PEERS(R) SOCIAL SKILLS COACHING

The PEERS (R) social skills model is a Caregiver-Assisted Intervention that was designed at UCLA exclusively for mental health professionals, educators, medical professionals, speech and language pathologists, occupational and recreational therapists, researchers, and other professionals who work with individuals with social challenges. These mental health professionals  work directly with families to teach caregivers and clients about social skills. 

https://www.semel.ucla.edu/peers/teens

PEERS (R) training may be offered in a group setting, or individually based on client needs. However, an important component of the training is incorporation of the client's regular caregiver/s. Together as a team, the client and caregiver will learn about the targeted social skills and caregivers will then help clients create opportunities to practice those skills in between training sessions. Caregivers are also trained to provide feedback on implementation of social skills. 

Dr. Devine is currently certified in PEERS(R) for Adolescents. As such, those most likely to benefit from this curriculum are children between the ages of 10-18, who have verbose communication skills but may have some social challenges. Often these children perform well in school and get along great with adults, or much younger children, but may feel like they lack quality friendships or do not feel confident in their social abilities around children their own age. They may struggle with conflict resolution, picking up on social cues, and keeping conversations going.

Part of what makes the PEERS program so effective is the heavy parent/caregiver involvement. For each session your child has with Dr. Devine (whether this is in a group or individual setting), you as a parent/caregiver will also have one! During your parent/caregiver training sessions, Dr. Devine will review the skills that your child has been taught this week, and will review the homework assignment with you. Homework involves helping your child create and engage in practice opportunities to use the newly taught skill. You will also be responsible for giving feedback to your child (which Dr. Devine will teach you how to do). 

The traditional UCLA established PEERS model calls for 14-16 consecutive weeks of coaching in a small group setting. However, Dr. Devine offers a variety of scheduling accommodations and therapeutic options as this intense of a therapeutic commitment may not be right for everyone. Individual accommodations may be discussed as needed. 

Costs for PEERS(R) coaching vary depending on client needs. Rates for small group are different than for 1:1 sessions. Additionally, availability of small group sessions is dependent on availability of appropriate peers for your child to work with. Please contact us to discuss your individual situation and to get an estimate.