BIGFeels NYC
SEL Coaching
Interpersonal Communication & Self-Advocacy
Interpersonal communication and self-advocacy helps children express their needs clearly, set boundaries when necessary, and ask for help without hesitation. These important social awareness and relationship skills help children feel heard, respected, and capable of speaking up for themselves.
However, it can be challenging for children to communicate their needs and advocate for themselves, especially when they're still learning to recognize what they need, worry that asking might be burdensome, or haven't yet built the language to express themselves clearly.
Through activities and coaching, BIGFeels NYC helps children develop their capacity to advocate for themselves, set healthy boundaries, and communicate with clarity.
Skills We Teach For Interpersonal Communication & Self-Advocacy
Children practice three core abilities that encourage clear communication and self-advocacy:
Coaching For Communication Skills & Self-Advocacy
BIGFeels NYC uses evidence-based activities designed to strengthen communication and self-advocacy:
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Structured language prompts ("I need..." "Please help me with..." "I feel...")
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Emotion-and-need matching exercises (connecting feelings to needs)
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Role-play for asking for help and expressing needs
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Social scripts for common communication situations
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Visual needs cards (e.g. help, space, rest)
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Guided practice saying no or setting limits respectfully
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Body signal awareness activities (recognizing hunger, tiredness, overwhelm)
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Reflection on how expressing needs affects outcomes
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Real-world communication practice (advocating in safe settings)
We work with families to create custom strategies that honor your child's unique strengths and support their developing capacity to communicate and advocate for themselves with confidence. View a sample intake report or book your free consultation below.