Quick Show Notes – COVID-19: Social Anxiety, with Michelle Sorenson

Kwadwo and clinical psychologist Michelle Sorensen M.Ed talk about this hot topic right now. As restrictions lift, this is a great opportunity for you to learn more to help yourself or your patients + clients in healthcare.

Here are some key points to keep in mind from this discussion.

Social Anxiety
Main principles:

Reduce avoidance. Avoidance is the evil twin of anxiety
Increase exposure: gradual, thoughtful, use a ladder approach

Teach yourself you CAN do something, even if it feels uncomfortable. We need to approach our fears rather than avoid them.

Anxiety is a symptom of trauma, and many people are traumatized after 16 months of fear, drastic change and upheaval. Social connection is part of healing.

Judith Herman, M.D. describes the stages of recovery from traumatic events in her book Trauma and Recovery. First, there must be a healing relationship: recovery cannot occur in isolation.

Stages:
-Safety: established by finding people the survivor can trust
-Remembrance and mourning: we must tell our stories, this provides empowerment
-Reconnection with the normal world… even if it is changed
-Commonality: connection to others

“Helplessness and isolation are the core experiences of psychological trauma. Empowerment and reconnection are the core experiences of recovery”. We can incorporate lessons from our traumatic experiences into our life.

Let us know what you think of this discussion. Did it raise any questions for you? Feel free to leave any q’s or comments you’d like to share with us below! Thank you Michelle for such an informative discussion.

If you’re interested in reaching out for professional support, visit Michelle’s Resiliency Clinic website at: https://resiliencyclinic.com/

About Michelle Sorenson​:

Michelle Sorensen, the founder of the Resiliency Clinic, is a registered clinical psychologist with 20 years of experience providing counseling and psychological services for a wide range of personal problems. These include anxiety and depression, interpersonal issues (both personal and professional), life transitions, and coping with chronic illness.

She provides therapy for adults aged 18 and over, including seniors.
Her approach to working with clients centers around a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) framework, which is based on years of research and empirical evidence. She also integrates mindfulness training into her CBT approach. This involves developing self-compassion, accepting what we cannot control, and living in the present moment. Michelle believes in a collaborative approach, based on her view that there are two experts in the room. She sees her role as a psychologist as being very active and takes the lead when her client needs guidance.

She is also very involved in the diabetes community across Canada and works with clients struggling with the psychological impact of living with diabetes.

Michelle has been registered with the Ontario College of Psychologists since 2006, first as a Psychological Associate and now as a Psychologist. Michelle is also a member of the Ontario Psychological Association.

She completed her Bachelor of Arts, Honours with first-class standing in 1997 at Queen’s University, and then graduated from her Master in Counselling Psychology at OISE at the University of Toronto in 2000.

She has been in private practice since 2002, initially under the supervision of other psychologists, and then practicing autonomously since her registration with the College of Psychologists.

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