Social Thinking

Learning to be socially appropriate comes naturally to a lot of us. For others, it can be seen as a daunting and tricky task. This can lead to isolation and make them easy targets for bullying. Social Thinking® was created by Michelle Garcia Winner to enable those who struggle to learn social skills. 

Social Thinking can help with:

Understanding verbal and nonverbal social cues
Understanding and regulating emotions
Fostering and maintaining peer relationships
Working in a group
Comprehension
Understanding a different point of view
Initiating and maintaining conversations

Zac Mu’tamir has been trained under Michelle Garcia Winner in the Social Thinking® Clinical Training Program 1A in Santa Clara, USA.

SEL Stages-3.png

Duration of the Program:

  • 3 months for each stage of the program

  • Two 1-hour sessions per week

STAGE 1: Awareness of Social Cues and Emotions

The main goal of stage 1 is to enable the student to fit in and better navigate the social world by ensuring that they:

  1. Recognize basic emotions;

  2. Are able to observe social surroundings;

  3. Are able to express deeper, more nuanced emotions;

  4. Learn the different unspoken social “rules” that apply in various settings.

STAGE 2: Understanding the Concept of Consequence

The main goal of stage 2 is for the student to learn that their actions have consequences, both positive and negative. The learning objectives of stage 2 include the following:

  1. Understanding the meaning of consequence;

  2. Being aware of their own behavior and that of others;

  3. Understanding the impact of one’s behavior on how others respond to them;

  4. Developing the ability to express feelings related to consequences experienced.

STAGE 3: Behaviour Modification

The main objective of stage 3 is to enable the student to better understand, assess, and navigate a variety of social situations by:

  1. Improving emotional regulation;

  2. Avoiding the escalation of heated situations;

  3. Using different strategies to de-escalate situations;

  4. Learning how to appropriately initiate friendships;

  5. Learning how to maintain existing relationships.