Is your child struggling socially? Does your child feel isolated? Is your child having difficulty making friends despite trying to connect with others?
Family Connections Therapy offers in-person social skills classes for kids wanting to improve their social skills and enrich their lives. We offer separate Elementary, Middle, and High School classes. Your child will learn basic and advanced social skills to help them create lasting bonds with peers.
First Class: During the first social skills class they will learn and practice basic skills and concepts, including mindfulness exercises to decrease social anxiety.
Second Class: For the second social skills class they will earn and practice initiating good topics of conversation when making a connection.
Third Class: The third part of this social skills course is learning and practicing how to move through a conversation and switch between topics naturally.
Fourth Class: For the fourth social skills class they will go over how to react to a conversation that is not going how you wanted it to.
Fifth Class: During the final social skills group they will work on how to go from an acquaintance to a friend and develop and maintain a friendship.
We believe that all children deserve to have friendships, and all children are capable of having them, even if they find themselves lost. Therefore, we take a Skills-Based approach that provides kids with the tools they need to succeed socially.
It’s important for a child to understand and identify the reasons they struggle socially. For example, kids often struggle socially due to a lack of confidence, fear of judgment, or not having interacted with peers. This way, we can address the root issue holding them back and manage their anxiety.
The group facilitator provides social skills and concepts throughout the five-session course. We start with fundamentals, then work our way up to advanced skills.
In the Social Skills group members are invited to participate in various role plays. This allows them to practice skills in a safe space before applying them in the outside world. The group members are given feedback by their peers and the group facilitator to create a collaborative and supportive learning environment.
Group members learn to embrace who they are and what makes them unique. As a result, children and teens will recognize what they have to offer others, which inspires confidence.
Social skills are an important part of the daily life of a child. As such, these skills are a huge determining factor of happiness for a child. Everyone wants to have friends (even those who say they don’t), but kids often feel at a loss for how to form and grow relationships with their peers. However, it is not as complicated as it may seem. Most kids who struggle socially simply need to know how to approach social interactions. It will become natural, but for many, it isn’t at first, and that’s okay!
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdown affected us all. Mental health issues arose for children who were not previously struggling and worsened for those who were. They were isolated, spending nearly all their time at home.
Social life became limited to virtual interactions. Perhaps they played games with friends online, spoke to friends on the phone, or even video-chatted.
However, these things are not a replacement for face-to-face social interactions. Video games are not the same as playing during recess. The phone is not the same as having a conversation at the lunch table. Video Chatting is not the same as going to a friend’s house over the weekend. As a result, many children who previously thrived socially now find themselves struggling.
No parent likes to see their child hurting and many children are hurting right now. It is painful to know that your child has no one to call on a weekend, sits alone at lunch, or is bullied by other kids at school.
Think to yourself: what would it be like to see your child enjoy going to school? What would it be like for your child to come home and tell you a funny story about something that happened that day? What would it be like for your child to ask, “Can I go over to Jimmy’s later?” or, “Amanda is having a birthday on Sunday. Can I go?” These are experiences a child should have growing up and, as parents, it feels good to see our children happy.
Your child may believe that they will never have friends. They may think that they are incapable of forming relationships. They may think that something is wrong with them. That is not true! Social skills are just that: SKILLS. These skills can be learned, practiced, and even mastered with time. Every child has something unique to offer their classmates, teammates, or the kids in their theater production. Too often, their peers never get to experience what your child has to offer. That is because they never get to experience your child at their best.
If your child is ready to give a social life another shot we can help with Social Skills Classes. Over the course of five sessions, our understanding therapist will teach your child the skills they need to connect with peers, turn those peers into friends, and become closer with them as time goes on. At Family Connections Therapy we want to help your child enjoy their formative years and look forward to seeing their peers rather than dread it. In order to sign up for our Social Skills Course, follow these simple steps:
In our San Diego-based therapy practice, we offer lots of options to support your mental health. Including children’s therapy, therapy for ADHD, attachment and healthy development, and play therapy. In addition to LGBTQIA+ and transgender therapy for kids and teens. While for adults, we offer individual therapy, depression treatment, and more! Our caring therapists also offer family therapy, couples therapy, reunification therapy, and parenting classes for peripheral parents. Many of these services are offered in-person and through online therapy in California.
