Sophia Holloway
under the supervision of Tia Jennings, LPC-S
Graduate Student Intern
You are sitting around people you are familiar with and not so familiar with, and now you are trying to be present in the moment. “Stay focused,” you tell yourself. Then, suddenly, more people show up and begin conversing around you, and you start to feel uncomfortable, as though everyone is staring at you only. You try to join in a conversation with others, but you may have said something you thought was “stupid”; you begin to feel inadequate, so you start to
sweat profusely and feel you are moving in slow motion. You tell yourself, “Don’t panic,” but the more you say it, the more you panic. Your heart starts to race, and suddenly, you look for a way to escape because the room begins to feel small… How do I know this so well? Well, for many years, I too suffered from this debilitating mental struggle called social anxiety.
Social anxiety disorder is not uncommon. Approximately 5% to 10% of people across the world have a social anxiety disorder. It is the third most common mental health condition behind substance use disorder and depression (Mayo Clinic Research, 2021). Anxiety doesn’t have an easy solution, but the good news is that it is treatable.
Hello, I’m Sophia Holloway, and I am a graduate student intern pursuing my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
My journey to understand my past disorder with social anxiety led me to my studies in Psychology, which have allowed me to understand behavior and brain function while being a part of research that identifies emotional issues such as anxiety and depression. My Master’s degree pursuit in Clinical Mental Health Counseling has led me on a fulfilling journey for having the passion for helping empower individuals to live a fulfilling life despite mental health struggles of anxiety.
I will partner with you to help you identify the source of your anxiety by understanding your triggers and working together to learn new ways to change your reaction to them. We together will understand the root of your anxiety and develop coping strategies, so you’ll feel less anxious and be able to manage anxiety episodes more effectively.
Therapy aims to help you regain control when worry threatens to overtake you. I pull from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), an observational, narrative, and solution-focused approach to address negative thoughts and replace them with positive solutions.