Specializing in Social-Emotional Learning for Adolescents and Adults
PODCAST
Teaching social competency skills to our neurodiverse population for over two decades!
1:1 Skills Lessons
Helping people aged 10-99 feel comfortable in their own skin and realize their potential.
Helping people learn the tools and strategies to gain independence and to feel accepted.
I understand how challenging it can be for parents to navigate the world of neurodivergent children. The abundance of conflicting information out there can be overwhelming, leaving one unsure of where to turn for help. You're not alone in this struggle, and it's okay to feel frustrated and tired. You don't have to have all the answers right now. Take things one step at a time, and don't hesitate to seek support when you need it. Together, we can help your child progress socially and overcome any obstacles they may be facing.
Based on my experience, I consider the individuals I work with as part of the "in the middle" population. They appear to blend in well with the general population, but they often struggle with utilizing their social skills appropriately in various situations. They don't necessarily fall under the category of those who are still learning social skills as they already know the rules and can identify the necessary skills. However, their unique characteristics and tendencies make it challenging for them to navigate through social interactions effectively. This can lead to some behavior that may not be well-received or accepted by others.
My program actively engages learners at their current level of social and self-awareness, and supports them in making ongoing progress. My program allows the learner to develop their own social skills to be used in any situation at school, home, work.
FOCUS SKILLS FOR THE NEURODIVERGENT LEARNER
Social Cognition
Social communication is necessary in almost every aspect of our lives. When we do this well we present as having good social skills or we are described as outgoing. Developing these skills will lead to stronger connections with others at home, school and work.
Self-awareness
Becoming aware of ourselves through the eyes of others is challenging because it is much easier to "see" ourselves from our own point of view. Learning to "read" how others are perceiving our actions will help lead to the skills necessary to adjust our behavior and reactions.
Self-management
Managing our emotions has a huge impact on how others react to us. In order to help people feel comfortable when they are with us it is necessary to gauge the amount of emotion that we should exhibit at any particular time. This skill requires us to recognize our own feelings and take the perspective of those around us at the same time.
Executive Function
Executive functioning is a process in which our brain organizes information. When it relates to social skills, our brain needs to have all of the important information organized quickly in order to respond to people and emotions in an expected way.
Many adolescents and young adults with ADHD and ASD acknowledge their difficulty in establishing friendships or fitting in with their peers. However, some may deny their shortcomings or withdraw from social situations. The key to cultivating positive interactions with peers is to develop essential social competency skills, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, and effective communication skills. Our approach entails evaluating students' social skills and imparting them with Social ThinkingⓇ tools and strategies that harness their current strengths, enabling them to become better social communicators.
Tara Trievel, MEd. is a Certified Autism Specialist with over two decades of experience educating people of all ages with social challenges and reading comprehension difficulties. She attained a BA, with a dual degree, in Sociology and Elementary Education. Her Master's in Education is in Curriculum, Instruction and Development. She completed clinical training at the Social Thinking® Clinic in Boston, MA in 2014.
Tara founded 2 Be Social in 2013 with the vision to give children, adolescents and adults the opportunity to be socially successful.
When Tara is not working with students, she may be mountain bike riding, camping, reading, or doing just about anything outdoors with her family and two English Springer Spaniels.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Erin
West Chester, PA
Learning with 2 Be Social has been such an amazing learning experience. I was reluctant to try it at first because I thought it was going to be about social skills, which I have tried in the past and has never worked for me.
Lynn
Malvern, PA
Tara is highly regarded in the work that she does surrounding social thinking skills. We are lucky to have someone of her caliber in our community.
Cheryl
West Chester, PA
Our son has worked with Tara for over 6 years. He has shown drastic improvement with his Social Thinking skills. Tara is the only clinician where our son is excited to return week after week.