Research has long proven the importance of community support to mental health but at The Dorm, our commitment to advancing young adult health has driven us to go further.
For the first time, we're demonstrating how friendships formed in treatment impact clients’ resiliency and confidence, cognitive and behavioral coping skills, functional well-being and more.
Our Research Outcomes
As a result of our model, clients are experiencing
sustained, life-changing outcomes including:
Improved Self-Efficacy
A critical protective factor in recovery, self-efficacy is the confidence individuals have in their skills to control behavior and remain motivated in the pursuit of their goals.
At The Dorm, we see that when clients build friendships, their levels of personal self-efficacy and confidence grow.
Increased Functional Wellbeing
Clients experience a significant increase in overall sense of well-being between admission to discharge. This encompasses a clients’ ability to enjoy and accept their life circumstances across several domains (health, work and home), particularly as that pertains to daily functioning.
Reduced Levels of Peer Rejection
Clients feel a marked reduction in feelings of perceived rejection and isolation from their peers.
Improved Coping Skills
Related to improvements in personal self-efficacy, clients exhibit better adaptive cognitive and behavioral skills, shown in research to reduce the risk of relapse in recovery.
Third-party validated results over 225 clients (ages 18-30).
The Dorm was very welcoming to me.
I made friends for a lifetime.
— Dorm Alum
At The Dorm, we often find that our clients' social experiences have been fraught with anxiety, avoidance
and/or missing certain social cues. We recognize the importance of social skill-building treatment for young
adults in order to build a lifelong network of friends, family, co-workers and community.
Types Of Social Skill Treatment Support For Young Adults At The Dorm:
1:1 Social Skills Therapy with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
One evidenced-based therapeutic treatment modality we offer at The Dorm which has proven to be effective for clients working on their social skills is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). With an entire module dedicated to interpersonal effectiveness, DBT skills can help clients communicate more effectively, build and maintain better life relationships.
1:1 Social Skills Coaching
One-on-one individualized social skills coaching involves clinicians identifying clients’ individual anxiety triggers that surround social settings, as well as to identify specific coping skills for these situations. Special emphasis is placed on developing tailored social skills therapy for clients with a diagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Social Skills Groups
Our dedicated social skills groups are designed to promote healthy peer-based socialization and exposure to social engagements. Group activities include role playing social situations (such as asking a friend to hangout), workshopping tone of voice, and practicing active listening. Through these social events our clients are encouraged to engage in practice of the skills that they are learning, such as managing social anxiety and forming interpersonal relationships. Research shows that fostering social skills through community can positively influence the way that clients feel about themselves (i.e., improvements in self-efficacy, self-esteem, self-confidence, mood).
Social Skills We Support and Help Develop at The Dorm:
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Empathy
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Emotional intelligence and self-awareness
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Interpersonal communication and interpersonal effectiveness (DBT)
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Conflict resolution
Our Community Clubhouse Model
Part of The Dorm programming includes a community clubhouse, which is a space designated for clients to relax, feel comfortable, and socialize with one another. Our community space is a dynamic and lively environment that brings clients together in a way that is both casual and supportive to help foster healthy connection and peer-based interactions. Whether gathering for events or just enjoying downtime between services, we often find our clients reading a book, working on an academic or vocational project, or appreciating conversation with other members of the community.
The clubhouse is an opportunity for clients to further master the capabilities learned in social skills groups. The interplay of these competencies is reflected in The Dorm’s Outcomes Research.
Why Social Skill-Building Is Important For Young Adults:
The fabric of our society is built around the power of human connection, networking and interpersonal relationships. By creating a framework for healthy dialogue and socialization at The Dorm through supported interactions with like-minded peers, our goal is to set a template for the future.
We believe that healthy social interactions and connections within The Dorm community lead to healthy social interactions and connections in the larger community of family, school, work and friends. Furthermore, research indicates that the psychosocial benefits from social skills training can lead to sustained impact (i.e., improved adherence to medication and treatment, pronounced clinical recovery).
Developing Young Adult Social Skills -
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are social skills?
At its simplest, social skills are the ability to communicate and connect effectively with others and pick up and use verbal and non-verbal cues. With these skills an individual can share their thoughts and ideas clearly with others, and build healthy, productive relationships. Some parts of communicative social skills include body language, gestures and selective word choices.
Why are social skills important?
As social human beings, we need and thrive in connection with others. Having social skills can benefit many important spheres of life including how we form friendships, maintain self-respect and sustain healthy interactions with our families or chosen families, set boundaries, cultivate working relationships and engage with others as part of day-to-day interactions. For many individuals, improving their their skills with social skills therapy allows them to better express themselves and be seen and heard.
Developing social skills in college students
As a student, there are many layered social interactions. Social relations with new and existing friends, with professors, mentors and classmates. There are also many needs for communication and self-advocacy, for example asking for the support one needs, improving teamwork as part of group projects and finding the confidence to pursue personal opportunities as graduation approaches.
