Improving Interpersonal and Social Functioning
Improving Interpersonal and Social Functioning Through SSLD
Whereas social interaction is the major source of joy in life for many people, some find it threatening, scary, and even painful. The inability to enjoy social interactions and to use them to realize other goals such as intimacy, emotional support, or career advancement severely compromises our sense of well-being and quality of life.
SSLD offers a systematic learning process for individuals experiencing difficulty in interpersonal and social situations. The Basic Module is an eight-week program plus a follow-up booster session one month later.
SSLD Program for Improving Interpersonal and Social Relationships: Basic Module
Developed by Dr. A. Ka Tat Tsang and Dr. Thomas S.F. Li in April, 2007
- Session 1: Introduction to SSLD
- Session 2: Initiation of Social Contacts
- Session 3: Presentation of Self
- Session 4: Communication Skills I: Listening and Assessment
- Session 5: Communication Skills II: Getting My Point Across
- Session 6: Managing a Successful Conversation
- Session 7: Achieving My Goals in Social and Interpersonal Contexts
- Session 8: Bringing It All Together, and Tying Up The Loose Ends
Follow Up Session (one month later): Review real-life application, reinforce learning
The Program is conducted in a group context, with around 12 members. The Program emphasizes experiential learning, and each member will have the opportunity to review his or her own circumstances and learn the relevant strategies and skills to address his or her own personal needs and goals. The group provides a safe learning environment that respects individual difference, privacy and confidentiality. Members can experiment with new ways of responding to interpersonal and social challenges without worrying about judgment or criticism. A positive learning approach, that includes learning-through-mistake, will allow members to take new steps to break away from long-term debilitating habits.
Activities include role-play, video-recording and review, feedback from other members and group leaders, solution building, strategies and skills development, in-session rehearsal, and action-oriented take-home exercises. The learning process is adjusted to individual pace, and progresses in a systematic, step-by-step manner.
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Advanced Modules
More advanced modules focus on specific aspects of interpersonal and social functioning, such as dating and developing intimacy, persuasion, marketing, conflict resolution, responsive-assertiveness, handling guilt-tripping, and so on. There are also SSLD applications designed for specific situations such as couple relationship, parent-child interaction and cross-cultural communication.
Dr. A. Ka Tat Tsang
Updated: November 14, 2008
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