The Black Dot Analogy: How Torah-Based SEL Changes Lives

What do you see on the whiteboard? Some might say a black dot. Some might say a black black circle. They might describe it in different ways. And what we want to try to draw their attention to is all the white that's around that black dot. In life, when we want to try to develop coping skills, we have to remember that what draws our attention the most is the pain, is the difficulty. We stub our toe. That's what we're focused on. That black dot, it shows itself. It presents itself with emphasis, and that's what draws our attention. But we don't want to forget all the white, all the good that's in our lives at the same time that we might be struggling with a particular thing.