Strong Social Skills Lead to Success in Life
Most of us desire to feel accepted and to fit in as part of a group. Effective social skills serve as a conduit for that to happen. Unfortunately in today’s world, you or your loved one may be experiencing what’s called social skills impairment, a condition where a person possesses below-average interpersonal communication abilities. Found in small children to older adults, a growing percentage of Americans struggle socially.
One reason for this phenomenon in adolescents and young adults is the explosive growth of technology and social media use. A generation is being raised that has trouble engaging in face-to-face conversations with other humans. Someone who has social skills impairment typically fears being in a social setting or in public at all. Feelings of anxiety, worry and self-doubt take over, and may eventually lead to further unhealthy behaviors and beliefs. There is a wide-range of impaired social skills causes, many of which begin in early childhood. Those include:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
- Depression and Anxiety
- Overuse of technology devices
- Schizophrenia
- Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia
- Bipolar disorder
- History of being exposed to abuse, especially as a child
- Getting bullied for one reason or another
- Autism Spectrum Disorder/Aspergers
- Standing out physically in one way or another
- Above average intelligence
Symptoms of Social Skills Impairment Include these
If you or a loved one is having trouble participating in meaningful and positive social interactions with others, you may be dealing with social skills impairment. Symptoms of poor social skills include the following:
- Lack of emotion around other people, including friends and family
- Difficult time or inability in making friends
- Trouble speaking to others and expressing one’s thoughts outwardly
- Lack of motivation to join in activities or groups
- Poor body language such as slouching, not looking someone in the eye and nervous leg and hand movements
- Failure to successfully complete projects and tasks
If you or someone you care about shows one or more of these signs, it may be a case of impaired social skills. On the positive side, there are proven techniques to overcome poor social skills, ones that can be learned and improved upon with practice. Working with a certified outpatient social skills coach is one of those proven ways.
Methods Used to Overcome Social Skills Impairment
The onset and severity of social skills impairment may depend upon the person’s age, the underlying conditions mentioned earlier, and the patient’s receptiveness to treatment. Outside intervention, including outpatient counseling, is best. Here are some of the accepted therapies now available to treat someone with social skills impairment:
- Cognitive Behavior Training (CBT): These methods identify the root causative factors and then help implement lifestyle modification practices for the patient. CBT focuses on the individual’s perceptions, mood and thinking patterns in a given situation, and how to make positive changes. For example, if social media is controlling you or your loved one’s life, a commitment to cap daily use may be recommended by a counselor or coach.
- Executive Function Training (EFT): Under the guidance of a social skills professional the patient is taught how to better organize, strategically plan, prioritize, and complete tasks, while further focusing on building relationships and juggling objectives.
- Modeling & Role Playing: As the name implies, a social skills instructor teaches the individual how to more effectively converse with others, while doing so with appropriate body language and other non-verbal cues. Assertiveness training is a part of this therapeutic process. Patients role play what they’ve learned with a trained counselor or coach, and then later with other people.
If you or someone you care about suffers from impaired social skills, whether a child or adult, the good news is that there are reliable ways to improve their social interaction abilities! As has been proven, the surest path to recovery needs to involve some type of social skills coach.
When it’s Time to Call Our Thriveworks Henrico, VA Social Skills Coaches Stand Ready!
For more information on social skills and Thriveworks Short Pump’s coaching services call: 804-205-3408 or visit our Contact page now.
