Our skilled behavioral therapists and licensed clinical social workers utilize an evidence-based approach that is derived from leading research and proven to develop critical social skills.
Experience a comprehensive curriculum that integrates methodologies from UCLA’s PEERS©, cognitive behavioral therapy, and our proprietary S Groups materials. The curriculum is taught with evidence-based teaching modalities including didactic lessons, video role playing, behavioral rehearsal (ie. role playing), and modeling and observation.
Choose the social skills program that works best for you. Our peer groups provide an opportunity to learn and practice social skills with your peers, while private coaching allows you to learn in a one-on-one setting with a highly skilled behavioral therapist. Practice social skills in a controlled setting, then confidently apply them in your daily social interactions.
Join private coaching sessions or peer groups via Zoom from anywhere in the U.S., offering you the flexibility to hone your social skills from the comfort of your home. Research shows that social skills training via telehealth is just as effective as in person.
Get instant feedback from your peers and behavioral therapist to fine-tune your social skills and enhance your social awareness in real-time. This immediate feedback allows you to quickly sharpen your social skills and gain confidence.
Enhance your ability to interpret social cues, like body language and facial expressions, which are crucial for effective communication. Learn to understand different perspectives and how our words and actions impact others, helping to build and maintain relationships.
Inspired by the PEERS© model, this program encourages you to have your caregiver involved in their own groups or private coaching sessions. While you work on developing your social skills, they’ll learn strategies to support you in accomplishing your goals and increasing the effectiveness of your training.
Our evidence-based curriculum is structured for success and proven to be effective.
Intake Assessment: We begin by assessing our clients’ current social skills, identifying strengths, challenges, and specific areas for improvement. Clients will complete three short assessments that assess social skills knowledge, the quality of their relationships, and social anxiety.
Goal Setting: Clear, measurable goals and treatment intervention are established based on the assessment. These goals are tailored to our clients’ needs and may include improving conflict management skills, initiating conversations, or managing social anxiety, for example.
Teaching Specific Skills: We focus on teaching specific social skills, such as making introductions, maintaining conversations, interpreting body language, and entering and exiting group conversations.
Role-Playing: Role-playing exercises are commonly used to practice social scenarios in a structured environment. This allows our clients to rehearse and refine their responses in a safe, low-pressure setting.
Real-Life Practice: Our clients are encouraged to apply their new skills in real-life situations. This might involve interacting with group members outside of session, participating in group activities, or engaging in community events.
Approach: Our training involves teaching tools that promote taking small steps towards approaching situations with peers, to help our clients build confidence and competence with their social skills.
Immediate Feedback: Our therapists provide immediate feedback during practice sessions, highlighting what was done well and areas for improvement.
Positive Reinforcement: Positive reinforcement and using a strength based approach is used to encourage and motivate our clients. In our peer groups, a comradery begins to form, as members begin to praise and motivate each other.
Generalizing Skills: The goal is to help our clients transfer the skills learned in training to a variety of social contexts. Strategies are employed to generalize skills from structured settings to everyday situations. In a group setting generalization can happen much quicker when skills are practiced with same aged peers.
Ongoing Support: Weekly or bi-weekly training sessions allow us to review progress, address new challenges, and reinforce skills.
Training for Families: Involving parents or caregivers in the training process is proven to enhance the effectiveness of SST. They can learn strategies to support their loved one’s social development and provide additional practice opportunities at home, and continue with intervention strategies when SST has ended with their therapists.
Groups and Private Coaching: We provide separate groups and private coaching training sessions for parents and caregivers, so they can learn how to be a “social coach”, and support their loved ones using the same language and techniques as their S Groups therapist.