We combine the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®), developed at the UCLA PEERS® Clinic, with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Together they help neurodiverse individuals strengthen social understanding, improve emotional regulation, and build authentic connections.
World-renowned for evidence-based online social-skills training for adolescents, young adults, and adults.
Help individuals navigate social anxiety by teaching them to challenge unhelpful thoughts, accept uncomfortable feelings, and take confident, values-based action.
Carefully selected elements of additional evidence-based approaches that are shown to work with people with autism and other neurodiversity.
Critical social skills build confidence, ease social anxiety, and lead to meaningful friendships.
Studies show measurable improvement in social responsiveness and general social skills after completing PEERS®-based programs.
Participants spent more time meeting with friends and interacting socially after completing the program.
Studies show a decrease in problem behaviors upon completion of PEERS®.
Research demonstrates telehealth delivery is as effective as in-person treatment for improving social skills.
The following teaching methods have been shown to be effective for social-skills training:
Source: Matson, 1984; Davies & Rogers, 1985; Fleming & Fleming, 1982; Mesibov, 1984; Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001; Gralinski & Kopp, 1993; Rubin & Sloman, 1984; Frankel & Myatt, 2003; Rao, Beidel, & Murray, 2008; Laugeson et al., 2008.
Research out of UCLA demonstrated efficacy in improving social skills for autistic youth via telehealth. The findings showed that PEERS® delivery via telehealth produced significant improvements in social responsiveness, social-skills knowledge, general social skills, and the number of get-togethers reported by both teens and parents — and significant decreases in problem behaviors.
Subsequent research found telehealth delivery was relatively equivalent to in-person treatment, suggesting teens on the autism spectrum were able to learn important friendship skills in a remote learning context with no significant differences across treatment modalities.
Source: Estabillo, Moody, Poulhazan et al. — Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Research has shown that neurodivergent youth tend to have very few close reciprocal friendships, lower friendship quality, less security in relationships, less involvement in social activities, and increased social isolation entering adulthood. That’s why we focus on helping you learn how to develop and maintain friendships.
Source: Howlin et al., 2013; Orsmond et al., 2013; Howlin et al., 2014; Tobin et al., 2013; Reichow et al., 2010.
Friendships are known to protect against the consequences of peer rejection and against victimization in autistic youth. Peer rejection is one of the strongest predictors of:
Source: Poteat & Espelage, 2007; Nansel et al., 2001; Espelage & Swearer, 2003; Hawker & Boulton, 2000; Schwartz, 2010; Perry et al., 2001; van Roekel et al., 2010; and others.
Start with a $99 Intake Assessment to design a plan grounded in 20+ years of evidence.