A Learning System
SSLD (Strategies and Skills Learning and Development) is a learning system that helps people to expand their repertoire of strategies and skills through systematic learning so that they become more effective in addressing their own needs and achieving their goals in life. (read more)
What's New
SSLD in Guangzhou, China
Ka Tat Tsang introduced SSLD to social workers in Guangzhou, China on May 2, 2012 at the Zhongshan University.
SSLD in Taiwan
Ka Tat Tsang introduced SSLD to social workers in Taiwan on April 21, 2012 at the Tunghai University, Taichung.
Weight Management, Sleepwell 2.0, and …
The Proactive Health Series of SSLD applications is gaining more attention. After the successful completion of a weight management program by delivered by Linus Ip and Sherlyn Hu at the North Toronto Medical Arts Centre in March, 2012, we have been invited to present our Sleepwell 2.0 program at Hästens, a Swedish bed maker, at the Distillery District in Toronto on March 31. Our R&D in the health area will continue. Our latest idea is to develop applications for iPads, iphones, or similar device to facilitate self-monitoring of health practice.
First English Text on SSLD Learning to Change Lives: The SSLD System
The book is still trapped within the production system of the University of Toronto Press. The process reminds me of the “Waiting for Godot” play that I adopted for performance in Chinese when I was in high school. You will not be blamed if you’re wondering if Godot ever comes. Mr. Eric Carlson, after Mr. Virgil Duff and Mr. Doug Richmond, is now the third editor handling our book. I remember suggesting to Mr. Richmond to find another job given my assessment of UTP’s performance, and therefore its future prospects. And he did. This experience has led to some good reflection on the future of academic publication and the role of the academic presses. In any case, we will probably not see the book till 2013.
On the brighter side, Setsuko Sanagawa, design artist, has come up with a book cover design using Japanese Woodblock Printing technique.
Coaching for Change
Philip Lai, with the assistance of Cindy Choi and her team, is writing a book on Coaching and Change.
SSLD & Investment
Raymond Chan, who was exposed to SSLD in April 2011, believes that SSLD may offer the missing piece for people wanting to develop an effective investment strategy that will not be sabotaged by the investors own irrational thinking and unhelpful emotional responses. Raymond Chan has always found Daniel Kahneman’s Prospect Theory helpful in understanding why investors make the wrong decisions, but the theory offers little with regard to how those irrational processes can be altered. As SSLD focuses specifically on bridging the knowledge-action gap, he is optimistic that integrating SSLD practice principles, Prospect Theory, and his own insights into investment, we will be able to develop a system that can facilitate more rational and effective investment decisions and action. He is writing a book on the topic with regular consultation with Ka Tat Tsang.
About This Website
We have been around since 2009, and we have registered over 14,000 visits by the end of September 2011. If you google “SSLD”, we are now the first link to pop up, with a number of sub-pages listed as well. We have overtaken all the other sites using the same acronym. You may also want to know that because of the inconsistent access to our site from China when we were hosted by yahoo, we have now moved over to Bluehost, which is more steadily accessible in the country. We have also recruited more help to support the Chinese pages. Thanks to Steve Shi, who recommended the move, and Renee Xu, who executed the move!
Coaching for Change: Taking SSLD to the Corporate World
A few corporate training consultants attended the SSLD Practice Conference in April 2011 and were very impressed with the system. They believed that SSLD principles could be applied to design consultation and training programs for the corporate world. Together with Mr. Philip Lai, Dr. Helen Chen and Mr. Raymond Chan, Ka Tat Tsang conducted two trial runs of the new “Coaching for Change” program in Shanghai in early September. Senior executives from a number of leading Chinese and international companies attended, and the feedback was very encouraging. The team is now doing further R&D work on the program, and the plan is to deliver full programs in early 2012. Raymond Chan is now toying with the idea of using the SSLD framework in understanding and changing investment behavior and how people manage their finance, while Ka Tat Tsang is giving some serious thoughts to the idea of financial well-being. The introduction of SSLD to the corporate world is part of an attempt to transform the workplace into a more person-centered space. Philip Lai alludes to finding the soul in the workplace. Ka Tat Tsang believes that our quest for well-being has to involve this very significant domain of our life-world.
Dating Workshops in Beijing and Shanghai
Ka Tat Tsang delivered a SSLD Dating Workshop in Beijing in late August, and two more in Shanghai in early September. All workshops were sold out, and the feedback we got was great. You can go click on Voices of Practitioners and Users” to watch video testimonials by some of the participants (in Mandarin).
SSLD and Weight Management
Guess what? We were asked to design and deliver a weight management program for a medical centre in the York Region, Ontario. Linus Ip is now working on it. Ka Tat Tsang’s initial thinking on the weight issues is outlined in a powerpoint (click here).
Look Out for the First English Text on SSLD!
After receiving very helpful comments from the reviewers, Ka Tat Tsang completed the revision of the manuscript in August 2011. We are now waiting for the University of Toronto Press (UTP) to move the book through its administrative and production sequence. Mr. Doug Richmond of the UTP has been very helpful, and is working closely with Ka Tat Tsang to bring the book out. You will certainly hear more about it, as we are already planning a number of book launch activities.
MSW Student Practicum
Sophia Kim, MSW student of Windsor University, Canada, is doing her practicum with us (through the CLC, Centre for Learning and Change) in the Fall Semester, 2011. Sophia will be involved in research and development work to help create new SSLD programs. A native speaker of Korean, Sophia will also work to introduce SSLD programs to the Korean communities in Canada. Renee Xu, MSW student of the University of Toronto, Canada, is doing her practicum with the China Project Office of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work during the 2011-2012 academic year. As part of her practicum program, Renee will help to manage and improve the SSLD website, and develop more SSLD content in Chinese.
SSLD at the Toronto Botanical Gardens
Sunday, August 12, 2011: Linus Ip presented her model of Yoga 身心瑜伽, which draws on SSLD principles, as part of a program for people with chronic pain and family caregivers. Students and instructors of yoga from Southern Ontario participated in the morning session. In the afternoon, Linus conducted a relationship workshop, again based on SSLD principles, for members of the public who were interested in improving relationships in their lives.
CLC (Centre for Learning and Change)
We have registered the CLC as an organizational and executive arm of the SSLD system in July, 2011. The CLC will support the development of SSLD and other practice systems created by Ka Tat Tsang.
2011 Happenings
SSLD in Algeria!
Aicha Benayoune is running a training program for human service professionals in Algeria from June 2-18. This program introduces the basic principles and procedures of SSLD. This is the first SSLD Program in the Arabic-speaking World. Aicha is delivering the workshop in Arabic. Here in Toronto, a volunteer is translating SSLD literature into Arabic. We are also working on Spanish translation.
The first SSLD paper in Korean!
A paper co-authored by Ka Tat Tsang and Hanna Kim on SSLD and Cross-cultural Mental Health, presented at the Multi-Cultural Society and Mental Health Conference in Seoul in September 2010, has been translated into Korean and published in the Proceedings of the Conference (pp. 68-91). The Proceedings were edited by Dr. Suk Kil Min. Hanna Kim is coordinating the editing of an online version, to be posted on this Website.
SSLD & the Recently Published Chinese Book Radio Interview
April 12 and 19, 2011, Hong Kong
An interview was conducted at OurRadio in Hong Kong on the newly published Chinese book on SSLD, with both Ka Tat Tsang & Ivan Yau. The two interviews can be found as MP3 files here, or download directly via these links:
part 1
part 2
The First SSLD Practice Conference!
April 16, 2011, Hong Kong
This is the first conference on SSLD practice. Over 120 colleagues from Hong Kong, China, and Canada (via Skype) met and shared their practice experience. Both the morning presentations and afternoon workshops were very well-received. (Learn more).
There will be a book launch at the SSLD Practice Conference: Ka Tat Tsang & Ivan Yau co-edited a book on SSLD foundation and application, published in Chinese,《知行易徑：基礎與應用》with contributions from practitioners in Hong Kong and Toronto.Toronto. We sold 130 books at the Conference. Ivan and Tsang was interviewed by Adeline Lai on her internet radio program to talk about the book (in Cantonese). The book is now available in major Chinese bookstores in Hong Kong, and can be purchased online:
http://www.cp1897.com.hk/product_info.php?BookId=9789881503732
http://www.suplogistics.com.hk/bookinfo.aspx?bookid=23611
http://www.hkbookcity.com/showbook2.php?serial_no=222375
Look Out for the first English basic text on SSLD! Two independent reviewers have submitted positive reports to the University of Toronto Press. The manuscript will be revised with reference to their comments, and will hopefully go to print in the Fall of 2011.
Cecilia Man Sze Cheung, together with Cheung Ka Wan, Johanna Hen, Timothy Leung, and Sally Sin, are running a SSLD program for insomnia. Treatment for insomnia and sleep-related issues (SRI) is an ongoing R&D initiative. The manual for Sleep Well 2.0 has been further updated by Ka Tat Tsang, with the help of Carrie Chun, MSW student, University of Toronto.
Upon successful completion of the Seniors Sexuality and Intimacy project in the Fall of 2010, the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care (Toronto) has requested Ka Tat Tsang to train a core team of staff to get further training in this area, with the intent to prepare them to become trainers, coaches, or resource persons for their colleagues.
SSLD and Community Networking is a renewed area of interest. Ka Tat Tsang started applying social learning theory and social skills training principles to community work in Hong Kong back in the 1970s. The method and procedures are revised and updated. Yan Oi Tong Community Service Centre (Hong Kong) is training a core team of workers to apply SSLD to a range of community based services.
Youth Addiction and Delinquency is the focus of Ka Tat Tsang's work with the Hong Kong Christian Service. This initiative includes systematic training for front-line and supervisory staff. There are ongoing web-based consultation and case conferences with social workers specializing in this area.
The Toronto SSLD Study Group is holding regular meetings. Hanna Kim does a fantastic job in coordinating the group, exploring both professional and personal issues.
SSLD Sleep Well Program 2.0: The first SSLD Sleep Well Program was piloted in Toronto in 2007. The program was developed by K. T. Tsang in collaboration with Linus Ip, and Colleagues at the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto (Kwong-yuen Liu, Maria Chu, and Charles Wong). This new version is going to be fully re-designed, and will be piloted in the near future.
Fall 2010
SSLD broke new ground in geriatric care. A pilot program on managing sexuality and intimacy issues among seniors was designed and developed for the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care. About 100 staff members with background in social work, nursing, and other healthcare disciplines went through the program. The training team: Ka Tat Tsang, Kwong Y. Liu, Linus Ip, Maria Chu.
Upon the request of Dr. Tang Yong of Shenzhen University, a program for palliative care was developed in the Fall of 2010. A manual as developed with active input by Linus Ip and Sherlyn Hu.
Ka Tat Tsang presented on SSLD and Cross-Cultural Psychotherapy in Seoul in September, 2010. The paper will be published both in English and Korean. Special thanks to Hanna Kim for her help in preparing the manuscript.
Summer 2010
SSLD and Happy Community? The application of SSLD to community work took another step forward with a request to address the issue at the International Conference on Mental Health in Bangkok in August, 2010.
SSLD landed in New Zealand in August, 2010. A lecture tour brought the system to mental health practitioners, settlement workers, as well as problem gambling counsellors in Auckland, Christchurch, and Queenstown.
Since the summer of 2010, Ka Tat Tsang and Linus Ip have been working with a group of parents in Toronto with children who have been diagnosed with Autism or Autistic Spectrum Order. The objective is to develop a program that will help both the parents and their children to develop strategies and skills that will enhance the children??s capacity for social learning.
The Certificate Program on Settlement Practice (offered by the University of Toronto as a continuing education program) includes three practice modules based on SSLD principles. After completion of the first cycle, Ka Tat Tsang is working with graduates of the program to develop a handbook on settlement practice. Sophia Kim, Theresa Peng, and Jane Wu will be assisting Ka Tat Tsang in developing the handbook. This project is supported by a generous donation by the Buddha Light International Association (Toronto).
On, July 9, 2010, Ka Tat Tsang delivered a keynote lecture on SSLD and Cross-Cultural Mental Health at the Annual Professional Development Program of the Chinese Mental Health Network of Toronto.
A SSLD Basic Level Training was offered at the University of Toronto in early June, the participants will continue to explore SSLD application in a study group, which will meet regularly.
A SSLD Couples Workshop was delivered at the Social Work Practice Centre at the Chinese University of Hong Kong over the first weekend in June. Eight couples participated, and we are all very impressed with both the process and the outcome. Strong signs of positive change were observed at follow up (3-4 weeks post-program). Cecilia Cheung Man Sze, Johanna Jen, Cheung Ka Wan, and Linus Ip were the co-leaders.
A Basic Level SSLD Training program was delivered at the Beijing Institute of Technology in May. Participants came from different parts of China, representing mental health, social work, rehabilitation, community health, and early childhood education professionals. A couple of supervision groups were formed after the program. Linus Ip will be offering web-based consultation to these groups. One group consists of social workers in different service settings in the Shandong Province. The other group is coordinated by the Handa Association based in Guangzhou, which provides service to people with leprosy in China.
In May, over 40 social workers of the Hong Kong Christian Service took a training program on SSLD as applied to addiction. The group showed strong interest to continue learning and development. Follow-up programs are currently being planned.
Spring 2010
Ka Tat Tsang is developing a SSLD program for addiction, covering both substance use and internet. Professor Lin Fang, also at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, will join the R&D work, focusing on outcome evaluation.
An online Global Network for SSLD practitioners has been set up as a Facebook Group. A Chinese network has also been set up as a blog for colleagues who can read/write Chinese. These platforms will allow members to share their experience and insights regarding the application of SSLD.
Winter 2009
Ka Tat Tsang gave a lecture on SSLD in Shenzhen on December 20, 2009 at the Tengxing Social Service Centre, followed by a mini-workshop on dating. The workshop was very well-received, and good words have travelled to different parts of the country. Upon returning to Canada, Ka Tat Tsang worked with Mark Sy and Steve Shi to put on dating workshops for different groups of young people in Toronto. Now we have people showing interest in dating workshops for older people.
In December, 2009 Ka Tat Tsang conducted a 3-day SSLD workshop for social workers at the Hong Kong Christian Service, which was among the first organizations in Hong Kong to apply the earlier version of SST to their PS33 program for young people with substance use problems.
Ka Tat Tsang conducted a workshop on PHS (Proactive Health Strategiesbased on SSLD principles,to a group of health and mental health professionals on December 6, 2009.The social workers, psychologists, doctors, and counselors who attended have found SSLD very helpful, and many of them have already signed up as members of the Global Network.
An intensive training program on Counseling and Social Skills Development was offered to settlement service practitioners in Toronto in November 2009. The two-day training is part of the Certificate Program in Settlement Practice offered by the Continuing Education Department of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto.
SSLD Workshop (Basic Level): Ka Tat Tsang delivered a 2-day intensive workshop at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, on May 6 & 8, 2009.
Summer 2009
SSLD Supervision Group: The first SSLD supervision group started meeting in Hong Kong on Friday, May 29, 2009. The supervision group is co-led by Ka Tat Tsang, Timothy Leung, and Cheung Man-Sze. Other experienced SSLD practitioners such as Au Kit Lin may join later. Members who attended this historic first meeting include: Cheung Ka Wan, Valerie Yingli Chang, Xie Yan, Johanna Jen, Ada Luk, Sally F. Y. Sin, Jenny Zhuang Jie, Liu Kwok-hong, Mooly M. C. Wong, Grace Leung, and Fanny M. Y. Siu. The group will continue to meet through video-conferencing with Toronto, and face-to-face sessions in Hong Kong.
DVD on Problem Translation (Basic Level) is now completed and ready for distribution. Special thanks to Ivan Yau (Executive Producer), Sherlyn Hu (Research, Design, and Logistic Support), and Willie Lo (Post-Production).
SSLD Parent-Child Play Program: Development of this program started in 2007. The program is designed to help parents learn how to improve their relationship with their children and to support their growth. Specific modules on assessment and observation learning have been tested. K.T. Tsang is now working in collaboration with Simon So, Janice Tsoi, and Maria Wong in Toronto to finalize the program design. A full program will be developed and piloted later this year.
Community Organization and Development: Au Kit Lin has been actively applying SSLD to community organizing and development. She delivered a training program to community organizers in Hong Kong in April 2009. She is also applying SSLD to community re-development in the temporary housing area in Jiannan, Sichuan Province. Ka Tat Tsang is a consultant to the project.
Chinese Book on SSLD Application: Ka Tat Tsang and Ivan Yau are going to edit a book on SSLD application, to be published in Chinese. The book will document the development of SSLD as a practice system, tracing its roots back to the social skills training (SST) years in the 1970s and 1980s. Contributors include experienced SST/SSLD practitioners and academics. Invited contributors include: Dr. Timothy Leung, Dr. Roxco Chun, Ms. Cheung Man Sze, Ms. Florence Yan-ming Chu, Ms. Au Kit Lin, Mr. Simon So, Ms. Maria Wong, Ms. Janice Tsui, Dr. Kam Ping Kong, Ms. Linus Ip, and Dr. Chu Chi-keung.
SSLD in South China: Ka Tat Tsang has already conducted many training programs in China (e.g., Tsinghua University Department of Psychiatry, State Commission on Population and Family Planning, Shandong University). On June 5, 2009, he delivered an invited lecture at Sun Yat Sen (Zhongshan) University in Guangzhou, titled: Integrating Social Work Practice? The SSLD Approach. The lecture was attended by social work colleagues from Guangzhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. The lecture was very well received, and members of the audience are interested in pursuing the SSLD system further. Valerie Yingli Chang has agreed to liaise with this group.
Tuning in to SSLD: A number of organizations in Toronto and Hong Kong have adopted SSLD as their primary intervention model. Just within the month of May, 2009, we are exploring with at least 3 more organizations in government, social service, and healthcare. Timothy Leung, Mooly Wong, and Ka Tat Tsang are working with these organizations to see if they would introduce SSLD to their employees and adopt it as a key intervention system. The Hong Kong Christian Service, which was among the first Hong Kong organization to adopt the earlier version of SST in their PS 33 Program back in the 1980s, has confirmed that it will set up a 3-Day SSLD training course for 40 of its employees in December 2009.
SSLD in Healthcare and Rehabilitation: Timothy Leung is organizing a workshop on SSLD in Healthcare and Rehabilitation, now scheduled for December 6, 2009, to be held at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The workshop will, among other things, introduce the PHS (Proactive Health Strategies) System, which is built on SSLD principles. Ka Tat Tsang will be conducting the workshop together with other experienced SSLD practitioners.