PEERS Social Skills Training

Many children, adolescents, and young adults would benefit from social skills training. Unfortunately, while many social skills programs seem like they would be beneficial, research has shown that most are simply not effective.

The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) was developed at UCLA in 2005 and more recently in the spotlight as it was highlighted on the Netflix hit show, Love on The Spectrum.

PEERS is a specific program of research validated social skills shown to have lasting positive impact in the real world. The PEERS program helps individuals learn how to make and keep friends. This is done with specific training on developing the skills to manage social situations and relationships. Some of the topics in the training include:

Choosing appropriate friends
Entering and exiting conversations
Conversational skills
Using humor appropriately
Handling arguments and disagreements
Handling rejection, teasing, and bullying
Using and managing technology & social media

Although we see benefits for almost everyone learning these skills, it can be particularly helpful for individuals with ADHD, anxiety, depression, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or other social challenges. In addition to individual and group training, PEERS is also offered as a consultation service for schools and other organizations.