Group Counseling

Year-round, group counseling program are available to children 3-18 years of age. Weekly sessions are highly structured and include activities and experiences supporting mastery of program goals and objectives.

PALS  programs are designed for children 7-18 years of age who exhibit mild to moderate social or emotional development challenges.

Jr. Pals  program focus on the social and emotional development needs of children from preschool through kindergarten 3-6 years of age). Children are divided into groups of up to four according to their developmental level.

Just Pals  program is designed for children who demonstrate adequate social knowledge but who require additional opportunities to practice their social skills. Children ages 6-18 are provided supportive feedback in a semi-structured environment as they build and refine social skills.

Friendship Club  includes social development programs for children 3-18 years of age exhibiting more significant social cognitive deficit including but not limited to being diagnosed with:

• Asperger's Syndrome (AS)
• High Functioning Autism (HFA)
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)
• Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities (NLD)

These groups introduce children 6-18 years of age to a variety of developmentally appropriate anger control techniques. Through various activities and experiences, children learn to take charge of their anger as well as constructively express it. Strategies to diffuse other's anger and to respond to teasing are introduced.

These groups include activities and experiences focusing on the enhancement of self-esteem, social self-confidence, and social skills development. Children 9-18 years of age learn self encouragement which enables them to respond to mistakes , failures, or put-downs in a manner which maintains their self-esteem.