SOCIAL ANXIETY CARE

Online Therapy for Social Anxiety

If the thought of speaking up in a meeting, walking into a party, or even making a phone call fills you with dread, you're not the only one. Social anxiety is treatable, and therapy can make it easier to move through.

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CONTEXT

What Is Social Anxiety?

Social anxiety is more than being shy or introverted. It's a fear of being judged, embarrassed, or found wanting in front of other people, strong enough that you start avoiding the situations that trigger it. And that includes situations that, deep down, you want to be part of.

Online therapy for social anxiety can help you understand where that fear comes from and take back the parts of your life it's been quietly shrinking.

Allswell is a virtual practice offering LGBTQ+ affirming, trauma-informed therapy for social anxiety across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. With Allswell, you won't spend sessions explaining why a group of strangers reads as a threat, or why you rehearse a text three times before sending it. Our therapists already understand, so you can get to the fear itself.

Social anxiety turns up more often in the LGBTQ+ community than in the general population, and the reasons make sense. When you've actually been judged, rejected, or made to feel unsafe for who you are, dread in social situations isn't always an overreaction. Sometimes, it's just your body doing what it's learned to do. Affirming therapy helps you sort the fear that's protecting you from the fear that's just holding you back, whether you're LGBTQ+ or not.

Signs You Might Be Dealing With Social Anxiety

Social anxiety looks different for everyone, but you might recognize a few of these patterns in the way you interact socially:

You worry intensely about being judged, embarrassed, or seen in a bad light.
You replay social interactions afterward, picking apart what you said or did.
You steer clear of certain situations, like parties, phone calls, or speaking up in groups.
Your body reacts in social settings, with blushing, sweating, a racing heart, or a shaky voice.
You start dreading social events days or even weeks ahead of time.
Staying quiet or hanging back feels safer than risking any attention.
The fear blocks things you genuinely want, like making friends, dating, or speaking up at work.

Seeing yourself in a few of these doesn't have to mean you have social anxiety, but it's the kind of thing a therapist can help you make sense of.

How Social Anxiety Can Show Up in the LGBTQ+ Community

Anxiety runs higher in the LGBTQ+ community than in the general population, and social anxiety can be a part of that. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that LGBTQ+ adults are roughly two and a half times as likely to experience anxiety, depression, and substance misuse.

A lot of that traces back to minority stress. With social anxiety, the connection is especially clear. If you've been stared at on the street, misgendered in front of a room, or turned against by people who were supposed to be safe, it makes sense that being seen or judged by others starts to feel genuinely risky. The fear of how you'll be perceived isn't irrational if it's built on things that actually happened.

This is where affirming care matters, for a specific reason. When part of your social fear comes from being judged for who you are, it helps to work with someone who already understands minority stress. It means you can spend your energy separating the anxiety from the experiences that taught it to you. That understanding is there from your first session.

TREATMENT

How Allswell's Online Therapy Can Help Treat Social Anxiety

Allswell offers both individual therapy and support groups, and they work hand-in-hand. Individual therapy is just you and a licensed therapist over secure video, which many people find easier to start with when walking into a room full of strangers feels like too much. Support groups are there when you're ready: a 6-week cycle with the same small group each time, which can be a lower-stakes way to practice being around others who understand what you're going through.

Our therapists pull from evidence-based methods suited to what's in front of you. For social anxiety, that usually means some combination of these strategies:

CBT

Cognitive behavioral therapy

CBT helps you identify and shift the anxious thoughts that fuel social fear, and gradually build comfort in the situations you've been avoiding.

ACT

Acceptance and commitment therapy

ACT helps you make room for social discomfort without letting it dictate your choices, so you can do what matters to you even when the anxiety shows up.

MFN

Mindfulness-based approaches

These help you stay present in social moments instead of getting caught up in worry about how you're coming across.

Your therapist builds the approach around you and keeps it affirming throughout, so it fits your life rather than the other way around.

OUR APPROACH

Allswell's Clinical Model for Social Anxiety

Affirming care is where Allswell starts, but easing social anxiety takes real structure on top of that. We use proven methods, adapted to a fear that often has real history behind it. Here's how we approach it:

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Affirming care is a clinical standard

The American Psychological Association and WPATH set affirming care as the professional standard, and Allswell holds every therapist to it.

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We don't treat your fear as automatically irrational

Your therapist helps you sort the fear that's protecting you from the fear that's just holding you back, without ever suggesting your feelings or the past harms you experienced aren't real.

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Minority stress is taken seriously

Your therapist can look at how much of your social anxiety grew out of experiences of rejection.

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You build comfort in steps, at your pace

Facing avoided situations is central to treating social anxiety, so your therapist helps you approach them gradually and with support. They never push you into the deep end before you're ready.

Icon of a mobile phone showing a person in a video call, representing accessible one-on-one telehealth services.

Progress is measured, and the plan adapts as needed

You'll complete a brief check-in at intake and every 60 days, and your therapist reviews it with you. If things aren't getting better, that's our signal to adjust the approach.

Connection is part of the work

Social anxiety can shrink your world. That's why, alongside individual therapy, Allswell offers small groups where practicing connection is the point, with people who understand you.

Why Allswell Is Different

Before a therapist joins Allswell, we look for hands-on clinical experience with LGBTQ+ clients and real training in evidence-based, trauma-informed care, including with transgender and non-binary clients.

And we don't treat therapy as something that only happens one-on-one. A lot of healing happens in the company of others, which is why support groups run alongside individual sessions.

Paying For Allswell's Social Anxiety Therapy

Allswell accepts both Medicaid and commercial insurance in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Before your first session, our team will verify your benefits and give you a clear estimate of your cost per session.

MEDICAID

Sessions typically fully covered, with no out-of-pocket cost.

COMMERCIAL INSURANCE

$10–25

Most clients pay this per session, depending on their plan.

SELF-PAY

$125–175

$175 for your first session, $125 for ongoing sessions.

If Allswell is out-of-network with your plan, we can provide a superbill that you can submit for possible reimbursement. We accept Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) card payments as well.

Getting Started With Allswell

Book a free consult

Schedule a 15-to-20-minute call with one of our Care Coordinators to talk through what you're looking for and get matched with the right therapist.

Meet your therapist and build your care plan

Your first session is a 60-minute Welcome Session, where you and your therapist get to know each other and shape a plan that fits your goals.

Begin ongoing sessions

From there, you'll meet for 45-minute sessions, usually weekly, and can join a support group if that feels right for you.

Allswell's Reviews and Success Stories

Allswell is a refuge for queer minds, where being understood isn't a privilege but the start.

Since my transition, every talk with family was tense and stressful. At Allswell, I felt heard.

Allswell Client, 26

When I was considering opening a relationship, Allswell was where I felt safe to talk.

Allswell Client, 39

I lost my job and was at a low. Allswell found me a great therapist covered by Medicaid.

Allswell Client, 32

I loved my Allswell experience. I found the community grounding and encouraging.

Allswell Client, 22

I felt safe, connected, and understood. We were dealing with dark, difficult topics.

Allswell Client, 41

I loved having supportive people to talk to who resonated with my struggles.

Allswell Client, 35

Meet Your Therapists Who Specialize in Social Anxiety

When you start with Allswell, we'll match you with a licensed therapist who has experience with social anxiety and works within an affirming framework. You can meet a few of them below.

Jessye Heyrana

LGPC

•

she/her

•

Maryland, DC

♾️ Neurodiversity

💔 Trauma & PTSD

😰 Anxiety

🏠 Family Relationships

🏢 Career & Work Stress

📱 Dating

🌎 Life Transitions

👐🏾 Racial Identity

🫂 Relationships

Fisher Ilijasic

LGPC

•

He/ Him

•

😰 Anxiety

🏢 Career & Work Stress

📱 Dating

😔 Depression

🏠 Family Relationships

🌎 Life Transitions

🫂 Relationships

😌 Self-Esteem

🛏️ Sex & Intimacy

Linsey Megrue

LMSW

•

she/they

•

Maryland, Virginia, DC

♾️ Neurodiversity

⚧️ Gender Identity

😔 Depression

😰 Anxiety

🫂 Relationships

💔 Trauma & PTSD

🏳️‍⚧️ Transgender

😌 Self-Esteem

💜 Chronic Illness & Disability

✊ BIPOC

Joi Francis-Johnson

LCPC

•

She/Her

•

Maryland

😰 Anxiety

✊ BIPOC

💔 Trauma & PTSD

👐🏾 Racial Identity

🌎 Life Transitions

🌱 Grief

⚧️ Gender Identity

🏢 Career & Work Stress

😌 Self-Esteem

🏠 Family Relationships

Book a Free Consult

If you're located in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, you can get started with Allswell today. Book a free consultation with one of our Care Coordinators, and we'll help match you with a therapist who fits your needs, your preferences, and your schedule.

Book Now