EDUCATIONAL TREATMENT FOR SOCIAL ANXIETY IN ADULTS

The Article reflects the methodology and content, as well as the results of development of transformative learning program of pedagogical intervention during equine assisted, experience-based learning process for reduction of adults’ social anxiety. The theoretical grounds of the developed program is based upon the analysis of research on used methods of social anxiety in psychotherapy, its efficiency in solving of problems caused by social anxiety, analysis of methods of transformative learning theory and animal-assisted intervention, theoretical study of symptoms of social anxiety and the empirical study of learning needs of adults with disorders caused by social anxiety for reduction of social anxiety. The developed program is an innovative pedagogical solution for reduction of adults’ social anxiety, where there are integrated theoretical and practical aspects of transformative learning and animal-assisted therapy within the equine assisted empirical (based on experience) learning process. KEYWORDS: Social anxiety, educational treatment, pedagogical intervention, transformative learning, equine assisted learning, adults. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/ 10.15181/atee.v1i0.672