A Comparison of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy with Social Skills Training in the Treatment of Social Phobia

The present study aimed to compare Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and Social Skills Training (SST) in the treatment of social phobia among a sample of adolescent students. The population of the study consisted of 320 students in grades from ninth to twelfth at the Latin Patriarchate School in Al-Karak, Jordan. These students were administered a social phobia scale and a social interaction anxiety scale. Based on their scores on the two scales, forty five students were identified as socially phobic. These students were randomly assigned to three groups (15 per each), two experimental groups and one control group. One of the experimental groups received rational emotive behavior therapy, while the other received a training program on social skills. As for the control group, students in this group did not receive any treatment. Results showed that the REBT and SST were both significantly more effective (P < 0.05) than no treatment in reducing social phobia and social interaction anxiety. There were no significant gender differences (P > 0.05) in the effectiveness of the treatment methods. (Keywords: Social Phobia, Social Interaction Anxiety, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Social Skills Training).