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PAINFUL SHYNESS: In Children and Adults
A COLLABORATION BETWEEN PRACTITIONERS AND ACADEMICIANS-SCIENTISTS
I am very proud and happy to introduce our newest practice building tool, PAINFUL SHYNESS: In Children and Adults. This professionally elegant brochure can be used to help people in a variety of settings. Some examples:
- INDEPENDENT PRACTICE – Brochures may be available in your waiting room, or given directly to patients with shyness as an issue; used as a handout at community, school or workplace speaking opportunities.
- SCHOOLS – Brochures are appropriate from early childhood through graduate programs. School Psychologists, teachers and guidance counselors, professors and advisors can make the brochures available to students, children and parents.
- WORKPLACE – EAP staff may have brochures available or give talks on the topic within the workplace.
The brochures are particularly good in de-stigmatizing shyness as a social issue.
While children and adults often readily admit to being shy, most people unfortunately accept this as something that cannot be changed. Further, the limitations placed on one’s life and activities often goes unrecognized. Reading this brochure can bring hope for change and the knowledge about how to get help.
BACKGROUND – THE MAKING OF THE SHYNESS BROCHURE
PAINFUL SHYNESS: In Children and Adults was the result of a congenial collaboration between our division (practice) and Phil Zimbardo, Ph.D. (APA President and academician/scientist). During his presidential campaign and immediately following his election Dr. Zimbardo spoke of bridging the practice-academia/scientist divide.
At the time, as president of Division 42 and an active participant in the marketing efforts of our division, I asked Dr. Zimbardo if he would be interested in collaborating with our Public Relations and Public Education Task Force in developing a new brochure on Shyness. He thought this was a terrific idea as did the PR & PE Task Force and the Division 42 Board of Directors.
After meeting with members of the PR & PE Task Force to build an outline of the important issues, Dr. Zimbardo and Lynne Henderson, Ph.D., Director of The Shyness Institute, developed the content. Drafts were reviewed by the PR & PE Task Force, the Publications Board, then by the Board of Directors at our August 2001 meeting.
You will see that the beautiful design (Coda Creative, Inc.) includes the phrase “Talk to someone who can help”. This continues the theme of our previous brochures based on the tag-line of the APA Public Education Campaign. The photos picture a diverse population and children as well as adults.
HELPING YOUR PRACTICE
Our division’s focus is to help independently practicing psychologists thrive in a managed-care free environment. PAINFUL SHYNESS: In Children and Adults is another tool for this effort.
In February Division 42 Public Relations consultant Kelly Cunningham wrote and distributed a pitch and PSA to 50 media outlets nationally on Shyness and Valentines Day. We will continue using the topic of shyness together with more themes during this year and in the future.
Dr. Zimbardo as President of APA will have access to media on the topic. Exposure of psychological issues in the media helps all of psychology – practitioners, scientists and academicians
Our PR & PE Task Force and our Board of Directors encourage you to order PAINFUL SHYNESS: In Children and Adults (see order form in this issue) and use them in the variety of venues and styles that fit you and your practice. Please inform us of your experience with these brochures so that your feedback may improve our process. We will report back from our members on their experiences with this (and our other) brochures.
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