PEERS® is a 14-week online program for teens aged 13-17 or young adults aged 18-30 who experience social challenges and are interested in learning new ways of making and keeping friends.
In weekly 90-minute online small group sessions, teens/young adults are taught important social skills and given the opportunity to practise these skills during socialisation activities in the session.
Parents/caregivers attend online 60-minute weekly small group sessions separately to their teens/young adults and are taught how to become a social coach for their teen/young adult to support them in practicing their new skills at home, coaching them during their weekly socialisation homework assignments and providing feedback.
Sessions are relaxed & fun whilst using evidence-based teaching methods …
- Small group (6-12 participants)
- Safe environment where everyone finds success
- Didactic instruction (concrete easy to follow rules & steps)
- Socratic questioning method (a question/answer dialogue to draw out ideas)
- Teaches ecologically valid skills (skills that socially successful people use)
- Correct/Incorrect role play examples
- Role-playing and modelling practice of correct skills (behaviourial rehearsal)
- Perspective-taking questions targeting social cognition
- Social coaching from both course facilitators & parent(s)/carer(s)
- Homework exercises (with parent/carer assistance)
- Each session builds upon the previous week