**we have temporarily suspended this group
Is your child struggling to make and keep friends?
Does your child’s school frequently call with concerns regarding your child’s aggressive behavior?
Does your child lack confidence in social situations?
Social connections are a basic human need. As children and teens navigate challenging social situations they want the approval and support of their peers. Having positive relationships with their peers is important for a child’s mental health and well-being. But, what if your child struggles with making or keeping friends? Maybe, their school has reported seeing aggressive or anti-social behavior? As a parent, you want the best for your child and you are worried about their social skills, but you’re not sure how to help them. The good news is children and teens can learn social skills in a group setting and apply them in their daily lives.
What are social skills?
The term “social skills” describes a set of skills that helps people communicate and interact with others. Social skills can be verbal and non-verbal. Here are just a few examples of common social skills we use every day:
- Smiling
- Maintaining eye contact
- Greetings
- Listening
- Cooperating and sharing
- Negotiating and problem-solving
- Joining a conversation
- Playing appropriately with others
- Managing emotions
- Impulse control
How can a social skills group help my child?
Social skills groups teach children the skills they need to interact with their peers in a positive way. Like most new skills, social skills require practice just like learning how to play an instrument. A group environment allows children and teens to learn new skills and then practice it with peers.
During each group, the group leader teaches one new skill one at a time. The skills children learn will get more difficult as the group progresses. In real life, children have to use different skills in different settings or with different people. Therefore, a social skills group allows kids to try out new behaviors for different situations in a safe, caring environment. Children and teens learn best when they are having fun. Therefore, we make social skills groups are fun, dynamic and engaging. Kids will learn these new skills while participating in fun games, team challenges, art activities, and other projects.
Who benefits from Social Skills Groups?
Children who struggle to interact with their peers will benefit from learning social skills in a supportive setting at Wellview Counseling in Roswell, GA near Atlanta. This includes children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), learning differences, and cognitive and communication delays.
Our groups can help children of all ages. But, the skills we teach vary depending on the age range of the children enrolled. Therefore, we have specific groups for different age ranges. Additionally, we prefer to keep our groups small. Therefore we limit enrollment to four or five children. This allows us to make sure that each child receives lots of support and attention.
Before the groups begin, our group therapist talks to parents to make sure their child is placed in a group that will be a good fit for them. This is a good time to share the specific concerns you have regarding your child’s behavior and any other relevant information such as allergies or other medical diagnoses.
Register your child for a social skills group in the Atlanta Area
If you think your child would benefit from learning valuable skills in a supportive and positive group setting, we would love to meet with you! Wellview Counseling offers social skills groups at our Atlanta area counseling clinic. To get started, please follow these simple steps:
- Contact our office to learn more, or click here to register your child in a social skills group,
- Meet with a compassionate and supportive child therapist for an initial intake appointment,
- Get your child the support they need to be successful in building relationships with others.
Other Services Offered by Wellview Counseling
Our Atlanta area mental health clinic offers a variety of counseling services to help you or child achieve emotional wellness. Our mission is to help you find healing and growth. The therapy services at Wellveiw Counseling include trauma therapy, play therapy, child counseling individual counseling, therapy for postpartum anxiety and depression, trauma and PTSD treatment, chronic illness counseling, family therapy, and positive discipline parent education opportunities. If you cannot visit our Atlanta area counseling clinic, but live in the state of Georgia, we please consider online therapy with one of our skilled therapists. Contact our counseling clinic to learn more about the many ways we can help you or your loved one!