Professional Development Workshop Series Presents:
Social Anxiety: Mechanisms of Learning & Memory
as Novel Treatment Targets
Presented by Dr. Johanna Jarcho
Symptoms of social anxiety rise dramatically at the transition to adolescence, as peers increase in importance. Failure to remit in social anxiety by mid-adolescence predicts increased symptom severity, comorbid psychopathology, and diminished quality of life in adulthood. It is therefore critical to identify factors that contribute to remittance or persistence of social anxiety during the transition to adolescence, as such factors may serve as treatment targets. While much prior research on social anxiety persistence focuses on threat-based processes, gold standard treatments that target these processes rarely result in remission. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop a novel framework of investigation to identify new pathways to persistence and corresponding intervention targets. This presentation will suggest social learning and memory as one such framework. In addition to reviewing key empirical findings, discussion will focus on how to translate these findings into clinical practice.
Objectives:
1. Understand factors that work against exposure-based treatment in adolescent social anxiety
2. Describe social anxiety-related biases in learning and memory
3. Identify challenges in translating basic research into clinical practice
NASP Domain:
Domain 2-Consultation and Collaboration
Domain 4-Mental and Behavioral Health Services and Interventions
Domain 9-Research and Evidence-Based Practice
