Group Therapy
Good social skills form the foundation of positive social relationships and effective communication. Social skills can include the ability to initiate a conversation, make friends, displaying good sportsmanship and being able to handle bullying effectively.
Good social skills in children and adolescents are often a predictor of future success and emotional wellbeing.
Therapy Junction, in partnership with Connecting Kids, offers social skills groups for children between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. These groups have been developed by Occupational Therapists, under the guidance of a Clinical Psychologist.
Groups are facilitated by two Occupational Therapists; Megan Heyns and Kelly Westerman and consists of 8 to 12 participants of similar age and developmental stage.
During the group sessions children are given the opportunity to develop and practice various social skills within a safe and contained environment.
Which social skills can be developed through groups?
- Empathy
- Teamwork
- Sharing
- Listening skills
- Self awareness
- Negotiating
- Self regulation
- Turn taking
- Conflict resolution
- Compromise
How do groups develop social skills?
- Assisting children in developing communication skills by gaining insight into verbal and non-verbal communication.
- Developing a deeper and more authentic sense of self that leads to improved feelings of self-esteem and self-worth.
- Developing emotional vocabulary to assist with self-expression.
- Learning healthy ways of coping with and expressing emotions.
- Offering children the opportunity to develop and maintain relationships with peers.
- Assisting children to develop insight into their behaviour and choices and the consequences of these for themselves and others.
- Helping children recognise shared experiences to decrease feelings of isolation and increase empathy.
Please contact one of our therapists if you would like to find out more about our groups.
