Level 1-Assessment

Level 1-Assessment

About the Program

Submission period for applying for the Social Thinking Clinical Training program is now closed.  Next open submission period will begin February 2014.  An annoucement will be made in our e-newsletter when the new applications become available.  You can sign up for the e-newsletter by click here.

Social Thinking Clinical Training has been running since 2003. The program has received excellent reviews for being practical for focusing on how to put social thinking concepts into practice! The program offers professionals opportunities to observe sessions at our Social Thinking Center in San Jose, CA, and to participate in group discussions about core concepts related to treatment and assessment. The program consists of three days of training in Social Thinking concepts and demonstration therapy across a range of students. 


Mentor Group April 2012

Social Thinking Clinical Training Program Level 1-Assessment trainees at the April, 2012 training.

Requirements for participating in the Social Thinking Clinical Training Program Level 1-Assessment

Individuals eligible for consideration for our program will have attended at least two full days of social thinking workshop led by one of our trainers (Michelle Garcia Winner, Stephanie Madrigal or Dr. Pam Crooke) and/or have at least read Inside Out: What Makes a Person with Social Cognitive Deficits Tick? and Thinking About You Thinking About Me, 2nd Edition. We seek participants who can engage with each other at an advanced discussion level about these concepts. The program is not intended as a time for teaching social thinking 101.

What you can expect during the three-day Social Thinking Clinical Training Program Level 1-Assessment

  1. The group of not more than 7 participants will meet with their lead trainer for 1.5 hours each day to discuss the individual questions of members of the group as well as prepare the group for what to observe in the clinic. During this time we specifically review the Social Thinking Social Communication Profile and how the levels on this profile help us to group students and evaluate the types of Social Thinking lessons they will possibly benefit from. Common topics also discussed relate to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression that are fairly common in students with social learning challenges. We also typically explore how traditional, more behaviorally based social skills therapy is different from teaching Social Thinking and related skills along with how these concepts can be extended and taught outside of the therapy session. Total time spent in the clinic per day during training is 6-8 hours for each of the 3 days.
     
  2. Observation in the clinic of most of the students who attend each day. Social Thinking Clinical Training Program participants observe treatment sessions, watching how the social thinking lessons are applied across a range of therapists and different ages of students at the clinic; school age through high school. Behavioral and social cognitive strategies are discussed the following day, after observations.
     
  3. During formal discussion based training, participants are encouraged to problem solve issues they observed during the clinical training sessions, explore the therapists’ clinical decision making as to why certain lessons were developed and share in some of the materials developed for the clinical sessions.
     
  4. Collaboration is encouraged between the different members of the international/national group who attend the training.  For our out of town participants, we recommend a hotel and encourage all participants to stay at the same location to network and continue discussions outside of the formal Social Thinking Clinical Training Program hours.
     
  5. Names of the individuals who participate in the Social Thinking Clinical Training Program are posted on the official www.socialthinking.com website along with their district and/or private practice affiliations for the public to see who has received this level of training in each state of the US, or countries around the world.
     
  6. Attending this training then permits the participant to partake in other levels of social thinking professional training such as the Social Thinking Clinical Training Program Level 2-Advanced (formerly referred to as the Social Thinking Internship Training Program).

Learning Objectives and ASHA CEUS:

  1. Participants will be able to describe the 6 levels of the Social Thinking-Social Communication Profile™ (ST-SCP™).
  2. Participants will be able to describe how to use the scale to group clients for treatment.
  3. Participants will describe the use of 2 different Informal dynamic assessment tasks and define how these are different from standardized assessments for functional treatment plan development.
  4. Participants will observe at least 9 hours of therapy and be able to discuss how different therapists teach similar concepts differently.
  5. Participants will be able to have multiple opportunities to observe clients and attempt to determine a client’s ST-SCP functioning level.
  6. Participants will describe how cognition, perspective taking, language skills and sensory skills relate to developing a functional treatment plan.

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ASHA members: (SLPs) This program is offered for 2.2 CEU’s, intermediate level, professional area. Forms will be filled out on the first day of Social Thinking Clinical Training Program Level 1-Assessment to register for these CEUs.

About the Program

Social Thinking Clinical Training programs are conducted on a monthly basis throughout the school year.  There are only 7 spaces available in each of the three day trainings.  In response to the demand to participate in the training program we have changed our method of awarding candidate placements.  Application submissions will be accepted from late February through April 15th.

  • Notifications of placement or non-placement will be emailed by June 15, 2013
  • Only complete applications are given to our  training team for consideration and placement
  • The ONLY way to secure a space in the training is if you meet the deadline and follow the process.
  • We do not hold spaces for individuals calling or emailing to inquire about the program. 
  • There are no discounted tuitions or scholarships offered for this program given.
  • Applicants are chosen, in part, based on how many students they serve in the community. Parents or professionals working with a very small group of students are less likely to be accepted.
  • All deposits will be deposited into a holding account until placement decisions have been made.
  • Applicants who are not chosen for the program will be sent a full refund of the $300 deposit.

STMT Payment Schedule

The total cost of the Social Thinking Clinical Training Program Level 1-Assessment is $1,400 (USD).

  • A deposit of $300 (USD) must accompany your application for the program.  This amount will be applied to your total program tuition. Please make the check out to “STC” or Social Thinking Center.
  • Upon notification of placement in the program, another non-refundable $450 (USD) will be due in order to hold your spot in the program.  This has been added as a requirement given the high number of last minute cancellations we've had in the past.
  • The balance of your tuition, $650 (USD), will be due 45 days prior to the start date of your training. If the payment is not paid 45 days prior to the training, your spot will be forfeited and we will place another person in this position. Since most participants travel from around the country, a replacement would need ample notice to attend the program.
  • Social Thinking will send invoices and track payments of the trainee accounts.  We will communicate with candidates regarding the status of payments prior to the final deadline for payments due.

Cancellations & Withdrawals

Many people are interested in participating in this program with a limited number of spaces available during any given school year.  Due to the unique difficulties that our clinic and the “waitlist” candidates may encounter if called at the last minute to fill a cancellation slot, we have constructed a strict policy regarding cancellations.

  • You may withdraw your initial application and receive a partial refund of your initial deposit any time up until you have been notified of acceptance into the program.  We will retain $50 to cover our administrative costs.
  • Once a candidate is placed in the program any cancellation will result in forfeiting deposited monies.  If the cancellation is due to a medical necessity, we will retain your deposited money and put you back on the waitlist. IF we can place you in a STMT group in the future, your deposited monies will apply to the fee for that group. However, if at the time you attend the group the STMT tuition has increased, you will be responsible for the higher tuition cost.
  • If you submit your application along with your $300.00 (USD) deposit and we are NOT able to place you in a STMT group for that school year, your deposit check will be returned in full along with a letter explaining you have either not qualified to participate in the program or you have been placed on the waitlist.

 

Pretraining Reading for Clinical Training Program Level 1-Assessment

Participants in the training program are required to read the following articles prior to the Clinical Training Program Level 1-Assessment:

The Social Thinking-Social Communication Profile. By Michelle Garcia Winner, Pamela Crooke and Stephanie Madrigal (2011) http://www.socialthinking.com/what-is-social-thinking/social-thinking-social-communication-profile

The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Brief Report: Measuring the Effectiveness of Teaching Social Thinking to Children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA): Pamela J. Crooke, Ryan E. Hendrix, Janine Y. Rachman

Assessment of social skills for students with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism. Assessment for Effective Intervention. Published by Winner, M

Using 'social building blocks' - from play into academics... Thoughts on how social skill deficits also relate to academic performance

Comments from the Social Thinking Clinical Training Program Level 1-Assessment Participants:

"I have attended multiple workshops, read countless books and articles and worked with this population for over two years, but nothing has been as empowering as the training I received at the Social Thinking Clinic. It's like the difference between reading and hearing about how to do the tango and then actually having someone show you! To be able to watch a variety of therapy styles used and see the student responses triggered all my therapy instincts. I couldn't wait to get back to my students and apply what I learned."
Cherie Bennett, Social Thinking Trainee, Pathway Speech and Language, Inc.

“The training week at Michelle Garcia Winner’s clinic far exceeded my expectations. Michelle and her staff were incredibly generous with their wealth of ideas, strategies and materials. Seeing highly skilled and creative therapists in action is the best way to learn!”
P. Taboni, Speech Language Pathologist in private practice.

“The training week offered opportunities to observe approaches for addressing social cognitive difficulties skillfully put into action in individual and group therapy sessions, opportunities to confer with Michelle and her stellar staff and to practice the skills the staff modeled. I found the training week to be a very effective way to deepen my understanding of the ILAUGH model and to gain numerous ideas for effective and creative techniques and activities to incorporate into my therapy practice. I would highly recommend this experience to any educator who works with individuals with social cognitive deficits.”
C. Durbin, Speech Language Pathologist at Child Development Center at California Pacific Medical Center

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