Social Anxiety Therapy in NYC
Dr. Sam Klugman, PsyD
Bethany Sinclair, LMHC
We have over 15 years helping people break out of social anxiety patterns using targeted, collaborative treatments.
Do you experience intense anxiety in social situations?
Are fears of being judged or embarrassing yourself getting in the way of you living the life you want?
Are you overwhelmed with worries about future social situations or dwell on past conversations and social moments?
Social anxiety can quietly shrink your life. Avoidance can lead to social isolation and loneliness, missed opportunities for advancement at work or school, and feeling stuck watching others move forward socially while you feel behind. The physical symptoms of social anxiety, like trembling, heart racing, sweating, blushing, and nausea, can feel intense and impossible to manage.
Because I’ve done this work for the entirety of my career, I understand not only the patterns of how people struggle but also, what’s most effective in helping.
Clients Come To Us With:
Social avoidance and isolation
Fears of judgment and embarrassment
Public speaking anxiety
Work performance and career struggles
Dating, relationship, and sexual anxiety
Overthinking, worry and rumination
Intense physical anxiety and panic
Low mood, depression, withdrawal
Using substances to manage anxiety in social situations
If social situations feel exhausting, overwhelming,
or something you avoid altogether,
you’re not alone.
Social Anxiety Therapy With Our Team
Our therapeutic approach is collaborative, active, and focused on helping you make lasting and meaningful changes in your day to day life. To get started we will get to know you as a whole person, including your current difficulties, strengths, personal and cultural identities, while identifying the areas where you struggle the most and clarifying your goals and priorities for therapy.
Approaches We Use
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Builds flexibility around anxious thoughts and decrease patterns of avoidance while helping you move toward what matters in your relationships and life.
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Helps identify and shift anxious thought patterns and make lasting behavioral changes so social situations feel less threatening and more manageable.
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Interventions that help regulate stress responses and tolerate intense emotions so you can stay present instead of getting pulled into anxious spirals of thought.
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Skills to cultivate distance from repetitive and stuck anxious thoughts so they feel less controlling and urgent.
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Strategies to reduce harsh self-judgment and perfectionism that often fuel social fear and avoidance.
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Gradual, supported practice engaging with feared social situations so avoidance no longer runs your life.
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Therapy that recognizes and addresses the ways or our identities and experiences in the world can be connected to social anxiety, perfectionism, and fears of judgment.
You won’t just talk about social anxiety.
We will help you develop an array of skills to better handle anxiety so you can engage more confidently with others, tolerate intense thoughts and emotions, and build the life and relationships you want.
Find Your Confidence
Shift how you move through the world.
After Therapy With Us, Clients Report:
Increased social confidence and risk-tolerance
Less preoccupation and worry
Being more present and socially engaged
Feeling calmer and less physically anxious
Increased assertiveness and self-expression
Deeper satisfaction from relationships
More engagement in valued areas of life such as career growth, dating, and friendships
With support, anxiety can stop being the driver of your decisions and you can engage in the areas of your life that matter to you most.
Our Social Anxiety Therapists
Dr. Sam Klugman, PsyD
I value research based approaches, humor, compassion, and flexibility in my clinical work. My sessions are active and collaborative.
Bethany Sinclair, LMHC
[TEXT TO COME]
About Sam Klugman, PsyD
I’ve had the privilege of working with individuals struggling with social anxiety, assertiveness difficulties, and perfectionism for over 15 years. My approach to therapy blends specific evidence-based interventions, active exploration, support, and feedback to help you actually change patterns, not just talk about them. I value humor, compassion, and flexibility in my clinical work.
Sessions are active and collaborative. We’ll focus on understanding how and what activates anxiety, where it shows up in your body and thoughts, and what specifically keeps it going. I like getting started with practical work early while ensuring you have the support and space you need to explore the specific challenges bringing you to therapy.
In addition to my private practice I am a clinical supervisor at the NYU Steinhardt Counseling PhD program and a volunteer clinical evaluator with Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights. Outside of work, I live in Brooklyn, NY and enjoy spending time with my partner, friends, and family, as well as playing piano, cooking, and enjoying the theaters, museums and botanic gardens of NYC.
Education, Credentials, & Trainings
Sam Klugman, PsyD
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Rutgers University
Licensed Clinical Psychologist (NY, NJ)
Adjunct Clinical Supervisor, NYU Steinhardt Counseling PhD Program
Former Staff Psychologist, Columbia University Medical Center
Pre and Postdoctoral Training, Brooklyn VA Hospital and NYU Counseling and Wellness Services
Training in CBT, ACT, mindfulness-based interventions
3 Steps To Get Started
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Fill out the contact form. I’ll respond promptly and if I’m not the right fit, I’ll help you find someone who is.
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We’ll talk briefly to see if working together feels like a good match and answer your questions.
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We’ll map out what’s happening with your anxiety and start building tools to help you feel more grounded in social situations.