social problem solving vignettes

71+ Free Social Problem-Solving Scenarios

Do you have kiddos who struggle with their social problem-solving skills? Teach your students the simple process of how to solve a problem along with having them review how well their solution worked or didn’t work.

Why Teach Problem Solving Skills?

Learning to problem solve is an essential skill that is used not only throughout childhood but also into adulthood. Social problem solving is the ability to change or adapt to undesirable situations that arise throughout our day.

On a daily basis, a child will encounter social problems that they will need to solve.

Anything from:

• arguing with another student
• to hurting a friend’s feelings
• to having a difficult conversation
• working with others

Start with Small Problems

Many of the “problems” children encounter are often small problems which the child may be over-reacting to, such as wanting a different coloring crayon or wanting to be first in line, however, these small problems are still very real to the child.

Practicing problem-solving with these small problems can be a great learning opportunity. Children can practice problem-solving with a small problem which can help them learn how to handle bigger problems in the future.

Problem Solving Importance

Social problem-solving skills are critical to a child’s social interactions, personal and professional relationships. A child’s ability to handle change, cope with stress, and handle challenges improves with a child’s ability to successfully solve social problems.

The ultimate goal is that the child will be able to solve social problems all on their own, but until they can independently solve a problem they will need to learn how to communicate and self-advocate to positively solve their problems.  

Steps to Problem Solving

Children can be taught how to problem solve through a guided process of breaking down the problem and using simple steps to solve the problem.

Learning specific steps to problem-solving can allow children to remember how to solve a problem when they become overwhelmed or stressed.

Although learning to solve a problem independently can take some time and practice it is well worth the investment to have a child who can eventually solve most social situations in a positive manner on their own.

What we learnt about solving problems is don't freak out, if one thing doesn't work , try something else out. And work together as a team. #melthammathsweek #MELTHAMPUPILVOICE @problemsolveit pic.twitter.com/iVm1Im4Aue — yr6melthamce (@yr6melthamce) February 4, 2019

Problem Solving Form

Teach your students the 4 steps to becoming a social problem-solver.

• Identify the problem. For instance, start by having your student identify the social problem.
• Create three solutions. Also, have your student come up with three different solutions that they could use to solve the problem that they identified.
• Identify the consequences. Then, identify the consequence for each individual solution.
• Pick the best solution.  Lastly, have your student identify which of their three solutions is the best choice Then have your student put into words why they think that solution is the best solution.

Problem Solving Review Form

After your students go through the social problem-solver have them use the social problem-solving review form.

• What happened.  For instance, after your student tried their solution have them explain what happened next.
• Review the results. Also, have your student identify whether or not their solution got them the results they wanted.
• Use this solution again. Furthermore, have your student identify whether or not they would use this solution again in the future to solve the same or similar problem.
• What would you do differently? Finally, have your student explain what they would do differently if they didn’t get the results they wanted or if they wouldn’t use that solution again in the future.

71+ Social Problem Scenarios + 6 Blank Scenarios

Use the 71 social problem-solving scenarios to have your students get great experience practicing how to solve a social problem.

Also, included are 6 blank scenarios. Then laminate them so you can use them over and over again. Therefore, create social problems that the student experiences and needs help solving.

Wordless Video teaching Problem Solving

Watch this super cute wordless animation with your students and have them discuss the problem they see and how to best solve the problem.

Use this as a fun practice example to get your students started towards learning how to problem-solve.

Demonstrate Through Modeling

Model and discuss empathy.

First and foremost, children need to understand how another person might be feeling in a given situation in order to become a good social problem solver. The student needs to learn how to “stand in someone else’s shoes” for a little bit.

One way you can work on this skill is during the reading time you can focus on how a particular character in the story might be feeling.

Ask questions, such as:

• “How do they feel right now?”
• “How would you feel in that same situation?”
• “Why do you think they feel that way?”

Model Problem-Solving Skills as the Teacher

When you are faced with a problem you can solve the problem by thinking aloud for the students to hear how you solve a problem.

You can state the problem, then come up with possible solutions, then identify the possible consequences to each solution, then pick and explain why a solution is the best option.

For example, you could say, “I was hoping to take the class outside for a stress walk around the track before the reading test, but the problem is that it is raining outside. I could still take you outside, but then you will get wet, or we could walk the halls, but then we’d have to be really quiet because there are other classes learning, or we could just skip the walk and take the reading test, but then you might not do as well on the test. I think based on all of those solutions the best solution will be to walk the hallway, but you guys will have to promise to be quiet so that we don’t disrupt other classes.

Modeling the problem-solving process can be very helpful for the students to watch, observe, and later implement themselves.

Teach Communication

Have students communicate how they are feeling.

Teaching your students to share their emotions in a respectful way can improve their ability to problem-solve.

Have students use an “I” sentence frame, such as, “I feel _____ (insert feeling word) when _____ (identify what made you feel that way).”

For example, “I felt sad when Jackson broke my favorite pencil” or “I was mad when I wasn’t picked to be first in line.”

This way students can communicate how they are feeling using honest and open communication. Teaching students to appropriately communicate their emotions can help solve some social problems from the beginning.

Encourage Independency

Encourage your student to problem solve.

If your student is struggling to problem solve independently encourage them to do so using open-ended questions.

• “How could you fix this problem?”
• “What would be a fair solution?”
• “What would happen if you used that solution?”

Let the Student try to Problem Solve Independently

Give your students the space to try and solve their own problems using the guided strategies. Try not to come running to their rescue for every little problem.

Some problems are small and a great opportunity for the student to learn and practice. If an adult does all of the problem solving for a student then what are they really learning?

Give your students the time and space they need to practice solving small problems on their own. Of course, if it is a bigger or more serious problem then have an adult help guide the problem-solving process.

Tell an Adult

Remind your students that there are still some problems that are too big for them to solve on their own and that it is okay to get help from an adult to solve big problems.

For example, if the student doesn’t feel safe, someone is being hurt physically or emotionally, or if they tried to solve a problem independently but it didn’t work and they need help. Let them know that it’s okay to tell an adult.

Teach How to Disagree and How to Make Up

Discuss how to disagree respectfully.

Remind your student that they won’t always agree with their teacher, friends, classmate, or parents and that’s okay. Even the people we like might have different opinions, interests, and likes than we do.

However, even if we disagree with someone we should still treat them with respect. Treating someone with respect means to not call them names, ignore them, yell or hit them. It means that you do try to create solutions that both parties can agree with and to apologize when we hurt others’ feelings.

Role-Play How to Make Up

Practice in everyday life how to make up after a social problem .

Students are really having to stretch their brains today. It's @NSPCC #NumberDay and @problemsolveit are challenging Y9 and 10 to solve the escape room boxes. It's not as easy as it looks! The promise of a few sweet treats for the winners seems to be helping though! pic.twitter.com/AxRRJnJIv2 — CongletonHS (@CongletonHS) February 2, 2018

Be sure to get your free social problem solver today below! I hope you and your students love this freebie.

Have your students use task card scenarios to help them identify how they and others might feel in different social scenarios. Be sure to discuss the problem, identify possible solutions, identify the consequences of those possible solutions, and then based on those consequences pick the best solution.

Make social problem-solving a game by telling the students that they are social detectives and that it is their job to use what they know about social rules to help them identify the possible and best solutions.

Start practicing today with 71+ free social problem social task cards! Do your students need more practice?

Be sure to check out my other freebie for 31 wordless animated videos to teach problem-solving and so much more.

Make Problem Solving Easier with this Freebie!

Download yours today to get started.

Get More Problem Solving Time Saving Materials

Next, be sure to check out the following time-saving materials to continue to teach your students how to solve their social problems in addition to this freebie.

Weekly Social Pragmatics Homework

• Weekly problem-solving.   Send home a  weekly homework page  that includes a problem-solving scenario plus an idiom and a conversational practice scenario.

Restorative Justice Problem Solving Flip Book

• Restorative justice graphic visual.  Use this graphic visual to help your student  restore a social relationship  after a social problem.

Self-Advocating Role-Play Scenarios

• Self-advocating in high school.  Teach your high schoolers the process to  self-advocate  for what they need.

5th-12th Grade Life Skills Problem Solving

• Life skills problem-solving.  In addition, this  life skills differentiated bundle  includes a problem-solving lesson plan.

I recommend you read Problem Solving Wheel: Help Kids Solve Their Own Problems , 61+ Free Fillable SLP Planner Pages 2020-2021 , 430+ Free Multisyllabic Words List Activity Bundle , or 432+ Free IEP Goal Bank to Save You Time posts because they include freebies as well and who doesn’t want more freebies!

Got questions? Leave a comment. Let’s chat!

Monday 30th of January 2023

Hello! I have entered my name and email twice (yesterday & today) to receive to 71+ Free Social Problem-Solving Senarios, but I have not received anything yet. Not even an email back to mine in order to subcribe. Thanks for your help! Tracy

Melissa Berg

Tuesday 31st of January 2023

Hi Tracy, Thanks so much for reaching out! Sorry about that. We went ahead and sent you an email with the PDF attached. Wishing you all my best, Melissa

Problem Solving Skills

Tuesday 30th of August 2022

I truly love your site. Excellent colors, theme and writing. Thanks for sharing.

Laura Ricca

Monday 11th of April 2022

Tuesday 12th of April 2022

Hi Laura, I'm glad you found this resource helpful. Melissa

Modified Mental Health and Suicide Prevention - Speech Therapy Store

Monday 11th of May 2020

[…] 71+ FREE SOCIAL PROBLEM-SOLVING SCENARIOS […]

Problem Solving Wheel: Help Kids Solve Their Own Problems - Speech Therapy Store

Monday 4th of May 2020

[…] 71+ Free Social Problem Solving Task Cards Scenarios […]

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30 Problem Solving Scenarios for Speech Therapy Practice

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Problem solving scenarios.

• Your friends came over to your house for a movie night. One of your friends brought another friend so there are more people than you planned for. You want to pass out the drinks but you only have five cans of soda and you need 6 for everyone to have one. What could you do?
• After basketball practice you go back to the locker room with your team to shower and change. When you are done dressing, you can't find your shoes. What could you do?
• You have been waiting all day for lunch to come because you are starving. Finally class gets over and you get to go to lunch. Except when you go to get to your lunch, it's not there. You probably left it at home. What could you do?
• There is a guy in your class who is always mean to you. He always bumps you when he walks by and he calls you names. He knocks stuff out of your hands and makes you feel stupid. You don't think you can take it anymore. What could you do?
• You really want to invite this new girl/guy to come to your birthday party, but you have never talked to them before. You are worried they will say no. What could you do?
• You rode the bus to school today and on the way in people are pointing and laughing at you. You go in the bathroom and see that you have pink gum all over the back of your pants. What could you do?
• You wake up and see that your alarm never went off. So you are starting your morning 15 minutes later than you planned. It is a really important day at school and you cannot be late. What could you do?
• You are giving a group presentation in front of class and it's your turn to talk. All of the sudden you sneeze. You cover it with your hand, but now your hand is full of stuff you sneezed out. What could you do?
• You are eating dinner at a fancy restaurant with your parents and their friends. You have a really messy dinner and accidentally flip a noodle into the lady's lap. They are busy talking and don't notice it. What could you do?
• You are taking a test and there is no talking allowed. You are writing your answers on the paper and your pencil breaks. What could you do?
• You are taking a test and the guy behind you asks you for help. He wants to know what you put for question number two. What could you do?
• You are at a birthday party and you have waited in line for a long time for your turn to hit the pinata. It is finally going to be your turn and it looks like the next hit will break the pinata. But you suddenly have to go to the bathroom. What could you do?
• You are hanging outside with your friend and she decides to pick your neighbor's flowers. She gives you the pretty handful of flowers and right then your neighbor opens the door. She asks you why you picked her flowers. What could you do?
• You borrowed your sister's skates one day without asking and they broke while you were using them. What could you do?
• You are eating at a friend's house and the mom piles your plate full of food. It looks really good and you want to eat it all but you can't because you just ate a snack. What could you do so you don't hurt her feelings?

SEE ALSO:   The Best Free App for Speech Therapy

• Your teacher was working at her desk.  You wanted to ask her a question, but she didn't see your hand raised. What should you do?
• You started to do your work, but you weren't sure if you were doing it right. What should you do?
• You were playing tether-ball and were the champion so far.  In the next game, you slightly touched the rope.  Only one student saw you touch the rope. What will you do?
• The teacher is giving directions, but your friend sitting next to you keeps talking.  You can't hear the directions. What should you do?
• You didn't do your homework.  Your teacher was upset with you. What should you do?
• You finished eating and felt a burp coming. What are you going to do?
• You were waiting to swing.  When it was your turn, another boy jumped in front of you and took the swing. What would you do?
• You waited a long time, but your mom didn't come to pick you up after school. What should you do?
• A bully threatened to beat you up after school. What should you do?
• A boy on the playground keeps pushing you and making you mad. What would you do?
• You were sitting in class doing your work and you hear the fire alarm. What should you do?
• An adult you didn't know came on to the playground and asked if you would help look for his lost dog. What would you do?
• You forgot your lunch at home. What would you do?
• The person sitting behind you keeps tapping your chair with his foot. What should you do?
• You finished your work early. What should you do?

This list of functional words was professionally selected to be the most useful for a child or adult who has difficulty with problem solving scenarios.

We encourage you to use this list when practicing at home.

Home practice will make progress toward meeting individual language goals much faster.

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are only able to see students/clients 30-60 mins (or less) per week. This is not enough time or practice for someone to handle Problem solving scenarios.

Every day that your loved one goes without practice it becomes more difficult to help them. 

SEE ALSO:   The Best Books for Speech Therapy Practice

We know life is busy , but if you're reading this you're probably someone who cares about helping their loved one as much as you can.

Practice 5-10 minutes whenever you can, but try to do it on a consistent basis (daily).

Please, please, please use this list to practice.

It will be a great benefit to you and your loved one's progress.

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11 Scenarios to Help Teens Work Through Sticky Social Situations

Tweens and teens increasing encounter social situations that they must have skills to navigate independently. In this article, you’ll read through scenarios that teens might experience as they spend time with friends. For each scenario, prompts are provided for consideration and discussion. These prompts can be used as talking points with the teens at your home or school. You’ll also have the opportunity to download a free Classroom Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts Resource for both teachers and students.

Why Manners Matter

As tweens and teens spend a lot more time with their friends, they may encounter new situations that they need to navigate with skill and polite manners. Etiquette and manners are important—because people who know how to handle themselves in social situations come out on top, get what they want, feel good about themselves, and enjoy life to the fullest.

Why Scenarios Can Be Powerful Teen Learning Experiences

Preparing to manage experiences before they occur will allow kids to better manage them in real time.

Hypothetical scenarios can be a great tool for learning on this topic. They present real-life examples that students may not anticipate. They allow students to remove heightened emotions that they may experience in social settings so that they can think clearly on the issues presented. They also allow students to work together, collaboratively, to tackle these challenges with peers.

11 Manners Challenges for Teens

In group discussions, use these eleven relatable manners challenges to get teens talking about how they can politely deal with problems, before they occur, at home or school.

Too-Hot Soup

You’re eating dinner at a friend’s house. You take a mouthful of soup and discover it’s burning hot. Other than spitting it out, burning your tongue, and suing your hostess for $4 million, how could you deal (politely) with this situation?

Text Troubles

Your best friend spends half the time you’re together texting other friends. You think of sending your friend a text saying, “PUT DOWN YOUR STUPID PHONE AND BE WITH ME!” Maybe there’s a better solution. What is it?

You brought a great present for your friend to his Bar Mitzvah party. Three months later you’ve heard nothing from him, and you’re wondering why. You could send a “Thanks for nothing” note, or… What’s a better way to handle this?

Your friends are great one-on-one. But when they get together, they’re like boorish marauders. It really bothers you when they make fun of people with disabilities. How can you address this without being drawn and quartered yourself?

Chew on View

One of your friends always chews with his mouth open. It’s gross—all those saliva-slimed, maggoty, masticated morsels of chopper-chomped chow. (Told you it was gross.) How could you address this delicate subject with your friend?

Embarrassed Online

A friend posted a photo on social media of you drooling in your sleep. You’re angry and humiliated. Think of a rude way to respond and then a polite way. Which is better and why?

Your friend is chronically late and always shrugs it off with lame excuses. You could give him some of his own medicine by standing him up, but that just brings more rudeness into the world. What’s a better way to resolve this?

Your friend always invites herself over to your house and then never leaves. Short of screaming, “INCOMING MISSILE!” and locking the doors after she dives out the window, what would be a polite way to deal with this?

Too Much Texting

A friend floods you with hundreds of unwanted texts a day. Think of a rude way to respond and a polite way. Which do you think would work better and why?

Tips Needed

You’re at a restaurant with friends. You all chip in, but as you leave, you notice the kid who paid the bill didn’t leave a tip. How can you handle this so the server isn’t stiffed and your friend isn’t miffed?

Your friend bailed on going to the movies with you by saying she was sick. Later you learn she went out with someone else. Instead of getting even by giving her measles, how could you handle this politely?

Manners matter. Good etiquette helps us all get what we want, feel good about ourselves, and enjoy life to the fullest. Giving tweens and teens resources—like the 11 scenarios and the Do’s and Don’ts of Classroom Etiquette Resource for students included in this article—gives them the opportunity to prepare for sticky social situations both out in the world and at school. For more relevant etiquette challenges, check out How Rude! The Teen Guide to Good Manners, Proper Behavior, and Not Grossing People Out by Alex J. Packer, Ph.D.

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Author bio:, alex j.packer, ph.d..

'Etiquette Guru to the Youth of America', Alex J. Packer, Ph.D., is an educator, psychologist, and award-winning author of numerous books for parents and teenagers including How Rude! The Teen Guide to Good Manners, Proper Behavior, and Not Grossing People Out. Alex's books have been translated into many languages including Spanish, German, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Mandarin, Greek, Romanian, and Serbian. Alex is sought after by the media for his provocative commentary on manners, child-rearing,...

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Home » Blog » General » Effective Social Problem Solving: Free Worksheets and Resources

Effective Social Problem Solving: Free Worksheets and Resources

As a Speech Language Pathologist and Social Emotional Learning expert, I understand the importance of developing social problem solving skills in individuals of all ages. These skills not only help us navigate through various social situations, but also contribute to our overall emotional well-being. In this blog post, I will provide you with free worksheets and resources that can assist you in enhancing your social problem solving abilities.

Understanding Social Problem Solving

Social problem solving can be defined as the process of identifying, analyzing, and resolving social conflicts or challenges. It involves a set of cognitive and emotional skills that enable individuals to effectively navigate through social interactions and find appropriate solutions to problems. The key components of effective social problem solving include:

• Identifying the problem: Recognizing and understanding the social issue or conflict at hand.
• Generating possible solutions: Brainstorming and coming up with different options to address the problem.
• Evaluating and selecting the best solution: Assessing the pros and cons of each solution and choosing the most appropriate one.
• Implementing the chosen solution: Putting the selected solution into action.
• Reflecting on the outcome: Evaluating the effectiveness of the chosen solution and learning from the experience.

Developing social problem solving skills has numerous benefits. It enhances our ability to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts peacefully, and build positive relationships with others. It also promotes critical thinking, decision-making, and self-regulation skills.

Free Worksheets for Social Problem Solving

Worksheets are valuable tools in the development of social problem solving skills. They provide structured activities that guide individuals through the problem-solving process and encourage reflection and self-awareness. Here are some free social problem solving worksheets that you can utilize:

• Worksheet 1: Identifying the problem: This worksheet helps individuals identify and define the social problem they are facing. It prompts them to describe the situation, their feelings, and the impact of the problem on themselves and others.
• Worksheet 2: Generating possible solutions: This worksheet encourages individuals to brainstorm and list different solutions to the identified problem. It prompts them to think creatively and consider various perspectives.
• Worksheet 3: Evaluating and selecting the best solution: This worksheet guides individuals in evaluating the pros and cons of each solution generated in the previous step. It helps them weigh the potential outcomes and select the most suitable solution.
• Worksheet 4: Implementing the chosen solution: This worksheet assists individuals in planning and implementing the selected solution. It prompts them to outline the steps they need to take and consider any potential obstacles.
• Worksheet 5: Reflecting on the outcome: This worksheet encourages individuals to reflect on the effectiveness of the chosen solution. It prompts them to evaluate the outcome, identify any lessons learned, and consider alternative approaches for future situations.

Additional Resources for Social Problem Solving

In addition to worksheets, there are various other resources available to support the development of social problem solving skills. These include:

• Websites offering free social problem solving resources: There are several websites that provide free worksheets, activities, and games to enhance social problem solving skills. Some notable websites include EverydaySpeech, Social Thinking, and Teach Starter.
• Books and articles on social problem solving: Many books and articles have been written on the topic of social problem solving. These resources offer in-depth information, strategies, and real-life examples to help individuals improve their skills. Some recommended books include “Social Problem Solving: Theory, Research, and Training” by Norman A. Sprinthall and “The Social Skills Guidebook: Manage Shyness, Improve Your Conversations, and Make Friends, Without Giving Up Who You Are” by Chris MacLeod.
• Online courses and workshops: Online courses and workshops provide structured learning experiences that delve into the various aspects of social problem solving. These resources often include interactive activities, case studies, and expert guidance. EverydaySpeech offers a range of online courses and workshops on social emotional learning, including social problem solving.

Tips for Effective Use of Worksheets and Resources

To make the most of the worksheets and resources available, consider the following tips:

• Setting clear goals and objectives: Clearly define what you hope to achieve through the use of the worksheets and resources. Set specific goals and objectives that align with your needs and desired outcomes.
• Incorporating worksheets into daily routines: Integrate the worksheets into your daily routines and activities. This will help make social problem solving a regular practice and reinforce the skills learned.
• Providing guidance and support during worksheet activities: Offer guidance and support as individuals work through the worksheets. Encourage open discussions, provide feedback, and help individuals reflect on their experiences and learning.

Social problem solving skills are essential for navigating through various social situations and promoting positive relationships. By utilizing free worksheets and resources, you can enhance your social problem solving abilities and improve your overall emotional well-being. Start your EverydaySpeech free trial today to access a wide range of social emotional learning resources, including social problem solving worksheets and online courses. Remember, developing these skills is a lifelong journey, so keep exploring and learning!

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A Lesson Plan for Helping Young Children Learn to Accept Differences

Teachers can help children learn about differences by presenting them with vignettes and then giving them tools to analyze what they have heard and seen.

How do we get young children to accept differences? First, we have to recognize that for many young children, "differences" are disconcerting. Even though a pre-K or kinder student may not be able to articulate it, they are often put off by differences. Sometimes it's because they can't explain what they perceive. Other times, they are not sure of the implications of the differences and may fear for their own safety.

Second, we have to recognize that these reactions tend to be developmentally normative and adaptive. Just as we discourage children from talking to, and certainly to going with, strangers, children themselves are hesitant to embrace what they see as truly different.

So of course, this illustrates the importance of children being exposed to diversity from very early in their lives, to reduce their sense of unfamiliarity and threat. Schools can help with this process by presenting children with vignettes, either verbally, in puppet play, or videos, and then giving them tools to analyze what they have heard or seen.

In the Classroom

Here is a model from a book titled Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving: A Curriculum for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, Grades K-1 :

1. Present the Story

Read the following story to the class. Give each child a copy to follow along if possible.

2. Ask Guiding Questions

Here is the set of questions one can ask of any story, adapted to this story:

• In what ways is [Jamar] different? (He is from another country, he speaks and dresses differently and eats different foods.)
• How do the kids treat [Jamar]? (They tease him and call him names, they don't let him play games.)
• Why do you think they don't treat [Jamar] well? (He is not friendly, his clothes are funny looking, his food is smelly and weird.)
• What kind things do you think you could do to help you get to know [Jamar] better? (Ask him to play, sit with him at lunch, ask him questions about where is from, pick him to be on your team during gym, introduce yourself.)
• What are some of the things you could do that might make [Jamar] uncomfortable, and make it harder for you and [Jamar] to become friends? (Make fun of his clothes, make fun of the way he talks, make fun of the food he eats, never pick him for teams or invite him to participate in activities.)

3. Deepen With a Personal Reflection

Generally, that would take the form of asking students to think about a time when someone made fun of them. Was it because of the way they look? Was it because they couldn't do something? How did it feel to be made fun of? Have them share their experiences with one another in small groups or as a whole group.

4. End With a Reflective Summary

Ask students what they learned from today's lesson. Be sure that they got the key points (differences are not necessarily bad; you can't always tell about someone based on their food, clothing, language; people deserve to be treated kindly and then usually treat you kindly in return), and then introduce the follow-up.

5. Follow-Up After the Lesson

Tell the group that their job in the next week is to practice being kind to others. Ask the group to do something kind for another individual. Suggest that they say nice words to someone who is different from them on the playground, someone they usually don't talk to. Set a time to review children's experiences of giving or receiving kindness from others in the school. Where appropriate, connect this lesson to school discussions about bullying. Take the time to review your school's anti-bullying policies in an age-relevant manner.

You will find that children ages four to six are particularly receptive to this lesson format. Repeated with various vignettes (which could be created by you as fictionalized, "hypothetical" versions of what might really be happening or about to happen in school), this approach begins to give students a mindset for approaching situations involving differences.

Bruene, L., Romasz-McDonald, T., & Elias, M. J. (2011). Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving: A Curriculum for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, Grades K-1. Champaign, IL: Research Press.

Social Skills Training for Adults: 10 Best Activities + PDF

Struggles with social skills in adulthood can cause avoidance of social situations and interfere with building long-lasting relationships.

Providing social skills training to clients with anxiety, fear of public speaking, and similar issues could ensure more optimal functioning.

This article provides strategies and training options for the development of various social skills. Several resources to help target specific struggles related to the development of social skills in adults are also included, and the approaches can be tailored to improve social responses in specific domains.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

Social skills training for adults explained, social skills coaching: 2 best activities, role-playing exercises: 4 scripts & examples, top 2 resources & worksheets, 4 insightful videos & podcasts, positivepsychology.com’s helpful tools, a take-home message.

Social skills training includes interventions and instructional methods that help an individual improve and understand social behavior. The goal of social skills training is to teach people about verbal and nonverbal behaviors that are involved in typical social interactions (“Social,” n.d.).

Social skills training is usually initiated when adults have not learned or been taught appropriate interpersonal skills or have trouble reading subtle cues in social interactions. These instances can also be associated with disorders that impede social development, such as autism.

Therapists who practice social skills training first focus on breaking down more complex social behaviors into smaller portions. Next, they develop an individualized program for patients, depending on what social skills they need to work on, and gradually introduce those skills to their patients, building up their confidence through gradual exposure.

For instance, a person who has trouble making eye contact because of anxiety in social situations might be given strategies to maintain eye contact by the therapist. Eye contact is the foundation for most social interaction, and interventions will often start with improving the individual’s ability to maintain eye contact.

During therapy, other challenging areas will be identified such as starting or maintaining a conversation or asking questions. Each session will focus on different activities that typically involve role-play and sometimes will take place in a group setting to simulate different social experiences.

Once confidence has been built up during therapy or social skills group settings, these social skills can be brought into daily life.

Useful assessments: Tests, checklists, questionnaires, & scales

Before engaging your clients in social skills interventions or any type of therapeutic intervention, it is important to determine if social skills therapy is a good approach to help them with their current situation.

The Is Social Skills Training Right for Me? checklist is a self-assessment opportunity for clients to determine if social skills therapy is appropriate for their specific situation or if another approach will be more beneficial.

However, self-assessment activities can sometimes be unreliable, as the individual might not fully understand the treatment models that are available to them. Additionally, if a client has issues with social skills, they may not be aware of their deficiencies in social situations.

In these situations, therapists should ask clients about the issues they are having and encourage them to engage in self-questioning during sessions.

9 Questions to ask your clients

Prior to starting social skills training or activities, the therapist and client should narrow down which areas need help. A therapist can do this by asking the client a series of questions, including:

• Where do you think you are struggling?
• Are there any social situations that make you feel anxious, upset, or nervous?
• Do you avoid any specific social situations or actions?
• Have you ever had anyone comment on your social behavior? What have they said?
• What do you think will help you improve the skills you are struggling with?

Clients can also ask themselves some questions to determine if the social skills therapy process is right for them.

These questions can include:

• What aspects of my life am I struggling with?
• Are there specific social situations or skills that I struggle with?
• Do I have trouble keeping or maintaining relationships with friends, family members, and coworkers?
• Am I avoiding specific social situations out of fear?

Getting clients to ask these questions will help determine if this process will benefit them. Having clients “buy in” to the process is important, to ensure that the approach is right for them and increase the likelihood that they will be engaged to complete activities with a reasonable degree of efficacy.

It is estimated that adults make eye contact 30–60% of the time in general conversation, increasing to 60–70% of the time when trying to form a more intimate relationship (Cognitive Development Learning Centre, 2019).

Giving people who are struggling socially the tools to make more eye contact is usually the first step in social skills training exercises.

The Strategies for Maintaining Eye Contact  worksheet provides some practical strategies and tips to practice making eye contact.

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Often, one of the most prominent struggles for people lacking social skills is starting a conversation, especially with people they are not familiar with.

Fleming (2013) details a helpful method for people who struggle with starting conversations. The ARE method can be used to initiate a conversation and gain an understanding of the person’s interests to facilitate a strong relationship.

• Anchor: Connect the conversation to your mutually shared reality (e.g., common interests) or the setting in which you encountered the individual.
• Reveal: Provide some personal context to help deepen the connection between you and the other person.
• Encourage: After giving them some context, provide the other person with positive reinforcement to encourage them to share.

This worksheet Starting a Conversation – The ARE Method guides participants through each step in the ARE process. It also provides examples of how the ARE method can be incorporated into a typical conversation and used as a workable strategy in social skills training activities.

A Guide to Small Talk: Conversation Starters and Replies  provides an outline of conversation ideas to help start any conversation, no matter the setting.

After developing the ability to start a conversation, being able to project assertiveness and understand one’s limits is essential in ensuring clear communication.

These worksheets on Different Ways to Say ‘No’ Politely and Using ‘I’ Statements in Conversation  facilitate assertive communication and give clients the confidence to set personal limits.

A lack of opportunity to learn coping strategies and difficulty with emotional regulation have been associated with anxiety and low problem-solving abilities (Anderson & Kazantzis, 2008).

An individual’s lack of ability to problem solve in social situations significantly affects their ability to come up with reasonable solutions to typical social problems, which in turn, causes them to avoid more difficult social situations.

Practicing social problem solving is a key component of social skills training. This worksheet on Social Problem Solving allows your clients to define the problems they are facing and rate the potential solutions from low to high efficacy.

Based on the rating, therapists can instruct clients to practice their social reasoning during sessions. Practicing these skills builds clients’ confidence and increases the likelihood that they will access these solutions under pressure.

Similarly, the Imagining Solutions to Social Problems worksheet implements a related process, but challenges participants to engage in a visualization activity. While engaging in visualization, participants have the opportunity to imagine what they would say or do, and reflect on what they have learned and why the solution they chose was best for that particular problem.

Supplementing modeling and practical activities with interactive audio-visual aids, such as podcasts and videos, is an essential practice in ensuring that patients seeking social skills training are getting multiple perspectives to develop their social intelligence.

Below, we have provided resources to help your clients with different social skills and situations.

An introvert’s guide to social freedom – Kaspars Breidaks

This TEDx talk focuses on providing guidelines for self-identified introverts. In this video, Breidaks frames introversion as an opportunity, rather than a weakness.

Based on his experiences moving from a small town to a big city and eventually starting improv comedy, he developed a workshop to help integrate principles of improvisation into social skills training.

His workshops focus on creating connections through eye contact and breaking through shyness by training the small talk muscle. Because of his experience, he recommends you say yes to yourself before saying yes to others. Breidaks theorizes that only by developing our awareness of our own true emotions and thoughts can we become more comfortable interacting with others.

This video is helpful if your patients need workable tips to improve their interactions with strangers and is an excellent complement to some of our worksheets on developing skills for small talk.

10 Ways to have a better conversation – Celeste Headlee

This TEDx talk is focused on tactics to have more effective conversations. In her TED talk, Headlee emphasizes the importance of honesty, clarity, and listening to others as well as yourself.

Headlee shares her ideas about how to talk and listen to others, specifically focusing on sustaining clear, coherent conversation and the importance of clear, direct communication.

She argues that technology has interfered with the development of interpersonal skills, stating that conversation is an art that is fundamentally underrated and should be emphasized more, especially among young children.

The main point Headlee tries to get across is to avoid multitasking and pontificating during conversation. Individuals who are struggling with active listening and keeping a conversation going would benefit from the tips she offers in this video, as she uses a lot of the same principles when interviewing her radio guests to ensure that she is getting the most out of their appearances.

She specifically emphasizes the importance of being continually present while talking and listening to someone, which is strongly emphasized in social skills training.

How Can I Say This – Beth Buelow

Each episode also provides techniques or approaches to help listeners become more confident when dealing with different social situations. The podcast also takes listener questions about dealing with social situations and issues.

If your clients are struggling with introducing themselves to new people, they may benefit from the episodes on talking to strangers and how to have difficult conversations.

Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts .

Social Skills Coaching – Patrick King

King focuses on using emotional intelligence and understanding human interaction to help break down emotional barriers, improve listeners’ confidence, and equip people with the tools they need for success.

Although King’s expertise is centered on romantic relationships, this podcast provides strategies to improve one’s emotional awareness and engage in better communication.

People engaging in social skills training would benefit from the episode on social sensitivity, which examines the social dynamics of the brain. It also explains why our brains are programmed to respond more to specific traits (e.g., warmth, dominance) and why people with those traits are often elevated to higher positions within the social hierarchy.

Available on  Apple Podcasts .

17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners

Expand your arsenal and impact with these 17 Positive Psychology Exercises [PDF] , scientifically designed to promote human flourishing, meaning, and wellbeing.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

There are several resources available on our website to complement the social skills training that you are providing to your clients.

Our Emotional Intelligence Masterclass© trains helping professionals in methodology that helps increase their client’s emotional intelligence.

The client workbook has several exercises that practitioners can give their clients to develop an awareness of their emotions and, subsequently, understand how those emotions might contribute to interactions with others.

Our Positive Psychology Toolkit© provides over 400 exercises and tools, and the Social Network Investment exercise, included in the Toolkit, focuses on reflecting on a client’s current social network. By further looking into the amount of time and investment devoted to the members of their social network, clients can further identify who is supportive of their endeavors and who negatively affects experiences.

With this knowledge, relationships can be analyzed before devoting even more time and investment that might not facilitate positive emotions.

People who struggle with initiating conversation might also have trouble talking about their emotions. Our exercise on Asking for Support , also in the Toolkit, can provide assistance to someone having trouble communicating their emotions.

It also provides strategies to practice asking for help when needed. This exercise also gives you the opportunity to identify any personal barriers that are impending your ability to seek help from others.

You might be interested in this sister article, Social Skills Training for Kids , which provides top resources for teachers. To enhance your knowledge, our Social Skills Books for Adults & Kids  is a must-read selection of top books.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others enhance their wellbeing, this signature collection contains 17 validated positive psychology tools for practitioners. Use them to help others flourish and thrive.

Improving social skills is an important skill to develop for anyone trying to facilitate professional and personal connections.

However, sometimes clients might not even realize they need targeted interventions to help with their social skills, and they might approach a therapist with other challenges around anxiety entering new situations.

For that reason, we hope this article provided valuable options for the development of social skills, with useful activities and social skills worksheets to be incorporated into your sessions.

We encourage you and your clients to explore these exercises together and engage in goal-setting tools to target areas that will benefit their daily lives, relationships, and communication.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

• Anderson, G., & Kazantzis, N. (2008). Social problem-solving skills for adults with mild intellectual disability: A multiple case study. Behaviour Change , 25 (2), 97–108.
• Cognitive Development Learning Centre. (2019). Training eye contact in communication . Retrieved May 4, 2021, from https://cognitive.com.sg/training-eye-contact-in-communication/
• Fleming, C. (2013). It’s the way you say it: Becoming articulate, well-spoken and clear (2nd ed.). Berrett-Koehler.
• Social skills training. (n.d.). In  Encyclopedia of mental disorder. Retrieved May 4, 2021, from http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Social-skills-training.html

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What our readers think.

Hello, I am trying to open the link to the ARE-method but am unable to.

Please try to access the worksheet here .

If you experience further issues with accessing the link, please let me know!

Warm regards, Julia | Community Manager

Sounds so good for my young adult. Do you know of any in person sessions, workshops, which would benefit him being in person.

I would like to know what the best book to get for my husband for him to learn social skills conversations. Thank You

check out our article “ 12 Must-Read Social Skills Books for Adults & Kids “.

Hope this helps!

Kind regards, Julia | Community Manager

Are there any online classes for people suffering with anxiety, Aspergers and a lack of social skills? This is a great article, but there are no therapists who teach social skills. These are skills that come from parents. Like me, when you have no parent or friends to teach you, what do you do? Please make an online course. I would pay to watch a course and even buy materials.

Thank you for your thoughtful comment and interest in an online course addressing anxiety, Aspergers, and social skills. I understand how challenging it can be to find the right resources, especially when traditional sources of support may not be readily available.

While we don’t currently offer an online course, we are happy to recommend a helpful resource that cater to individuals experiencing similar difficulties: Psychology Today has a great directory you can use to find therapists in your local area. Usually, the therapists provide a summary in their profile with their areas of expertise and types of issues they are used to working with.

I hope this helps.

Hello, I just found out about this website today and this is the exact type of service I need. I unfortunately cannot find any one like this that is near me or accept my insurance. And I need this fast since my quality of life is so bad, I have severe social anxiety, and never had friends or a relationship.

Hi there a lot of the links don’t work in this article? How can I access the resources?

Thanks for your question! We are working on updating all the broken links in our articles, as they can be outdated. Which specific resource are you looking for?

Maybe I can help 🙂

Kind regards, -Caroline | Community Manager

Living socially isolated, getting told I have autism ad the age of 33, I found out that I have a lot to learn about being social with people. Now knowing what my “ problem” is also gave me the drive to improve my people skills. Fearing I willing never fully understand feelings ( not even my own) all help is welcome. And this was a very helpful article. Living in a world with tips and tricks to look normal will never be easy. But you sure help me .. thank you..

AMAZING work.. .as always. Thank you !

Thank you Gabriella social skills have been a real issue for me for my whole life. There are so many helpful avenues to explore thanks this article.

Steven Cronson My brothers didn’t consider me an Aspie and made a pact to ignore me , block me I hadn’t even learned many social skills my brother a psychiatrist tried by giving me ptsd and gad a Divorce to try to get me to end my life. My wife proudly fought back and figured out how better to understand me. And I fought the awful had medicine Lexapro that I consider the devil in a pill that made me flat and losing my superpower focusing ability. I hope a producer latched on to my fascinating story of greed, over good, attack on my very life and a brother doctor that should never been one. My dad a psychiatrist made me a DDS to be respected and listened to but not even work and married off in a fake but better life. They accused me an Aspie blind to empathy. B

I’m sorry to read about your challenges with your family. It’s good that you have what sounds like a supportive ally in your wife. And indeed, medications don’t work for everyone — or it may be the case that a different medication may suit you better. Definitely raise these concerns with a trusted psychiatrist if you feel medication could help you.

As you note, it’s a harmful myth that those on the autism spectrum don’t feel empathy. And this myth unfairly stigmatises members of this community. I’m sorry to read about these accusations from your family.

On another note, if you’d like to work on your social skills, consider reaching out to support groups for those with Aspergers in your area, or seeking the support of a therapist with expertise in this area. Psychology Today has a great directory you can use to find therapists in your local area. Usually, the therapists provide a summary in their profile with their areas of expertise and types of issues they are used to working with.

I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best.

– Nicole | Community manager

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Problem Solving in the Moment

Problem Solving in the Moment Highlight Video

Narrator: Welcome to this short module on problem solving in the moment. This video highlights the ways that teachers can support children in learning how to use problem solving to deal with the upsets and conflicts and other social problems that may occur in a preschool classroom.

For many young children, the preschool classroom is a new social experience. They will need to learn how to share space with other children, share toys with other children, and share the teacher's attention. It can be hard. Some problems are bound to occur. Let's find out how to help children learn to problem solve.

Problem solving in the moment can be an effective way to prevent challenging behaviors, and it teaches children useful social skills. Problem solving in the moment is one of a series of in-service suites about behavior guidance. These strategies and practices help teachers create classrooms that are filled with effective and engaging interactions and environments.

That's the foundation of the National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning's House Framework for Effective Practice. The other parts of the house are use of research-based curricula and teaching practices, ongoing child assessment, and highly individualized teaching and learning. There are five steps that help teachers guide children's behavior and encourage their problem solving in the moment: Anticipate. Be close. Provide support. Create multiple solutions, and celebrate success. Let's see what these look like.

The first step is to anticipate. As teachers observe their children, they will begin to notice the times and activities where problems are likely to happen. It might be when all the children need to transition to a new activity at one time or when children have to wait their turn. Teachers anticipate and get ready to problem solve.

The second step is to be close. The teacher regularly scans the room or playground. When the teacher has a hunch that something might lead to a problem, the teacher moves toward the action. Then the teacher uses a calm voice to figure out the situation.

Next, the teacher provides support. For the children, learning to solve problems in the moment can be difficult. The teacher needs to remind children how to use words. The teacher might have pictures or signs that remind children how to solve a problem. The teacher can cue the children by saying, "I see we have a problem. What should we do?" Or, "This is a new toy, and everyone wants to play with it at the same time. That's a problem. How can we solve it?"

[Video begins]

Teacher: Uh-oh. Say, "I have a problem."

Girl: I have a problem.

Teacher: Tell her, "I'm using those."

Girl: I'm using those.

Teacher: So, what can we do to solve our problem?

Girl: We'll use something...

Teacher: Claire has an idea. You can share the bin of blocks.

Girl: Here.

Teacher: That was a good idea.

[Video ends]

Narrator: The next step is to generate multiple solutions. There are all sorts of solutions to typical preschool problems. Children can pick a number or flip a coin or use a timer or make another choice. Some teachers create solution kits, solution lists, or solution books that contain ideas for children to try.

Teacher: Do you want to look for an idea in the basket? Grab the book. See what you can come up with. Playing together. So, you would build it together. Do you want to build together, Jamy? Look it. Amy's talking to you.

Narrator: The final step is to celebrate success. Make sure that you let the children know that you appreciate their hard work in figuring out a solution. And give yourself a pat on the back. Problem solving in the moment means that you've taught the children some really important social skills.

There are five steps, so remember to think five. Use these five steps to help children be better problem solvers. These steps will also help prevent little classroom conflicts from becoming much bigger problems. Remember that learning to solve problems takes time and practice. Practice problem solving during circle time or lesson time, so that children will be better problem solvers during the rest of the day.

Thank you for listening.

This module highlighted a behavior guidance strategy that we call problem solving in the moment. Learn more in our longer module. Refer to the Tips and Tools to use problem solving in your classroom.

Teachers can use the problem solving approach of this in-service suite with children in their classrooms. It helps children resolve social problems as they arise "in the moment."

Materials for Trainers

Presentation [PPT, 82MB]

Presenter Notes [PDF, 2MB]

Learning Activity: Problem Solve [PDF, 80KB]

Learning Activity: Anticipating Problem Situations [PDF, 73KB]

Learning Activity: Brainstorming Multiple Solutions [PDF, 483KB]

Learning Activity: Celebrating Success [PDF, 100KB]

Supplemental Videos [PPTX, 130MB]

Supporting Materials

Tips for Teachers [PDF, 104KB]

Tips for Teachers: Dual Language Learners [PDF, 634KB]

Tips for Families [PDF, 297KB]

Teacher Tools [PDF, 488KB]

Tools for Supervisors [PDF, 71KB]

Helpful Resources [PDF, 87KB]

This zip file contains presentation materials including training videos and handouts. To view or use these materials without internet access, download Problem Solving in the Moment 15-minute In-service Suite in advance. Please ensure your browser is updated to the newest version available. If you have difficulty downloading this file, try using a different browser.

For more information, please contact us at ecdtl at ecetta dot info or call (toll-free) 844-261-3752.

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Cognitive functioning and social problem-solving skills in schizophrenia

Affiliation.

• 1 Weill Medical College of Cornell University/New York Presbyterian Hospital, USA. [email protected]
• PMID: 16571529
• DOI: 10.1080/13546800143000168

Introduction: This study examined the relationships between symptoms, cognitive functioning, and social skill deficits in schizophrenia. Few studies have incorporated measures of cognitive functioning and symptoms in predictive models for social problem solving.

Method: For our study, 44 participants were recruited from consecutive outpatient admissions. Neuropsychological tests were given to assess cognitive function, and social problem solving was assessed using structured vignettes designed to evoke the participant's ability to generate, evaluate, and apply solutions to social problems. A sequential model-fitting method of analysis was used to incorporate social problem solving, symptom presentation, and cognitive impairment into linear regression models. Predictor variables were drawn from demographic, cognitive, and symptom domains. Because this method of analysis was exploratory and not intended as hierarchical modelling, no a priori hypotheses were proposed.

Results: Participants with higher scores on tests of cognitive flexibility were better able to generate accurate, appropriate, and relevant responses to the social problem-solving vignettes.

Conclusions: The results suggest that cognitive flexibility is a potentially important mediating factor in social problem-solving competence. While other factors are related to social problem-solving skill, this study supports the importance of cognition and understanding how it relates to the complex and multifaceted nature of social functioning.

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• Cognitive and psychomotor effects of risperidone in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Houthoofd SA, Morrens M, Sabbe BG. Houthoofd SA, et al. Clin Ther. 2008 Sep;30(9):1565-89. doi: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2008.09.014. Clin Ther. 2008. PMID: 18840365 Review.
• Social functioning, theory of mind and neurocognition in outpatients with schizophrenia; mental state decoding may be a better predictor of social functioning than mental state reasoning. Bora E, Eryavuz A, Kayahan B, Sungu G, Veznedaroglu B. Bora E, et al. Psychiatry Res. 2006 Dec 7;145(2-3):95-103. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2005.11.003. Epub 2006 Oct 30. Psychiatry Res. 2006. PMID: 17074402
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Case Vignette Slides and Sample Cases

Through the use of case vignettes, students can engage in conversations and discussions of clinical and ethical considerations that come up in practice as well as discussions on various substance use treatment modalities and what treatment planning may look like.

These slides and sample case vignettes provide discussion prompts for faculty to use in small group sessions or can be used as part of a written assignment.

Related Resources

Oct 29, 2021

Case Vignettes Social Work: A Powerful Resource For Practitioners

In the field of social work, case vignettes play a crucial role in understanding and addressing the complex needs of individuals, families, and communities. These vignettes provide real-life scenarios that allow social workers to analyze and develop interventions based on their knowledge, skills, and ethical guidelines.

Table of Contents

This article will delve into the significance of case vignettes in social work practice and explore how they contribute to the overall well-being of clients.

What are Case Vignettes in Social Work?

Case vignettes in social work are carefully crafted narratives that depict various situations encountered by social workers in their professional practice. These vignettes often encapsulate the challenges faced by clients, their strengths and resources, and the interactions between social workers and clients.

They serve as valuable tools for social workers to reflect on and analyze their practice, develop interventions, and make informed decisions based on the unique needs of clients.

The Purpose of Case Vignettes in Social Work

Enhancing Engagment : Case vignettes contribute to enhancing engagement between social workers and their clients. By studying real-life scenarios, social workers gain a deeper understanding of the diverse experiences, concerns, and aspirations of their clients. This knowledge allows them to establish a meaningful and empathetic connection with their clients, fostering trust and rapport.

Informing Assessment and Intervention : Case vignettes provide social workers with an opportunity to critically analyze complex assessment and intervention situations. They help social workers identify potential barriers and challenges faced by clients and develop effective strategies to overcome them. Through case vignettes, social workers can explore different theoretical frameworks, ethical considerations, and evidence-based interventions to address client needs.

Promoting Cultural Competence : Case vignettes allow social workers to explore the intersectionality of various cultural, social, and economic factors that influence the lives of their clients. By incorporating diverse perspectives and experiences, social workers can develop a deeper cultural competence and enhance their ability to provide culturally sensitive interventions.

Facilitating Collaborative Decision-Making : Case vignettes encourage social workers to engage in collaborative decision-making with their clients and other professionals involved in the client’s care. They provide a platform to explore different viewpoints and integrate multidisciplinary perspectives to develop comprehensive and client-centered intervention plans.

Examples of Case Vignettes in Social Work

To further illustrate the role of case vignettes in social work practice, let’s explore a few examples:

Eve’s Story : In this case vignette, Eve, a single mother, seeks support in navigating the complex system of developmental supports for her child with special needs. The social worker plays a crucial role in connecting Eve to relevant resources, providing emotional support, and facilitating a home visit to ensure ongoing support and progress.

Josef’s Journey : In this vignette, Josef, a young adult struggling with substance abuse, seeks help in an inpatient substance use disorder organization. The social worker, within the constraints of a three-week stay, works closely with Josef to develop a personalized treatment plan, provide counseling, and connect him with aftercare resources to support his journey towards recovery.

Susan’s Struggles : This case vignette focuses on Susan, an elderly woman facing challenges in accessing essential healthcare services. The social worker collaborates with Susan, her family, and healthcare professionals to advocate for her rights, ensure she receives the necessary support, and improve her overall well-being.

These examples demonstrate the diverse scenarios encountered by social workers and highlight how case vignettes provide a platform for critical thinking, problem-solving, and person-centered care.

The Value of Case Vignettes in Social Work Education

Case vignettes play a vital role in social work education, providing students with an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge and develop practical skills. By engaging with case vignettes, social work students can enhance their critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and cultural competence.

They learn to navigate complex scenarios, interact with clients, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, all within the boundaries of ethical standards and professional guidelines.

Conclusion: Recommended Product for Social Work Professionals

In conclusion, the utilization of case vignettes in social work practice is essential for enhancing engagement, informing assessment and intervention strategies, promoting cultural competence, and facilitating collaborative decision-making. They offer a valuable platform to explore the challenges and complexities faced by clients and develop comprehensive and client-centered interventions.

As a recommended product for social work professionals, I suggest the “Social Work Case Vignettes: Realistic Practice Scenarios” book. This comprehensive resource provides a collection of well-crafted case vignettes that cover various areas of social work practice. It offers an opportunity for social work practitioners to enhance their knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities through realistic scenarios. You can find the “Social Work Case Vignettes: Realistic Practice Scenarios” book on Amazon here .

Remember, by incorporating case vignettes into your practice, you can strengthen your ability to provide effective and client-centered interventions, ultimately making a significant impact in the lives of individuals, families, and communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an example of a case vignette in social work, how do you write a case note for social work, what are the uses of vignettes in qualitative research, what should a good case note include for social work, how can case vignettes be used in social work assessment, related posts.

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The construction and interpretation of vignettes in social research

2004, Social Work and Social Sciences Review

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Journal of Advanced Nursing

Qualitative Research Journal

Jukka Törrönen

Purpose: Recent studies have introduced new productive theoretical orientations to the vignette studies. There is not, however, sufficient analytical discussion on how the vignettes can be used in qualitative interviews for different functions. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach: Whatever theoretical framing the researcher decides to apply in qualitative interviews using vignettes, the paper proposes that it is always important to consider in what way the chosen vignettes refer to the object under examination, whether they represent it as clues (metonyms, symptoms, enigmatic traces), as microcosms (icons, metaphors, totems, ideal types, homologies) or as provokers (anomalies, taboos, controversies). Findings: When vignettes are used as clues in interviews, they can be introduced as puzzling traces, tracks or indexes which together with the interview questions carry out the interviewees to metonymic reasoning. When vignettes are used in interviews as microcosms, the interview questions are built so that they encourage the interviewees to consider the vignettes as icons that mimic reality or realities, their actors, situations, acts, events and processes. And when vignettes are used as provokers, they are selected and produced so that they challenge the forms, boundaries, meanings and habits of the well-known and plausible realities of the interviewees. Originality/value: The paper demonstrates with examples how vignettes function in the interviews as clues, microcosms or provokers and shows why it is important to pay attention to this.

Vignetten kommen zunehmend in qualitativen Studien zum Einsatz, bei denen es um Themen geht, die aufseiten der Forschenden ethische Aufmerksamkeit und Sensitivitat erfordern. In diesem Beitrag befasse ich mich mit methodologischen Fragen, die mit der Nutzung von Vignetten einhergehen. Ich greife dabei insbesondere auf ein Forschungsprojekt zuruck, bei dem es um Erfahrungen sudasiatischer Mutter mit der Unterstutzung ihrer Kinder gegangen ist, die infolge einer Beeintrachtigung einer besonderen Erziehung bedurften. In dem Projekt habe ich den Teilnehmerinnen sieben Vignetten u.a. zur Rolle von Religion, Kultur, Gender und Migration prasentiert. Entlang ihrer Antworten diskutiere ich in diesem Artikel die Anwendbarkeit zweier methodologischer Anliegens: 1. Sind authentische Reprasentationen nutzliche und zielfuhrende Mase fur den Nutzen einer Vignette? 2. In welcher Weise kann eine Reduktion sozialer Erwunschtheit zur Effizienz von Vignetten beitragen? Ich setze mich mit diesen Fragen...

Qualitative Research

Idar Johannessen

The use of vignettes that are based upon fictionalised accounts is well-established in contemporary social science. Vignettes have been used in a variety of ways to contribute to studies with both a quantitative and a qualitative orientation. This paper reflects on two recent qualitative studies which have made innovative use of ‘real-life’ vignettes. In each case, the paper describes some of the unanticipated and overlapping benefits that accrued from their incorporation into the research design and reflects on the advantages that ‘real-life’ vignettes might bring to future research. Drawing on two different research projects, the paper highlights the further potential contribution of ‘real-life’ vignettes to the repertoire of research methods currently available to social scientists.

Alison While

RUDN Journal of Sociology

Zhanna V Puzanova , Anastasia Tertyshnikova

The article focuses on the prospects of creating vignettes as a new method in empirical sociology. It is a good alternative to the conventional mass survey methods. The article consists of a few sections differing by the focus. The vignette method is not popular among Russian scientists, but has a big history abroad. A wide range of problems can be solved by this method (e.g. the prospects for guardianship and its evaluation, international students' adaptation to the educational system, social justice studies, marketing and business research, etc.). The vignette method can be used for studying different problems including sensitive questions (e.g. HIV, drugs, psychological trauma, etc.), because it is one of the projective techniques. Projective techniques allow to obtain more reliable information, because the respondent projects one situation on the another, but at the same time responds to his own stimulus. The article considers advantages and disadvantages of the method. The authors provide information about the limitations of the method. The article presents the key principles for designing and developing the vignettes method depending on the research type. The authors provide examples of their own vignettes tested in the course of their own empirical research. The authors highlight the advantages of the logical-combinatorial approaches (especially the JSM method with its dichotomy) for the analysis of data in quantitative research. Also they consider another method of the analysis of the data that implies the technique of " steeping " , i.e. when the respondent gets new information step by step, which extends his previous knowledge.

Michael Craven

Tatiana Saruis

The paper starts with a short literature review on researches and techniques applied to the study of implementation, with a special attention to welfare policies and services. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches have been used to analyse the role of street-level workers in the policy making process, depending on research strategies, aims and specific focus. Quantitative methods have to deal with the complexity of concepts like implementation or discretion, difficult to be operationalised (O’Toole, 1986; Hill, 2003). However, researchers selected specific aspects to analyse by surveys and they could elaborate theoretical models to provide schemes to be tested through quantitative techniques (Buurman, Dur, 2008). Qualitative methods have been often preferred for their capacity to go in depth in the contexts’ details and dynamics and investigate the concrete practices, even taking into account the well-known limits in the generalisation of results. An effort to formalise a research procedure to study street-level practices was made by Brodkin (2008), which combines ethnography and the analysis of organizations. Maynard-Moody and Mucheno (2003) describe another methodological protocol based on the collection of narratives from the street-level and they explain in detail which technique they used to conduct their research and to elaborate the collected information. Hupe and Buffat (2014) provide an operative conceptual bases to conduct comparisons. This paper proposes an alternative methodological strategy to study street-level practices, experienced within a research conducted in 2009-2010 in social services in Bologna (IT) and Copenhagen (DK) (Saruis 2010, 2015). It is based on the use of vignettes combined with qualitative interviews and analysis of the formal context and data. Vignettes are stimuli, as short realistic descriptions of events or situations, which the respondents could potentially meet in their professional (or personal) life, for which they are asked to simulate a decision-making process (Barberis, 2010a). This paper explains the opportunities and limits of using vignettes to study street-level practices. It highlights how they can facilitate the access to information, helping researchers to enter the operative context and familiarise with its language. They are especially useful in comparative research, constituting a sort of “constant” to make to emerge similarities and specificities among different contexts and practices. Measures to optimise their effectiveness in reconstructing the practices and services are also described. This methodological choice can be considered as an option to be taken in account to conduct comparative research or, at least, in case direct observation is not feasible.

Paul Harrison , Michaela Jackson

This article discusses how qualitative vignettes were combined with interviews to explore a complex public health issue; that is, promoting unhealthy foods and beverages to children and adolescents. It outlines how the technique was applied in practice and the combination of vignette-based interviews with a broader approach involving Gadamerian hermeneutics. Twenty-one participants from the public health community and the marketing and food and beverage industries took part in vignette-based interviews between March and September 2012. Overall, the qualitative vignette method afforded an efficient, generally well-received technique that effectively explored the issue of promoting unhealthy foods and beverages to children and adolescents. The vignette provided structure to interviews but allowed certain responses to be investigated in greater depth. Through this research, we argue that qualitative vignettes allow researchers to explore complex public health issues. This article also provides a valuable resource for researchers seeking to explore this technique.

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Social Networks and Collaborative Problem Solving

IDSS PI: Sandy Pentland Collaborators: Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye, Arkadiusz Stopczynski, Erez Shmueli, Sune Lehmann (Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen)

Sandy Pentland and his group study how teams of scientists or engineers collaborate on projects using their social networks to gather new ideas and feedback. By providing a link between the literature on team performance and information networks, the authors study teams’ problem solving abilities as a function of both their within-team networks and their members’ extended networks.

Complex problem solving in science, engineering, and business has become a highly collaborative endeavor. Teams of scientists or engineers collaborate on projects using their social networks to gather new ideas and feedback. Pentland and collaborators bridged the literature on team performance and information networks by studying teams’ problem solving abilities as a function of both their within-team networks and their members’ extended networks. They show that, while an assigned team’s performance is strongly correlated with its networks of expressive and instrumental ties, only the strongest ties in both networks have an effect on performance. Both networks of strong ties explain more of the variance than other factors, such as measured or self-evaluated technical competencies, or the personalities of the team members. In fact, the inclusion of the network of strong ties renders these factors non-significant in the statistical analysis. These results have consequences for the organization of teams of scientists, engineers, and other knowledge workers tackling today’s most complex problems.

References and Related Content: “The Strength of the Strongest Ties in Collaborative Problem Solving” – Nature Scientific Reports , June 2014. “Why networking doesn’t work” – MIT News, June 2014.

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