Social Behavior Mapping

Item of Interest #2

My second item of interest is a worksheet that focuses on social behavior mapping. This is a great tool that we use with our students in the Bridges Program (Adult Transitional Program). It helps give a visual guide to the expected and unexpected behaviors of the student. The sheet is formatted in the form of a chart. To start, the student and the social worker (or other professionals) describe the situation taking place. Then the student describes the behavior that is expected. In this section, the behavior itself, others’ feelings about the behavior, how others will treat them based on the behavior, and the student’s feelings based on how they are treated are explained. This is then repeated for the unexpected behavior. An example of when I have used this chart is when working with a Bridges student before going out into the community for group (we will sometimes go off campus and into the community for social work group). We will use this chart to discuss the expected and unexpected behaviors of the student while in a specific setting. For example, for group, we will sometimes go to the mall and visit stores such as Barnes and Noble, or restaurants like Starbucks. This chart helps establish the expected behaviors with the student so that they can act appropriately while in the community. This in turn helps them effectively learn things such as social skills, self-regulating emotions, or self-awareness. Social behavior mapping helps make expected and unexpected behaviors clear to the student. The chart allows the student to think about how others are also affected within specific situations depending on their behavior. It is also based on a CBT approach. This is because it has the student consider thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. Overall, this is a great tool that can be used with multiple age levels in a variety of situations.