Friday Lunchtime Program: Off To A Good Start: Social Skills Training for School-Age Children Presented by Mario Lamorte, LMFT

Presented by Mario Lamorte, LMFT

How can we help a child to get off to a good start? Mario Lamorte, LMFT, will begin the presentation by focusing on the significance of social skills in our lives. He will outline common problems and affective states arising when there is a deficiency or lack of social skills, which is likely to negatively influence the individual throughout life. The good news is that social skills can be learned, acquired, and enhanced. Mario Lamorte will share how he helps children to learn social skills and their function, as well as to exchange support with peers, especially in the context of a social skills training group. He will describe how to get started with a children's group and how to get the word out for referral sources. He will go over the sequence of the parent/child interview and outline session goals and interventions. With case scenarios and experiential exercises, he will demonstrate how he works and helps children to learn to function effectively in social situations with peers. According to Mario Lamorte, the proven methodology he adopts can be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience both for the children clients and the group psychotherapist. The tools and strategies you will take way can be useful not only in your professional work with children clients but also in your personal life with your own children.

Mario Lamorte, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist who has been in private practice since 1992. He has a background in high school and elementary school teaching, and he has served as a School Principal in Marin County. He has also taught Educational Psychology in the Education Department at Dominican University. Since 1996, he has been a counseling consultant for private and public schools in Marin County and San Francisco, and he does public speaking, trainings, and workshops. He also offers private consultation for professionals. As a psychotherapist, he has provided guidance counseling to boys and girls in various elementary schools in Petaluma. In his private practice 

n San Anselmo, he specializes in parenting and school-related issues. He also works in depth with children and adults diagnosed with ADD and ADHD both in group and individual counseling sessions. Mario Lamorte has developed a manual, Consequences That Teach: Learning Appropriate Behavior Through Proper Practice, aimed at building interpersonal skills and addressing challenging situations with children.