Overcome social anxiety

Every Monday at 8pm

Peer-run, free and no wait times.

Join WalkTheTalk
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Members

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Average rating 4.8/5

300+

Reviews

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Reduce anxiety after 3 sessions

Overcome social anxiety. How it works.

Free, for as long as you need it and with no wait times. We’re run by peers and volunteers.

1. Book into a welcome meeting

You’ll be alongside 8-10 others, all joining for the first time.

2. Join meeting

An experienced volunteer will introduce WalkTheTalk, how it breaks down social anxiety. We’ll each introduce ourselves.

3. Practice makes progress

Set a goal and join the next meeting to report on how you get on. Practice conversation in a safe space.

Join a welcome evening

We introduce new members at welcome evenings together as a cohort. A cohort is a group of 8-10 people who join at the same time. By meeting as a small group, you’ll share the WalkTheTalk experience together and get to know the same consistent people over the weeks.

Led by

When

Action

Tom

8pm, 9th June 2025

Join welcome evening

Tom

8pm, 7th July 2025

Link soon

Tom

8pm, 4th August 2025

Link soon

Who our groups are suited to

You’re in the right place if…

  • You experience social anxiety
  • You’re motivated to change
  • You seek peer-to-peer support, not medical advice
  • You can commit to respectful group participation

We’re not the right fit if…

  • You have severe depression or bipolar disorder
  • You have a personality disorder
  • You have experienced psychosis

There are many other groups and services better placed for you. A list can be found on the Hub of Hope website.

Things to consider…

  • We are not a replacement for therapy
  • You must be 18+ to participate
  • Sessions are confidential and peer-run
  • Our groups blend peer support with a CBT approach. If you are neurodivergent you may not find the CBT aspect suitable but you are more than welcome to join and we hope you’ll find the peer support element beneficial
  • We’re not a crisis service

Should you feel unable to keep yourself safe at any point please call NHS 111, the Samaritans on 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258. Please call 999 in an emergency situation. *Mind have prepared some online resources too.

How is WalkTheTalk free?

As it’s peer-led, there are very few operating costs. Our members ‘graduating’ WalkTheTalk often choose to give back to help others. Facilitating sessions is a social anxiety challenge.

What is the ‘process’ behind WalkTheTalk?

We follow Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder (CT-SAD) as closely as possible. This is the gold standard treatment developed by the team at OxCADAT (Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma) and what would be ‘prescribed’ on the NHS. While we follow it as closely as possible we deviate in some areas that are tricky to replicate outside of a 1-1 therapy environment and we enrich it in other areas, such as the emphasis on continual behavioural experiments or ‘challenges’ and the peer support group you’ll get.

Learn more about what to expect.

What evidence is there that it helps people overcome social anxiety?

The process we follow is modelled on and adapted from the gold standard treatment used for Social Anxiety Disorder. This is shown to be highly effective in treating social anxiety. However, we’ve adapted the process as much as is possible in a group setting, it would be misleading to draw comparisons. We aspire to soon be able to report robust outcome measures of members and allow researchers to understand WalkTheTalk’s efficacy compared with 1-1 therapies. Early data suggests that it’s helpful (see above). Meanwhile, we encourage you to try WalkTheTalk alongside or after 1-1 therapy if needed.

What if I feel anxious about joining a group of strangers?

By nature, many of our members are nervous the first time they join or it takes multiple attempts and significant energy to muster to join. You’re not alone and it’s fine to feel that way and to go at your own pace. Many of us started that way. Our groups are safe spaces made up of people in the same position.

There’s no pressure to ‘do’ anything when you’re at your group. You don’t have to speak at first, you can just listen in, and if you join an online group, you can even start with your camera off.

As scary as it may seem the first time, there’s natural power to overcoming social anxiety with the help of a supportive and safe social group.

Our guide on what to expect at a group meeting might be helpful so there are no surprises.