SOCIAL FLEXIBILITY GROUP

(teens & adults)

Why a social flexibility group?

Over the years we have been worked with teens and adults struggling with “fear of embarrassment or humiliation in social situations.” Most people dwell over these situations either before, during, or after them. Sadly, the task of managing their anxiety becomes a full time job, 24/7 days a week, with the end result of avoiding social events or attending to them using emotional crutches (carrying meds, playing with the cell phone as a form of distraction, attending to events only with “safe people,” etc).

In United states, social anxiety is the fourth most common psychological problem; it affects 7% of the adult population and 1-3 adolescents aged 13-18 are affected as well. We know social anxiety exists, and we know how to effectively treated, but here is the problem: it’s an under-diagnosed condition.

Socially anxious or shy/introverted teens by nature are not the kids/teens that are going to get in trouble, unless they get bullied, then their struggles are more visible. In fact, socially anxious kids have a solid academic performance for the most part and therefore teachers don’t notice their struggles unless the academic task involves doing a presentation or when their grades are based on active social participation. However, they really struggle building friendships, maintaining a conversation, ordering food, or simply dealing with others. They really want a friend but anxiety takes over when the opportunity presents.

In adult life, socially anxious people struggle so much more because there is an extreme cultural pressure for everyone to be socially outgoing and extroverted, especially in work environments, as it if by nature everyone has or should have a sociable temperament. The process of applying for a job, interviewing, speaking about their work skills and/or “socially” presenting themselves it’s not a simple but a colossal task for them (more than you can imagine). As therapists, we’re also aware that there is so much we can do in individual therapy; the impact of group learning when dealing with social anxiety is actually a very important component of treatment & help for these clients (as research has consistently showed us).

This is a group that gets YOU out, and gets YOU out, AT YOUR PACE!

What’s unique about our group?

Our social flexibility group is a 10-week program that will allow participants to understand how anxiety has become a problem in their life and will prepare them to face places, situations, or people they have been avoiding in a very safe manner and at their pace.

Personalized life exposures will also be conducted in order to fully make a difference in the treatment. The first five weeks of treatment take place in our office and the other five outside at different locations: grocery stores, coffeeshops, etc.

Details

Group facilitator: TBD

Date & time: TBD

Beginning date: TBD

Register for your group intake right away!

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR GROUP INTAKE SESSION!

Are you dealing with intense OCD and anxiety?

Our intensive program will teach you all the skills you need to get back into your life!

click here to learn more

Why our clients love working with us

testimonials

"I am very grateful for finding Dr Zurita. She is responsible for teaching my son skills that have changed his life socially and enabled him to leave home and attend an out-of-state university. This was the dream of a lifetime for him and it would not have been possible without her help. Her guidance has also made it possible for him to live a much richer life, full of experiences he would have never considered, prior to his time meeting with Dr. Zurita.

I encourage parents to start this process much sooner, if they sense their child is having difficulty at a social level. Had I understood what he has been going through all of these years, I would have started the process much earlier, so that his prior social experiences and especially those in school, would have been much fuller ....

"Working with Patricia Zurita Ona has changed and saved my life. I have struggled off and on for years with sever anxiety disorder and OCD . I have been to therapy throughout the years and have found some helpful but nothing really got to the core of the problem. I often felt crazy and that my incredible fear and my phobias would remain with me thorough my life, I would not drive on the freeway, eat certain things and had constant catastrophic thinking, thus creating a lot of depression.

I needed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which I saw advertised on many therapists’ websites. When I would call most of them they said they offered it and specialized with Anxiety Disorder/ OCD which was not the case. I had felt alone, hopeless and frustrated for the past 9 years. Never feeling like I was getting the help I needed. It was not until I started meeting with Patricia that I actually started to feel better and feel as if I had control over my life and started to live again ...

“Patricia and her team have completely changed my life! I cannot express my gratitude enough.

She helped me craft values and goals I wanted to have in my relationships, and walked me through each step of how to get there. Her methods are simple, manageable, and make sense when you are upset. I’ve been to therapists who have told me to take deep breaths, visualize calming colors, rip paper, go for a walk or scream in to a pillow when im angry. But in the moment, when im soooo angry, none of these world work. I would forget to do them, or I would already be so angry, that they were ineffective to help me calm down. Patricia’s methods are not only EXTREMELY effective, but they are easy to do, they make sense in the moment, and they bring about radical change when you apply them ...

“I do not know how it reflects on my credibility should I happen to brag about being a seasoned vet when it comes to therapists and mental wellness pursuits. Regardless, I am. And on top of that, I also happen to be a health care practitioner myself. This means, for the purposes of a review, that when I walk into a new Doctor’s office, there is an additional dimension of critiquing for me to process. I would never willingly put myself under the guidance and care of a Doctor who did not 1) Impress me as a capable and honest caregiver and 2) Impress me as a professional colleague.

– Empathy
– Knowledge
– Professionalism
– Respect

I think that these are the basic bulletpoints that strike me when I consider why I think so highly of Patricia. Dr. Zurita takes NOTHING more seriously than the pursuit of her profession. Except possibly you, the patient.

Some therapists really care.

Other therapists are extremely knowledgeable.

Very few therapists are both. Patricia Zurita Ona is one of those very few.”

"I have referred several of my most challenging patients to Dr. Patricia Zurita-Ona, and been extremely impressed both with her clinical skills and humanity. I recommend her most highly. John Melbourne McGraw, M.D. melmcgraw.net."

“Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona truly cares about her clients. Behavior therapy with her has benefited myself and my husband regarding my obsessive compulsive behavior. She has a gentle and kind approach and I would recommend her to others.”

“I was referred to Patricia Zurita Ona from my son’s psychiatrist for cognitive behavioral therapy treatment of his obsessive compulsive disorder (ocd) and anxiety which rose to a level which was out of control. Dr. Zurita Ona is very skilled at working with teens who suffer from anxiety, especially related to academic success and test anxiety. She helped my son learn coping mechanisms and stress reducing strategies to control his level of anxiety. Dr. Zurita Ona introduced my son to a great stress relieving app which involves deep breathing and meditation. She has an amazing ability to connect with teens and get them to open up about their struggles, create realistic plans of attack and create goals so they can lead joyful lives and not be so burdened with their stress. We saw her weekly for about 1-2 years and my son’s sessions with her were very beneficial to not only him, but our entire family as his stress was causing tension for us all. Dr. Zurita Ona explained to me why my son had certain behaviors and ways to help him learn new strategies to cope with his anxiety. If you have a teen who needs help to learn how to manage and control stress and anxiety, schedule a session with Dr. Zurita Ona! I highly recommend her services!”