Fill - Free fillable SST Individual Session Handbook (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) PDF form

SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING

Initial Individual Session

INDIVIDUAL SESSION:

OVERVIEW AND GOAL SETTING

In this group, we will use Social Skills Training (SST) to develop

social skills that can be used to achieve recovery oriented goals.

Agenda

 Obtain informed consent for audiotaping

 Please note that the individual session packet is intended as a

resource for you as a clinician. You are not expected to nor should

you read all the information to the veteran.

 Overview

o Introduction of

your group leaders

o Discuss purpose of the

group; how it is different from

other groups

 Discuss the format of

the group (including at home practice review,

skill introduction, role plays, feedback, assigning at home practice)

 Discuss group expectations

 Use Recovery Wheel handout to review components of recovery

 Ask the veteran questions from the Goal Setting Brief Background

Interview if you do not already know the Veteran well.

 Review broad quality of life domains

 Use goal setting sheet to identify 1 recovery-related goal

 Complete Social

Skills Training Veteran Outcome Survey: Initial

Questionnaire (See the “Guidelines for Administering the

Assessments” for directions.)

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-2-

Overview

Social Skills Training teaches people how they can better

communicate their feelings, thoughts, and needs to others. It also

teaches them how they can better respond to other people's feelings,

thoughts, and needs. Social skills help people to get what they want

more often and help them avoid doing things they don’t want to do.

Improving your social skills can help you achieve your recovery goals.

Social skills can help you communicate better with your friends,

relatives, and employers. These skills can help you talk to people you

are interested in dating. You can focus on skills that will allow you to

become more independent. Social skills training can help you

improve the skills you need to achieve almost any goal you choose.

In this meeting today, I would like to help you identify one personal

recovery goal to work on in the group.

Social Skills Training is different from other types of therapy groups.

Group members do not sit around and talk about their problems.

Instead, members spend group time trying out ways to actually solve

their problems. They do this by practicing different skills during the

group and then trying out these skills in real-life situations.

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-3-

Group Format

Group members practice a new skill through role playing, initially with

the group leaders and then with each other. Role playing is similar to

rehearsing for a play but is more relaxed and fun. Group members

first review how to break down each skill into a few easy steps. Next

they watch the group leaders role play the skill with each other. Role

playing is acting in a pretend situation. When members are feeling

comfortable, they get to role play the skill. The group leaders and

fellow group members will give feedback about what went well in the

role play, and will also give suggestions on how to make the role play

even better.

Group members will also be asked to do at home practice, whereby

they will practice the skill outside the group. At the beginning of each

session, group members will get the chance to talk about how the at

home practice went. Nobody is ever forced to do a role play or to do

at home practice if he or she does not feel comfortable.

Plan to participate actively. The more you participate, the more

you will get from the group. Feel free to ask questions and make

comments about the social skills you're learning; talk about the

program with other members of the group as well as the staff.

Discussing the material with others will help you improve the skills

you learn. It will also be very important to practice the skills you learn

at home.

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-4-

Group Rules

Group members must be willing to keep an open mind. They must be

willing to try new techniques designed to communicate with one

another. Group members will learn about new skills and discuss how

to use them in their lives. When they are ready, they will practice the

skills in group and in real-life situations.

There are

rules

that

group members

are expected to

during

the group

meetings.

Let’s

review

this

list

together.

1. Stay

on the group topic.

2. Only one person may speak at a time.

3. No name-calling or cursing.

4. No criticizing or making fun of each other.

5. No eating or drinking during group.

6. No cell phones on during the class.

Introduction to the Recovery Framework

Mental illnesses are conditions that affect thoughts, feelings, and

behavior. They can interfere with day to day functioning and can

cause significant changes in the quality of an individual's life. Mental

illnesses include a variety of conditions.

It is now recognized that mental illness does not have to lead to a

lifetime of disability. It is important to recognize that people are not

either healthy or ill. Rather, recovery is a process or journey that you

go on, and people may consider themselves in recovery while

continuing to have, and be affected by, mental illness.

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-5-

THE RECOVERY WHEEL

Here is a picture of something we call the recovery wheel. We are

going to use this picture to review all of the most important parts of

recovery. In this class, we will be practicing skills to help achieve

your recovery goals and live a more satisfying life.

Let’s go around the wheel and review each of these 6 important aspects of

recovery.

 Hope: The belief that people can and do overcome obstacles in their lives.

 Self-Respect: Learning to accept who you are and believing in yourself

again.

 Empowerment: The sense that people have the authority to make

important decisions in their own lives.

 Holistic: Recovery involves many aspects of a person’s life, including their

mind, body, spirit, and community.

 Non-Linear: The lifelong road to recovery is not a straight line. The

journey sometimes takes us in unexpected directions. It involves

occasional setbacks and growing as a person.

 Strengths: recovery focuses on building your unique strengths, coping

abilities, and skills to help you bounce back during hard times so that you

are better able to reach your life-goals.

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-6-

Optional Goal Setting Brief Background Interview

The Goal Setting Brief Background Interview is on page 15 of this

document. If you do not know the Veteran well, or if you think it would

be helpful to review some background information in the context of

goal setting, this Goal Setting Brief Background Interview can be a

helpful tool. Following completion of the Goal Setting Brief

Background Interview, you can then move onto working with the

veteran to set goals, which is the focus of the next 3 sections of this

Individual Session packet.

Discussing and Recording Goals

The goal for the SST group that the Veteran decides to set as well as

the steps to achieving the goal are recorded on the Goal Setting

Sheet (pages 17-18). The Veteran does not need to set a long-term

recovery goal for the group but some clinicians find it’s helpful to work

with the Veteran to define his or her long-term goal and then to work

back to a goal for the SST group. Some Veterans will not be ready to

set a goal and/or be able to discuss the steps to achieving the goal at

the initial interview. For these Veterans, it is important to schedule a

time to follow-up with the veteran to complete the goal setting

process. In helping the Veterans set initial goals for the SST group,

be sure to do your best to have the Veteran set a goal that is truly

important to the Veteran rather than something that his or her family

wants or the VA clinicians working with him would want for him, etc.

In the following sections you will find discussion of Quality of Life

Domains, and “SMART” [i.e., Specific, Manageable, Attainable,

Relevant, Time-Bound—see following “goal setting” section for more

information] goals. In interviewing the Veteran do your best to try to

classify the goal in a quality of life domain as well as to formulate the

goal as a “SMART goal.” Be sure to fill out a Goal Setting Sheet

(page 17) when interviewing the Veteran. You do not need to read to

the Veteran the information in this packet about SMART goals or any

of the examples of SMART goals, although excerpting part of the

“Goal Setting” section below may be helpful in certain circumstances.

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-7-

The detailed information is there mainly to help you as the clinician to

understand how to formulate SMART goals.

The initial interview is an important tool for building rapport and a

therapeutic alliance with the Veteran. A main goal for this

interview as noted is also to guide the Veteran to define a

SMART goal for the SST group, to break this SMART goal down

into manageable steps, and to identify the Quality of Life Domain

that best classifies the goal. These are the items that you will

record on the Goal Setting Sheet (pages 17-18).

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-8-

Identify Quality of Life Domains

Recovery is about roles and goals. For the SST group, we would like

you to pick a short-term personal recovery goal that you would like to

achieve by the end of the SST group.

There are 4 Quality of Life Domains in which you may wish to choose

a recovery goal to accomplish during the timeframe of the Social

Skills Training Group:

1. Interpersonal relationships (for example, goals related to

improving relationships with family or friends or romantic

partners or goals related to making new friends or connecting

romantically with someone.)

2. Community Participation and Engagement (for example,

goals related to obtaining or improving paid work/volunteer

work/or school. This category also includes goals related to

increasing leisure activities or other community participation.)

3. Engagement in treatment services (This category includes

goals related to increasing attendance at appointments,

improving a relationship with a health or mental health care

provider, etc.)

4. Physical and Emotional Well-Being (This category includes

spiritual goals. Examples of goals of this type include working

toward a health goal such as increasing exercise or losing

weight, or maintaining an appropriate diet for a health

condition.)

Which

of these

omains

you

think might be most

important

you

right now?

_____________________________________

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-9-

Goal Setting

Now, we are going to set a personal recovery goal. It is important that

you set a goal that is relevant to your life because the purpose of this

program is to help you improve your skills to reach your recovery

goals and improve your life.

One of the best ways to tackle problems and obstacles is through

goal-setting. Setting recovery goals means to identify specifically

what you want to do and what steps you are going to take to do it. By

reaching goals, people feel better about themselves, others, and their

lives.

The best goals are about what you want to do (like join a club; make

a friend), and are things that you really think you can start to do in the

next few months. Small steps lead to bigger goals.

Most

people

who

make steady

progress

their

recovery

report

that

important

set

goals

and work

toward them.

Having a direction in

life gives

all

sense of

purpose

and

meaning.

doesn’t

matter

much whether

the goals

are

large

small.

want

to set

goals

to the

areas

life that

you find most

important.

Now let

’s come up with one short term goal for the end of the SST

group. You are free to choose whatever goal YOU want to work on,

as long as it is important to you. The SST group is focused on

improving interpersonal skills and relationships. For this reason it

makes sense to set a goal to accomplish in this group that involves

your interactions with other people. Remember, this class is all about

learning skills to help you accomplish your recovery goal.

useful to

def

ine

your goal in

what

we call “SMART” terms

because doing

this

can make

the goal easier

focus

and

achieve.

“SMART”

goals

are



Specifi

c: The goal should be simply written and clearly define

what you want to do.

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-10-

 Measurable: There should be specific concrete benchmarks

set that reflect progress toward the goal and it should be easy

to assess whether the goal was accomplished.

 Achievable: The goal should be achievable; it should be a

challenge for you but defined so that you have a very good

chance of achieving the goal.

 Relevant: This is a goal that is meaningful for you. It is a

worthwhile goal and the timing of the goal is appropriate.

 Time-bound: Goals should be linked to a timeframe that

makes sense (e.g., in this case the length of the SST group you

are attending.)

We can also work to define some steps for achieving the goal that

can also help show you the way toward getting what you want.

Here are some examples of goals that can be set for the SST group.

You may notice that there are also “Long-term (meaningful) Goals”

included in these examples. It is often useful to consider what you

may want in the long-term for yourself and then work backwards to

find what goal may be important to focus on in the here and now.

You do not need to decide upon a Long-term (meaningful) goal for

the SST group. The Long-term goal question is included as a

reminder that it can be helpful to consider longer term goals when

coming up with a more short-term goal that one hopes to accomplish

in the timeframe of the of the SST group.

There are examples for goals in the 4 Quality of Life Domains

discussed above. Those 4 Quality of Life Domains are: 1.

Interpersonal relationships, 2. Community Participation and

Engagement, 3. Engagement in treatment services, and 4. Physical

and Emotional Well-Being.

Example for Improving Interpersonal Relationships:

Long-term

eaningful)

Goal:

Have a girlfriend.

Goal for

end of

the

SST

group:

I w

ill start

a polite

conversation

with a

woman at

least

twice a week.

Step

s for achieving goal:

1. Attend SST group biweekly and practice skills taught in group,

including starting a conversation.

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-11-

2. Prepare a list of appropriate topics to use in conversation and

practice using these with a friend.

3. Prepare a list of safe and appropriate places at which to meet

women. Once the SST conversation skills module is

completed, go and try out the skills once a week.

4. Do best to not get discouraged by reminding myself that not

every conversation goes well. Review my efforts with my SST

group to identify positives and areas needing improvement.

5. Increase the frequency of starting conversations with women to

2x a week.

Example for Improving Community Participation:

Long-term (Meaningful) Goal: I will obtain a full-time paying job

Goal for end of the SST group: I will find a part-time volunteer job.

Steps for achieving goal:

1. Attend SST group biweekly and practice skills taught in group,

including asking for information.

2. Research and prepare a list of possible volunteer locations.

Decide which volunteer locations seem most promising.

3. Prepare a list of questions for a volunteer coordinator.

4. Contact volunteer coordinator and ask questions from list about

opportunities.

5. Prepare for volunteer interviews (if required) by practicing mock

interviews with case manager and then attend the interviews.

Example for Improving Engagement in Treatment Services

Long-term (Meaningful) Goal: I will be able to state my mental health

recovery plan and to report weekly behaviors to further mental health

recovery.

Goal for end of the SST group: I will attend and participate in

meetings with both my social worker and psychiatrist. I will be able to

voice in the meetings at least one personal goal related to mental

health recovery and ask for assistance from a professional in working

toward this goal. I will request follow-up appointments from both

professionals.

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-12-

Steps for achieving goal:

1. Attend SST group biweekly and practice skills taught in group,

including asking for help.

2. Read pamphlet on mental health recovery and make a list of

possible recovery goals.

3. Call to make an appointment with the social worker. Make a

realistic plan regarding what I wish to cover during the meeting.

including asking for assistance in working toward a recovery

goal. Attend meeting with the social worker and implement

plan. Request a follow-up appointment.

4. Call to make an appointment with psychiatrist. Make a realistic

plan regarding what I wish to cover during the meeting,

including asking for assistance in working toward a recovery

goal. Attend meeting with the psychiatrist and implement plan.

Request a follow-up appointment.

Example for Improving Physical and Emotional Wellbeing

Long-term (Meaningful Goal): I will have a Body Mass Index (BMI) in

the healthy range.

Goal for the SST group: I will establish healthy weight loss support

network by attending MOVE group 3X and meeting with work out

buddy 3x for exercise.

Steps for achieving goal:

1. Attend SST group biweekly and practice skills taught in group,

including asking for help.

2. I will contact the MOVE weight management group and

schedule an appointment.

3. I will ask questions in the MOVE group related to furthering my

goal.

4. I will try to identify a possible healthy work-out buddy or group

with whom I can walk 1X week. I will ask the person to take a

walk with him on multiple occasions.

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-13-

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF POSSIBLE GOALS

Below are some other ex

amples of possible goals for the end of the

SST

group.

The

most

helpful

goal

you can

set

one that

“SMART” goal

for

YOU,

one

that

focused

on what

important

YOU

in terms

recovery.

The most

helpful

goal

will be one that

will

present

a bit

a challenge for

you but

one

that

you

will also

have

very

good chance

achieving by

the

end of

the SST

group.

Examples

other “end of

group”

goals

(You absolutely

do not

need

to pick

one of

these

goals.

These

are

just

included

examples

help in

the process

choosing

goals.

encourage

you to come

up with a

goal

tailored to

your individual recovery

journey.

)

Start

a volunteer job

Start

paying job

ove into a new apartment

Find a girlfriend

Apologize to 2 people I’ve hurt in my life

Do a leisure

activity

once a

week

involving other

people

Join and attend a book club once a month

Find a friend

to go to coffee with

once a week

Attend a church singles group 2X a month

Join

a recreational sports

team

(softball,

etc.)

Find a buddy to walk with 1x a week

Join

a running

group training

for

marathon

At least once per day actively work to make positive changes (e.g.,

improving listening skills, etc.) in conversations with my wife

Attend the

monthly

city

council

meeting

and make

a statement

on an

issue

care

about

Obtain

sponsor

Join the church choir and practice weekly

Take an

art

class

and ask

for feedback

from

teacher 1x

a week

regarding

painting

Take grandchildren to the park 1x a week

Join

and participate

in a

mommy

and me class

Talk to a family member on the phone 1x a week

Talk

with social

worker

and psychiatrist

a month

about

recovery

plan

Start a conversation with someone in board and care 1x a day

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-14-

Play pool or cards 1x a week with someone at my living situation

Join and participate weekly in the MOVE weight loss program

Join the PRRC and attend the writer’s group and yoga groups weekly

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-15-

GOAL SETTING BRIEF BACKGROUND INTERVIEW

((THIS SECTION PROVIDES AN OUTLINE FOR A BRIEF BACKGROUND

INTERVIEW IF YOU DO NOT ALREADY KNOW THE VETERAN WELL))

Name:

Date:

Education (highest level completed):

Current occupation:

Work history:

What activities are you involved in on a daily or weekly basis?

Are there any activities that you are currently not participating in but would like to?

Who are the people you spend most of your time with?

Are there people whom you do not currently spend time with but would like to?

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-16-

Date:

______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

GOAL SETTING SHEET

Nam

: ________________________________ _______________________

This form is to be completed by the Veteran and group leader with the group

leader acting as facilitator and recording secretary. Group Leader should retain

the original and the Veteran should be given a copy.

Is there a long-term recovery goal that you would like to start to work on as part of the

Social Skills Training Group? Identify a Long-term (Meaningful) Recovery Goal:

What would be a goal for the SST group that would help you work toward your recovery

goal? Identify a Goal for the SST Group:

Date Goal for the SST Grou p was set: ___________________

Which category best reflects the goal? Even if the goal may overlap categories just do

your best to select the most relevant category. Please circle the category.

1. Improving interpersonal relationships

2. Improving community participation

3. Improving engagement in treatment services

4. Improving physical and/or emotional well-being

Steps related to achieving the goal for end of SST group (place a

checkmark () after steps achieved):

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-17-

(It is okay to modify the steps based on changes in the strategy to achieve

the goal. Please just note the changes on this page or on the back of this

page. It is ideal for the Veteran to work on a single goal the entire SST

group. However, if the Veteran wants to change his or her goal this is

okay. An additional GOAL SETTING SHEET needs to be completed in

these cases.)

GROUP MEMBER INTRODUCTION

-18-

Download
Save PDF to desktop

Email
Email completed PDF

Send for Signing
Email for others to sign

Print
Print document

NAME

SST Individual Session Handbook (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)

View Audit Log
Print With Audit Log
Duplicate Document

Fill Online, Printable, Fillable, Blank SST Individual Session Handbook (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) Form

Related forms

Fillable SST Individual Session Handbook (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)

Fill Online, Printable, Fillable, Blank SST Individual Session Handbook (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) Form

Related forms

First 20 documents completely FREE!