Behavioral Psychology Associates
Behavioral Psychology Associates

Social Skills Groups

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents

Did you know BPA has been running social skills groups for over 25 years?

Research suggests that children with positive social skills (e.g. initiating conversations, picking up on nonverbal cues) more easily make and keep friends, whom can help and support us to navigate through our daily lives.

For children with social skills challenges, many social situations can be frustrating and difficult. They may misinterpret social cues and mistake others' emotions. Other children may have limited social skills for dealing with teasing and bullies. Limited social opportunities can leave some children feeling isolated without the skills to make and maintain friendships. Social skills groups provide the opportunity to teach children specific skills within a group of their peers. Social skills are practiced during sessions and children receive feedback to improve their abilities. Social skills groups are also fun! Children and adolescents enjoy belonging to a group of peers, sharing experiences and playing games.

What is Our Group Philosophy?

Our groups are skill-based groups led by licensed professionals. Each group sessions focuses on a specific skill. Video modeling and role-playing are used to help students practice the skills. Groups also include time for games and less structured interaction. Each week, parents are given a detailed agenda that describes the skill, along with homework suggestions. Typical lessons may include: starting/maintaining conversations; dealing with teasing and bullies; and, reading non-verbal cues. The group curriculum is drawn from several sources including the UCLA Peers Program for Adolescents, Navigating the Social World by Jeanette McAfee, and Social Skills Training by Jed Baker.

Kids playing on phones and technology

"We’ll be friends forever, won’t we?" asked Piglet.

"Even longer," Pooh answered.

— A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Who Can Join Our Groups?

The groups are for children and adolescents who have difficulty making and keeping friends. Typical diagnoses include:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities
  • Social Anxiety
  • Pragmatic Language Deficits
  • Social difficulties related to ADHD

What Do We Do?

At Behavioral Psychology associates, our social skills training groups have 3 sets of 10-week sessions. Participants are placed in developmentally appropriate groups with separate groups for grade school, middle school, and high school.

Important Details

Group Leader

Virginia Seng, PhD.

Dates

Saturday Groups for boys age 5-15 at 8:00am, 9:00am, 10:00am and 11:00am

Location

Hoffman Estates: 2500 W. Higgins Road

Cost

$100.00 per 50 minute session
(*insurance often covers the group fees)

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