The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook
88 clinicians are called by other terms (for example, psychological associate, psychothera -
pist, psychometrist).
Psychiatrist.  A psychiatrist is a physician who has specialized in treating mental health 
problems after completing four years of medical school. Typically, this specialty train -
ing includes a ﬁve-year residency and also may include additional fellowship training. 
Psychiatrists are more likely than other types of professionals to understand and treat 
anxiety from a biological perspective, although increasingly, psychiatric training pro -
grams are requiring training in CBT. Advantages of being treated by a psychiatrist over 
other types of professionals include the opportunity to obtain medications in addition 
to other forms of therapy, as well as the opportunity to be assessed by a physician who 
is uniquely qualiﬁed to recognize medical conditions that may be contributing to the 
problem.
Social worker.  Social workers are trained to do many different things including helping 
people to deal better with their relationships, solve their personal and family problems, 
and learn to cope better with day-to-day stresses. They may help people to deal with 
the stresses of inadequate housing, unemployment, lack of job skills, ﬁnancial distress, 
serious illness or disability, substance abuse, unwanted pregnancy, and other hardships. 
Most social workers specialize, and some end up providing psychotherapy either in a 
private practice or a hospital or agency setting. Although CBT is seldom a formal part 
of social-work training programs, some social workers obtain specialized training in CBT 
following their formal schooling.
Other professions.  Professionals from a variety of other groups may be trained to 
provide CBT or other forms of psychotherapy. These include some family physicians, 
nurses, occupational therapists, clergy or other religious leaders, and even psychothera -