Congratulations! By this time, you have made it through several LUNA modules! We hope you feel that your dedication and hard work have begun to pay off! For Modules 8-11, we will focus on making the most of your child’s mission plans by providing help for specific topics that may or may not apply to you. Feel free to only work on the modules that you think will be helpful for you and your child.
In this module, we will provide some tips on how you can coach your child in social skills, which we hope will help you and your child during their social anxiety mission plans.
Take a deep breath and reflect on your progress
Before we talk more about social coaching, take some time to reflect on how mission plans have been going so far. Please take a moment to respond to the following questions and record your answers on this worksheet: Reflect on Your Progress.
- What has gone well?
- What has gone differently than you expected?
- What challenges have there been?
- What do you think you need to keep doing?
- What do you wish to change?
Social Coaching
Some anxiety in social situations can be normal, but too much anxiety can cause children to avoid socializing with peers or asking for help when they need it, which can lead to kids not having many friends or doing poorly in school. Children struggle with social anxiety for a variety of reasons. Some kids are worried about embarrassing themselves or looking dumb in front of their peers. Other kids have been bullied or have had other bad interactions with peers, which can make them more anxious in social situations. Just like the other kinds of anxiety we have discussed, the most important thing you can do to overcome social anxiety is to face it head on. For social anxiety, this means putting yourself in social situations. This is where “social coaching” comes in. Social coaching involves rehearsing and preparing your child right before they jump into real social interactions with others. It is best to do social coaching in an environment where your child can interact directly with their peers, like school, a park, a community center, etc.
Is Social Coaching Right for My Child?
Social coaching is a great idea for children with social anxiety, though not every child who avoids social situations is socially anxious. Some children are less interested in social interactions and developing close friendships. If this is the case for your child, social coaching may not be a great use of your time in this program, as we think about social coaching as a tool to help your child face their social fears.
On the other hand, some children really want to speak with their peers and develop relationships, but they are worried they will say something wrong, be rejected, or be judged. Others are simply anxious about social situations because they are confused about how to act. If your child is interested in social interactions but is anxious about speaking with others, we hope this module will be helpful.
