Core Skills Analysis
Therapy
Will met with his therapist after she returned from maternity leave, recapped his summer, and discussed future social-emotional goals. By putting his experiences into words, he practiced reflecting on events and communicating with a trusted adult. Considering goals helped him think about what he would like to work toward socially and emotionally and express those intentions. This conversation offered Will a chance to connect past experiences with future-focused personal growth.
Tips
Tips — Help Will turn one of his own stated goals into a small, manageable action: he could choose a first step, decide when to try it, and later reflect on how it went. A summer-to-now timeline or a set of brief journal entries could make reflection concrete while letting him choose what he wants to share. For a creative check-in, invite him to design a “goal map” with a destination, possible steps, and a way to notice progress. Keep the conversation supportive and led by Will, honoring his privacy and the goals he chooses.
Book Recommendations
- Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive by Marc Brackett: Explores emotional awareness and practical ways to recognize and discuss feelings.
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens: The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide by Sean Covey: A teen-focused introduction to setting goals, making choices, and building constructive habits.
Learning Standards
- Virginia SOL alignment: No specific Virginia SOL code in the supplied standards directly addresses therapy or social-emotional goal-setting; this was a personal-development activity rather than a direct demonstration of a listed academic standard.
- English Language Arts, 9.C.1.A (possible connection): Will recapped experiences and discussed goals in conversation, which connects broadly to communicating and participating in discussion. The activity description does not establish that this was a grade-level academic discussion.
- English Language Arts, 9.W.1.C (extension): A written reflection about his summer could develop narrative writing, but writing was not part of the described activity.
Try This Next
- Reflection worksheet: Write or sketch three moments from summer and one thing each taught you.
- Goal-step card: Choose a personal goal and list one small action to try this week.
- Check-in prompt: “What would progress on this goal look like to me?”