Social Thinking Clinical Treatment for Adults

Learn Practical Strategies to Develop More Positive Social Relationships

We are an unusual set of clinics in that we specialize in working with teens, young adults who are transitioning into adulthood as well as adults of all ages. When working with our adult clients, we use our core Social Thinking concepts as well as concepts and strategies specifically designed for the individual we are working with.

We bridge social thinking, the social emotional experience, and social competencies. During our sessions we help clients better define their treatment goals, explore practical concepts and strategies that are practiced in our clinic as well as by the client away from our clinic. We commonly work with high school students who are preparing for adulthood, university/college students, adults living with their families and a large range of professionals who are getting relatively poor feedback from their superiors on the job.

All of our clients are dealing with confusion or frustration when trying to navigate the tricky waters of adult friendship and personal relationships. It is more common for our adults to be seen individually but we also provide group services. If there is a good group for the adult client, and they are seeking social group services, we will have them try it out to see if it is a good fit for them. When working with adult clients, we also like to meet with a family member when possible. Just like with our younger students, the social experience can happen any time of day and it is great to keep people who live with our clients abreast of concepts they can use to help encourage more positive social relations.

Some concepts explored with our adult clients include:

Transition to adulthood and the changing social expectations
Perspective taking
Personal problem solving
Understanding the hidden rules and hidden messages
Flexible thinking
Self-advocacy
Building independence and motivation
Organizational skills
Expanding social networks
Improving social communication
Working as a member of a team
Managing stress and exploring how anxiety inhibits social and/or vocational success

Weekly Therapy Group: $115 / hour

Group size is generally between 2-4 participants. The group consists of approximately 50 minutes of direct therapy for the students and 10 minutes of parent education each week. Our clinical staff goes above and beyond in coordinating the group placements, however, on some occasions students’ initial placements are not successful. We will coordinate with you in this event.

Individual Therapy: $165 / hour

Individual therapy sessions are limited and offered as space allows. The rate of $165/hr is for all therapists.

Family & Client Related Consultation: $165 / hour

Consultation may take the form of parent requested special time to meet with them to discuss their child, once we have started to see them regularly in the clinic. We may also attend IEP or other meetings, engage in parent requested school observations, write small reports based on what we have learned from the child during our treatment sessions, work with siblings, etc. Travel to and from meetings will be billed at the hourly consultation rate. Telephone, email and any other consultation requested by parents to discuss the client with other care providers will be billed in 15-minute increments.

School District Embedded Training: $200 / hour

Can take place at School District’s place of business and can include brainstorming meetings, small staff training, curriculum development, teacher or aide training, attending IEP meetings or observation of the student in the class. Travel to the worksite is charged at the hourly rate, when it takes more than 15 minutes to drive to and from the appointment.

Informal Social Thinking Dynamic Assessments: *$500

An assessment is not required for an individual to receive services from our clinic. Assessments are only offered at our Social Thinking-Santa Clara and Social Thinking Boston clinics. *$500 is the average rate for the evaluation session (typically 3.0 hours) plus an hourly rate of $160/hr to write any letter or report requested by the family.

Allison King MS, CCC-SLP Director Social Thinking - Stevens Creek

Allison came to Social Thinking Stevens Creek from Tucson, AZ after a nomadic childhood that included living in South Africa, the United Kingdom, the West Indies, and Canada. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Anthropology, and a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Arizona. During that time, Allison was introduced to Social Thinking by Dr. Pam Crooke. After graduation, she worked for a residential transition program for young adults focusing on independent living and social communication skills, and the Tucson Alliance for Autism, where she facilitated the Life Skills and Social Communication program for adolescents and young adults. In 2012 Allison had the opportunity to move to San Jose and work with the team at Social Thinking Stevens Creek (STSC). During her time at STSC she has helped to expand programs for young adults, assisted in the development of new clinic programs, supervised volunteers and new clinicians, and presented to parents and professionals in the community. Allison is able to use her knowledge and experience with life skills and transition programs to develop functional, individualized strategies for the real world. After 12 years in the Sonoran desert, she spends her free time outside appreciating the temperate bay area climate.

Ryan Hendrix MS, CCC-SLP Social Thinking - Stevens Creek

Ryan received her bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in art therapy and master's degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Arizona. While at the U of A, Ryan met Dr. Pam Crooke, who introduced her to the unpredictable, quirky world of social thinking. Having grown up with a close family friend with Asperger Syndrome, the lessons resonated strongly with her. Ryan led social cognitive groups throughout graduate school, and together with Pam, authored a published journal article discussing results of a pilot study examining the efficacy of social thinking therapy. Following graduation, Ryan continued implementing social thinking principles in the Tucson community with preschoolers through adolescents. When opportunity knocked, she followed Pam west to the Center for Social Thinking in December of 2007. Ryan's artistic and creative talents allow her to present lessons in a visual, fun, and engaging manner. She spends her free time reading, thinking about practicing yoga, and exploring the bay area and has an unexplainable affinity for elephants, especially pink ones!

Ashlee Welday MS, CCC-SLP Social Thinking - Stevens Creek

Ashlee completed her bachelor's degree in Psycholinguistics and History at the University of Southern California and her master's Degree in Speech Language Pathology at Vanderbilt University. Ashlee began her career in speech language pathology at a school for autism in Southern California. After working with her high functioning students, she realized that the traditional approaches to social therapy weren't having the positive effects her students deserved and she found her way to Social Thinking. After bringing social thinking into the classroom for elementary and middle school students, Ashlee realized her passion lay in the world of social cognitive disorders. Given the opportunity to specialize in social thinking full time, Ashlee moved up to the Bay area in the summer of 2013 and couldn't have asked for better families and students to work with. When not working, Ashlee spends her free time enjoying theater, music and dance and trying to be outside as much as possible!

Caitlin Zeien MA CCC-SLP Social Thinking - Stevens Creek

Caitlin comes to Social Thinking - Stevens Creek from Chicago, Illinois. She received her undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University and her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Kansas. Caitlin worked for over a decade at a multidisciplinary clinic in Chicago, serving children of all ages and their families. She went to her first Social Thinking conference in 2012 and was hooked! Caitlin was excited to join the team at Social Thinking - Steven's Creek in 2018 where she could focus on helping individuals and their families integrate the Social Thinking tools and strategies into their everyday lives. Now living in the Bay Area, Caitlin is excited to explore California!

Alanna Dutra MS, CCC-SLP Social Thinking - Stevens Creek

Alanna completed her Bachelor’s Degree in psychology at Humboldt State University and her Master’s Degree in speech-language pathology at San Jose State University. She has worked in a variety of settings and with ages ranging from preschoolers to adults. Alanna chose to specialize in social cognition after seeing various traditional approaches left a gap in her clients' abilities to find real, meaningful success outside of the therapy room. She is passionate about helping those she works with build a strong foundation of social competence to enable them to make true progress in all aspects of their lives. Alanna is thrilled to be a part of the Social Thinking team and grateful for the clients and families she serves at the clinic. When not working, Alanna enjoys travel, reading, vegetarian cooking, theater, games, and spending time with her husband and pets.

Jen Salmon MS, CCC-SLP Social Thinking - Stevens Creek

Jen received her Bachelor's degrees in Speech and Hearing Science, Linguistics, and Italian at the University of Arizona and completed her Master's in Clinical Speech/ Language Pathology at Northern Arizona University. After graduation, Jen spent over a decade in K-12 autism programs in Arizona schools. She attended her first Social Thinking conference in 2006, where she realized there was an unmet need in the school system for meaningful ways to support kids with social learning challenges. The Social Thinking framework changed her entire approach! She went on to work with children and adults at the Tucson Alliance for Autism as part of the Life Skills and Social Communication Program. Jen joined the Social Thinking Stevens Creek team in 2019. In her free time, she likes to knit, cook, and hang out with her two dogs.

Morgan Le MA CCC-SLP Social Thinking - Stevens Creek

Morgan is a Bay Area native and has lived in various cities throughout the Bay. To stay close to her family, Morgan completed her Bachelor’s in Communicative Disorders and Sciences and Master’s in Speech Pathology at San Jose State University. Morgan has a younger sister on the Autism Spectrum which propelled her into the field. She has primarily worked in public schools and has provided early intervention services. While working in both elementary and middle schools, Morgan began searching for an effective approach to use with her students with social learning challenges. Her school district at the time purchased the We Thinkers! Curriculum, which became her go-to tool. Morgan jumped at the opportunity to join Social Thinking – Stevens Creek at the beginning of the 2019 year. She is ecstatic to be part of the team and work with all the individuals and families at the clinic. During her spare time, Morgan is an avid traveler, meditator, yogi, hiker, and sleeper! In one decade alone, she has visited over 45 countries.

Our Clinic in Boston (Sudbury), MA provides therapy to clients in the New England area. The Boston clinic opened in 2012 with Michelle’s endorsement and under the direction of Nancy Clements, a social-cognitive therapist and a member of the Social Thinking Training and Speakers’ Collaborative.

The Boston Clinic is independently owned and operated. To learn more about their Clinical Treatment services & staff please visit their website.

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