Social skills Intervention and training

Social skills training is aimed at children and adolescents who have difficulties in interpersonal relationships and in handling different social situations, either because they have a disorder that justifies these issues.  (Such as an autism spectrum disorder, or because the child or young person has personality characteristics that make them tend to avoid social relationships or lack confidence in these situations).

Social skills are a set of behaviours involved in interpersonal relationships and related to emotions and cognition. Social skills allow us to live with other people effectively and satisfactorily both in the short and long term.

Social skills intervention and training takes place in both individual and group sessions, following a structured programme based on cognitive and behavioural techniques. The aims of social skills intervention and training are to:

• Learn to relate socially using an appropriate model
• Learn to perceive and interpret the social world
• Know and identify one’s own and other people’s emotions
• Train in problem solving (training in causal, consequential and alternative thinking)
• Learn to identify assertive, passive and aggressive behaviours
• Train in verbal and nonverbal communication skills
• Learn to express themselves and listen actively