Workshops

:: UPCOMING WORKSHOPS ::

2 Full-Day Workshops

Seminar: Social Skills (Day 1): Assessing and Developing Social Skills

Seminar: Social Skills (Day 2): Teaching Social Skills

The importance of being socially skilled cannot be over-estimated. We all need these skills to communicate effectively to listen to others, to express ourselves, to be taken seriously and to make friends. We know that social competence contributes to quality of life and has been repeatedly demonstrated to be a critical variable in predicting success in future life. However, not all children develop social competence naturally. Some people struggle with their social skills and require intervention.

Speaker: Alex Kelly and Rhian Bond

Alex Kelly is the author of the Talkabout publications. She is a speech & language therapist (SLT) with over 35 years’ experience of working with people with social and emotional difficulties. She spent 23 years working in the NHS but then set up her own training company – Alex Kelly Ltd – in 2009. She then set up her own speech and language therapy company – Speaking Space Ltd – which also offers a unique day service for adults with intellectual disabilities. She has recently handed over this company to her friend and colleague, Naomi Pearson, and so now divides her time between writing & lecturing around the UK & abroad, and a number of personal commitments. She is a highly engaging public speaker who is passionate about improving the quality of life of people who are struggling with the challenges of navigating a social world. Alex is married to Brian Sains – her business partner and best friend – and who is now a beekeeper. She has 3 boys who are all now grown up and she has recently become a granny. Her passions outside of work are animals, the countryside and music. She also sings and plays in a local band.

Rhain Bond is a speech & language therapist with over 12 years’ experience. Her area of specialism is supporting individuals with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. She spent 9 years living and working in London, providing assessment, intervention and training to a range of education settings including schools, post 16 colleges and alternative resource provisions. In more recent years, Rhian worked within the Youth Justice System to provide Speech and language therapy advice and support to young offenders. Rhian has worked with Alex for over 3 years & is currently the Therapy Manager & SEMH Lead Therapist for Speaking Space (Romsey) Ltd. She has a real passion for raising awareness that behaviour is communication that can be accepted and supported, and aims to achieve this through training others. Rhian enjoys being active and spends a lot of her spare time running or trekking in the countryside. She enjoys books and films and is happiest when surrounded by family and friends.

Course Outline

This 2 day training course will introduce you to social skills and what can be done about social skills difficulties. It is a practical and interactive course and so you will not only come away with the theory on how to work with people in the most effective way, but you will also have the confidence to start working with them immediately. There is a mixture of lecturing, videos and practical exercises to keep you engaged, interested and amused. Areas covered include:

1. Assessing social skills… Where do I start?
2. Teaching social skills… How do I teach it and which approach will work best?
3. Measuring effectiveness… How can I set targets and measure progress?

Day 1 Objectives

The first day introduces you to social skills and how to assess them. You will learn how to:

1. Define social skills and social competence and describe why social difficulties can occur.
2. Assess social skills and plan where to start.
3. Define social skills in the context of the hierarchical model of intervention.
4. Set targets and measure the effectiveness of intervention.

Day 2 Objectives

In Day 2, participants will learn how to:

1. Understand the wider context of why, where, & motivation when planning intervention
2. Use a 1:1 therapeutic approach such as problem solving, stories & comic strips to develop social communication.
3. Set up and run effective social skills groups.
4. Use creative arts approaches such as modelling, role play and puppets.
5. Use technology approaches such as media and computer programmes.

Who Can Benefit?

This course is suitable for anyone working with children or adults who struggle with their social skills and who want to promote social interaction and social development. It will be of interest to teachers/educators, teaching assistants/aides, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and psychologists.

Testimonials

• ‘Alex is a vibrant, energetic presenter who had me enthralled. She is incredibly generous with her ideas and suggestions. One of the best workshops I have ever attended – and I go to lots! Thanks!’ - Clinical Psychologist, Sydney, 2016
• ‘All in all, Alex, what a wonderful world for kids it would be if your social skills programme were in all schools across the continents’ - Parent, Melbourne, 2016
• ‘It is eye-opening to break down social skills, something so subjective, into objective measures’ - SLT, Penang, 2018
• ‘So excited to have a tool to monitor & track progress of social skills.’ - Emma G, Singapore, 2019.
• ‘I have really enjoyed the course; so well-delivered and by such an inspiring speaker! Materials and theories make clear sense and I’m excited to share these with my team & start work with the children. Thank you so much.’ - Emma G, Singapore, 2019.
• ‘I didn’t struggle to stay focused once. And that’s a first.’ - Cher, Singapore, 2019
• ‘Continue sharing the information, it would surely help more out there! Thank you, Alex!’ - Anna S., Singapore, 2019
• ‘Fun & interactive. Informative & practical.’ - Looi W. L., Singapore, 2019
• ‘The theory book and the Talkabout for children: developing self-awareness and self-esteem are great resources for us to teach social skills to the kids in the Philippines. Also, the activities and exercises included in the book are really great and creative ways to teach them in social skills. I’m very excited to share what I’ve learned here in the seminar to my colleagues back in the Philippines.’ - Patricia N, Singapore, 2019.
• ‘Please come back again!’ – Y. Chong, Singapore, 2019
• ‘I loved the balance between the “sit down” teaching/learning and the activities that really helped to bring the content to life.’ - Alexander T., Singapore, 2019
• ‘What a very fruitful & meaningful training!’ - Anna P., Singapore, 2019
• ‘Love the way how the speaker conducts the workshop. She is so knowledgeable and fun.’ - Eunice, Singapore, 2019
• ‘Excellent, fun course! Really learned a lot! Thank you! Very excited to implement what I’ve learned.’ - Yvonne M. Singapore, 2019
• ‘Alex is a very passionate speaker. She is very knowledgeable and experienced, and I enjoyed this 2-day course a lot. Thank you, Alex.’ - Lim H. T., Singapore, 2019
• ‘The session is engaging throughout. The speaker is knowledgeable and enthusiastic in her sharing. Many activities introduced can be easily applied within the group settings to start the day. It is a fun course!’ - Bogguss W., Singapore, 2019

Course Fees & Closing Dates

Registration Type	Closing Date	Fees (S$) / pax
	15 Oct 2023	980
Normal	Till Full	1080

3 Days Alex Course Bundle (How To Develop Self-Esteem and Friendship Skills and Social Skills (Day 1 and 2)

Registration Type	Closing Date	Fees (S$) / pax
	15 Oct 2023	1350
Normal	Till Full	1450