In an attempt to improve treatment outcomes for socially anxious people, Dr Peter McEvoy and Dr Lisa Saulsman developed an Imagery-Enhanced CBT for Social Anxiety (IE-CBT).  IE-CBT incorporates well-established imagery-based techniques to modify cognitive processes that maintain social anxiety. This innovation draws on research showing that working with the negative images people hold about socialising and trying to develop more helpful images, may be more emotionally powerful than just working with the verbal thoughts people have about their social fears.  Early research into the outcomes of IE-CBT for social anxiety indicates that this is a promising treatment innovation (McEvoy, Erceg-Hurn, Saulsman, & Thibodeau, 2015; McEvoy & Saulsman, 2014).

A therapist guide outlining the details of this treatment has now been published by Guilford Press, and Dr Lisa Saulsman (Director of CBTs WA) is a co-author of this book.

McEvoy, P. M., Saulsman, L. M., & Rapee, R. (2018). Imagery-Enhanced CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder. New York: Guilford Press. 

Click here on the Guilford Press Website to find out more…