Helping Teens with Social Anxiety

Courage Coach 

Help teens take daily steps to overcome their social anxiety. 

Help teens learn emotional regulation and self-reflection

The app promotes independence and healthy social risk-taking

The app helps teens build resilience through repeated small successes

Courage Coach helps teens face social anxiety through interactive real-world challenges, voice practice, calming tools, and confidence-building activities. It is based on the gold standard for treating social anxiety in teens - exposure therapy plus cognitive behavioral modification. 

 

Special features include a Talk Trainer, to help teens rehearse what to say in social situations, a Courage Gallery, where teens add photos or images that remind them of their progress, and a Spotlight Game, where teens learn that, in fact, they are not in a "spotlight" all of the time, and people are more concerned about themselves then in evaluating any one person. 

10 Users -$34.95

When you order the Professional Version of this app, you get a QR code that can be shared with up to 10 clients. Just email clients the code, and they can immediately start using the app. 

This is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. 

Title

Social anxiety can make everyday situations like speaking in class, joining conversations, or even walking into school feel overwhelming for teens. When left unaddressed, it can lead to low self-esteem and depression and, of course, many missed opportunities to enjoy the benefits of companionship, affection, and love that only being with others can give. 

 

Courage Coach provides the tools teens need to manage anxious thoughts, take healthy social risks, and feel more comfortable being themselves around others.  The app will be most effective when used with supportive individual or group therapy. 

 how it works

Courage Coach creates real-world assignments for teens to try social situations they have avoided. Teens determine the types of situations they want to address and the level of difficulty. The app helps them address dysfunctional thoughts before their "mission" and reflect on their attempts afterwards. Each mission is a step towards social engagement and self-confidence.  

1

Courage Coach begins with having the teen choose a category like school, friends, or public places where improving social interaction is most important. 

The app focuses on real-life assignments.  Teens can pinpoint where improving their social interactions will be most important. The app records the days they use the app, the tecniques they have tried, and the "missions" they have accomplished. 

2

The app then creates a "ladder" of missions from easiest to hardest.  The teen can also add their own specific social goals. 

Courage Coach comes with pre-loaded exposure ladders, specific to the issues and places where the teen is having social difficulties.  The ladder can easily be edited to reflect the level of difficulty of each ladder. There is also a section for teens to identify safety habits that can inhibit their progress. 

3

Before their missions, teens can practice three different skills: deep breathing, understanding errors in their thinking (CBT), and practicing what they will say on their mission. 

The app includes calming and grounding techniques as well as "Talk Trainer" which challenges teens to record themselves in a vareity of settings. Teens with social anxiety are often overly critical about the way they sound to others, and this feature helps them practice (and accept) the way they talk to others.  

4

The Spotlight Game helps teens learn that they are not really in the "spotlight" and that people are not always evaluating them. 

This arcade-style game is easy to play, but has an important message for teens with social anxiety.  Teens record what they think people are saying about them and then what is more realistic. In the game, they have to "pop" the speech balloons with the unrealistic assumptions. 

5

The Progress Report gives feedback to the teen and can be shared with a therapist. 

Feedback is essential to progress. The app includes a feature that summarizes their progress, points out patterns, and gives encouragement.  This Progress Report can be printed out and/or sent to a therapist as a PDF for review in session. 

5

Title

The Gold-Standard for Treating Social Anxiety

Teens with social anxiety typically avoid new kinds of social situations , underestimate their ability to face their fears, overestimate the "psychological danger" (embarrassment, being teased, and so on), and quit trying when their anxiety spikes. The Courage Coach encourages putting social interactions in the forefront of a teen's life, giving them the tools they need to deal with discomfort and enjoy the benefits of being in social situations with their peers. 
Title

Special Features Only Found in Courage Coach

Social anxiety in teens can be difficult to treat. With the increasing popularity of chatbots and social media, teens find it easier than ever to retreat into their private world. Courage Coach reverses that trend, using technology to help teens interact in the real world, rather than retreat from it. 

The Talk Trainer helps teens practice what they will say and hear how they sound. Many teens don't like the way their voice sounds, but this feature can add to their self-acceptance and comfort level.  

The Courage Coach lets teens create a customizable exposure ladder, adding or subtracting missions labeled as easy, medium, or hard. Feedback questions after the mission encourage self-reflection and motivation.

Teens are encouraged to take a photo when they complete a mission and add it to their Courage Gallery. This represents a concrete reminder of the teen's success. 
Title

Sharing the Journey with a Professional 

Social anxiety typically has the immediate effect of making teens feel lonely and misunderstood. But the long-term effects of avoiding friendship, dating, participation in sports or clubs, can have lifelong effects, including depression and social isolation. While the Courage Coach can be helpful to any teen who feels motivated to try it, professional help is strongly recommended in conjunction with this app. Below is a screening for social anxiety to help you determine if a teen is in need of professional help. The app also allows teens to export their data, which can be printed out or sent to a therapist.