Shopping centre wearing the clothes and fashion I like and eating out

Author: KW

Created: 23/02/2022

Adult / CYP: Children and Young people

Categories: Low Self Esteem | Social Anxiety

Experience Narrative:

Go to the shopping centre with mum through the day in the holidays. I will wear my own fashion. I will buy something in the shop.

Belief to be tested:

Someone will see the clothes I am wearing and say something unkind. I believe this 50%

Alternative Perspective:

No one will pay attention to what I am wearing and they just want to buy stuff 50%

Safety Behaviours to drop:

I would need to drop wearing clothes that I felt safe in - e.g. not my type of clothing I would need to make sure that when I was eating, I wasn't hiding at the back of the room. Not taking my jacket off Getting mum to order for me Looking down at the floor/phone Getting mum to pay for the items Asking dad for his phone to keep me busy so I look like I'm doing something

Client reflections:

I went shopping wearing the clothes I wanted. I actually looked at the clothes in the shops and I picked something. I saw some school friends and they didn't say anything to me. I sat at the back of the room but this was my parent's choice. I still used some safety behaviours - mum ordered for me, I asked for dad's phone and used this to help me feel less awkward as mum and brother were using the restroom. Mum paid for items. I took my jacket off when we ate in the restaurant. If I do this again I need to not use dad's phone so I don't feel less awkward. I could order myself, I could pay using mum's card. I now believe that other people will not say something unkind 70%. And that my belief that they will be unkind is reduced to 30%.

Practitioner reflections:

Young person did a really good first shopping centre trip and proved that her original beliefs were incorrect.

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