Confidence is usually determined by having the belief or opinion that you are able to achieve or do something. When there is a lack of confidence, there is usually the belief or opinion that you can not do certain things which makes you feel uncomfortable in certain situations. Some of these situations for example can be: public speaking; socialising with others; meeting new people; performing on stage; attending work meetings or taking on a leadership role. This belief or opinion is then treated as a “fact” where one will see him or herself as having "low self-confidence". This “low self-confidence” can often get in the way of being able to recognise the positive aspects of ones self including personal strengths, attributes, and past successes. Low self confidence is usually formed from experiences and is often associated with fear. Often there is the fear of emotional or physical harm from others which creates feelings of unsafety. This then impacts on ones thoughts about themself and their behaviour.

This negative self-characterisation can result in physiological, psychological and/or behavioural symptoms. Physiological symptoms may include irritability, nausea, headaches, racing or pounding heartbeat, shaky hands, difficulty breathing, blushing, tiredness and/or fatigue. Negative self-talk, self doubt, regular concern or worry, fear of failure, fear of criticism and/or fear of embarrassment are some of the psychological symptoms one may experience. Behavioural symptoms may include social withdrawal or avoidance of situations or tasks, especially around people who are perceived to be in a position of authority or superiority, one may withhold their thoughts and ideas in the fear of being criticised and may experience feelings of anger frustration or nervousness if required to do a task that is seen as somewhat challenging.
DSA Psychologists assist in building confidence in a variety of different ways including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Hypnotherapeutic techniques.

Cognitive Behavioural approaches include: being able to recognise ones thought processes to then create change by replacing negative thoughts with positive thinking which will then have a positive influence on ones behaviour. DSA Psychologists support clients to identify their strengths through a range of different techniques such as cognitive restructuring, positive self-talk, recognising and expressing emotions (talking, writing, drawing) and exploring family of origin issues.

Hypnotherapeutic approaches include: post hypnotic suggestions (this is something you can tell yourself later in real life to build confidence); ego-strengthening techniques (positive suggestions), visualisation and systematic desensitisation (where challenging situations are presented while the client is in a relaxed and confident state). These hypnotherapeutic techniques can be used by some of the qualified psychologists at DSA.