Expressions of Interest for PEERS® Adolescent Social Skills Program

What is PEERS®?

PEERS® stands for Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills.

The PEERS® program is an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based social skills group program for adolescents and young adults with social challenges.

Originally developed by Dr Elizabeth Laugeson at the University of California (UCLA) PEERS®, the programme has a strong evidence-base for use with adolescents and young adults with Aspergers/ASD, but is also highly appropriate for those with ADHD, anxiety, depression, learning difficulties, those who may be twice exceptional or gifted and talented or indeed anyone experiencing social challenges.

The program assists motivated teens and young adults with social challenges who are interested in learning ways to help them make and keep friends.

Explicitly teaching how to navigate common social challenges allows the formation of more positive relationships.

Teens/Young Adults learn how to:

• Develop & maintain friendships
• Improve conversational skills
• Choose appropriate friends & find common interests
• Appropriately use electronic forms of communication
• Appropriately use humour & assess humour feedback
• Start, enter & exit conversations between peers
• Organise successful get-togethers with friends
• Be a good sport when playing games and/or sports with friends
• Handle arguments & disagreements with friends
• Handle rejection, teasing, bullying, rumours/gossip & cyber bullying
• Change an unwanted reputation
• Dating Skills (Young Adults Program only – coming soon!)

Program:

• Teens and parents attend 16-weekly group sessions for 90 minutes per week
• Teens are taught social skills through didactic lessons and role-play demonstrations, and practice these skills during group socialisation activities
• Parents attend separate sessions simultaneously and are taught how to assist their teens in making and keeping friends
• Parent participation is required

NDIS Funding

This service can be funded by your NDIS package, under the following categories:

• Increased Social and Community Participation
• School Leaver Employment Supports

Meet Your Social Coach

Renee Cusworth

• Certified PEERS® Adolescent Social Skills course provider
• Qualified Kinesiologist
• Certification Candidate with the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC)

Register your interest today to attend an upcoming PEERS® program by clicking below or calling on 0402 580 777.