Shawn Amador

Growing up going to Music, Arts, and Drama camp, I loved taking the clowning workshop every summer. It was really a great experience just being able to be free and express yourself through play with others!I am a full time school social worker of 17 years who has been also practicing privately for 10 years. In the schools I began a clown troupe that wrote their own plays about social skills and prevention issues. Eventually, our clown troupe evolved into a comedy troupe, and we began incorporating Social Thinking® concepts along with our original mission of teaching about prevention issues such as bullying and being kind. Bringing the idea of Social Theatre to Colleen Hanson, the owner of CORE Connection Counseling in Lisle, IL, she allowed me to begin theatre groups in a clinical setting to practice and teach social skills.As a 2009 recipient of the Heartspring Innovation and Creativity in Special Education Award, I have been able to teach social skills and increase self-confidence with her clients and students. My professional experience has been in the areas of domestic violence, child welfare, and in education serving children of many populations, including children with learning disabilities, attention difficulties, across the spectrum autism disorders, communication disorders, emotional and behavioral difficulties, and multi-needs. My education includes a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from North Central College, a Masters Degree in Social Work from Jane Addams College of Social Work at UIC, and a second Masters Degree in School Administration from North Eastern Illinois University. Along my professional journey, I have collected many different therapy tools including Social Thinking , Mindfulness Training, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.