10032-2626. (212) 543-5339 (phone), (212) 543-6660 (fax).
Maryland Center for Anxiety Disorders: University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742. (301) 405-0232
Drexel Anxiety Treatment and Research Program: James Herbert, Ph.D. , Program Director; 245 N. 15th St., Philadelphia, PA 1910. (215) 762-FEAR.
National Center for Children, Youth and Families Services
New England Educational Institute: Offers symposia and audio cassettes that may be relevant to anxiety/social phobia
Stress & Anxiety Disorders Clinic: Cheryl Carmin, Ph.D., Director, University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Psychiatry (MC 913) 912 S. Wood Street Chicago, IL 60611 Phone: (312) 413-2633 Fax: (312) 996-4358
The Social Fitness Center: Located at 2000 Williams, Palo Alto, CA in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a non-profit organization providing workshops, classes, and one-on-one coaching with experienced and trained professionals in specific areas related to shyness and social interaction such as dating, public speaking, job interviews, etc.
Contact: (650) 328-6115.
Adult Anxiety Clinic: Temple University. Email: phobia@blue.temple.edu
UCLA Anxiety Disorders Program: (310) 206-5133.
CAAN Lab: The CAAN lab at the Stanford University Psychology Department is doing a study on Social Anxiety Disorder and offering two stress reduction programs (Mindfulness and Exercise) as treatment. 650) 723-5977.

Therapists and Coaches trained in the Social Fitness Model:

Individual and group treatment in San Francisco, CA: Nicole Shiloff, Ph.D. Contact: (650) 759-6808.
Individual and group treatment in Fremont, CA: Sally Reese, MFT. Contact: (510) 494-1400.
Individual and group coaching in Easton, CT: Lynne Henderson, Ph.D. Contact: (650) 328-6115.