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In Social: Understanding My Community, participants learn how to create and maintain meaningful social and professional connections through goal setting, self-awareness, and community engagement. Building on the foundations from Social: Understand Me and Social: Understanding Others, this course focuses on applying behavioral health principles to real-world social goals. From feeling more comfortable making phone calls to planning a first date or joining a community group.

Students will develop personalized action plans based on their interests and aspirations, learning how to break goals into manageable steps and follow through successfully. The class also explores the connection between autism and social burnout, offering strategies for balance, cognitive reframing, and navigating setbacks in a supportive environment. Participants leave this course with a clear understanding of how to set themselves up for success in building both social and professional networks.

Participants will:

• Identify and articulate personal social and professional goals related to community involvement and connection.
• Create and follow a personalized action plan using goal-setting techniques grounded in behavioral health principles.
• Apply cognitive reframing strategies to manage anxiety, rejection, and self-doubt in social interactions.
• Recognize signs of social burnout and implement tools for self-care and sustainable engagement.
• Use personal interests and strengths to find and connect with like-minded individuals or community groups.
• Develop confidence and consistency in social follow-through, communication, and community participation.