PEERS for Teens

PEERS for Teens is a 13 week evidence-based social skills intervention for motivated teens in middle and high school who are interested in learning new ways of making and keeping friends. Teens and parents attend 90 minute sessions through a Zoom platform once a week over a 13 week period.

This internationally acclaimed program, used in over 35 countries, was originally developed at UCLA by Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson. During each group session, teens are taught important social skills and are given the opportunity to practice these skills in session during socialization activities. Parents attend separate sessions and are taught how to assist their teens in making and keeping friends by helping to expand their teen’s social network and providing feedback through coaching during weekly socialization homework assignments.

PEERS may be appropriate for teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression or other social and behavioural disorders. Parent participation is required. Parent participation is a vital component of the PEERS model. There is a weekly parent group, run by a trained facilitator, in which caregivers learn to be effective social coaches for their teen. Additionally, parents will help their teen complete weekly assignments.