Does psychoanalytic or psychodynamic psychotherapy work for children with social anxiety disorder?

Yes: Ideal treatment of anxiety disorders including social phobia would be the combination of pharmaco- and psychotherapy. Medications for anxiety are effective in abating anxiety symptoms but not necessarily in psychosocial functioning. Individual psychotherapeutic intervention, e.g., cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, has been proven effective.

It can...: Depending on the child that you are treating. No child is the same and should not be treated that way. With social anxiety disorder, it may be useful to take an eclectic approach using play therapy, social skills training, and relaxation training in working with this diagnosis that requires skill building.

It may: The best approach to any problem in medicine (and psychology) is to ask, "what treatment will work best for this patient?" social anxiety may be approached in many different ways and some better match certain children. That said, psychodynamic play therapies with children, especially child psychoanalysis, can be very powerful and effective indeed-with the right child and with a skilled practitione.

Yes: Child analysis is indeed alive and well. Speaking as a psychoanalyst, I attend conferences where groups of child analysts gather regularly to discuss ideas and cases, of which social anxiety is a frequent component.