How We Offer This Service
Social relationships are the foundation of childhood happiness and resilience. Yet for many children, making friends, navigating conflicts, and reading social cues doesn't come naturally. Our Social & Relationship Counselling service provides structured, supportive opportunities for children to learn and practice essential social skills in a safe environment. Using evidence-based social skills training, role-playing, and real-world practice, we help children develop the confidence and competence to build lasting friendships.
Our Therapeutic Modalities Include:
- Social Skills Training (SST): Structured lessons and practice in specific social skills including initiating conversations, joining groups, taking turns, and reading body language
- Peer Mediation & Conflict Resolution: Teaching children how to resolve disagreements peacefully, apologize sincerely, and repair damaged friendships
- Social Thinking® Curriculum: Helping children understand that others have thoughts, feelings, and perspectives different from their own
- Friendship Groups: Small group sessions (3-6 children) where peers practice social skills together with therapist guidance
- Assertiveness Training: Teaching children to express needs and boundaries respectfully without aggression or passivity
- Empathy Building: Activities and discussions that develop perspective-taking and emotional attunement to others
- Bullying Prevention & Response: Strategies for recognizing bullying, responding effectively, and knowing when to seek help
- Digital Citizenship & Online Relationships: Navigating social media, online friendships, gaming communication, and digital boundaries
- Role-Playing & Video Modeling: Practicing social scenarios and reviewing recorded interactions for self-reflection and improvement
Session Structure & Delivery Options
We offer flexible formats to meet each child's social development needs:
- Individual sessions (50 minutes): One-on-one skill-building tailored to specific social challenges and goals
- Social skills groups (60-90 minutes): Small groups of children at similar developmental levels practicing skills together
- Dyad sessions (50 minutes): Working with a peer (often a classmate or friend) to practice specific relationship skills
- School-based support: Lunch bunches, recess coaching, or classroom observations to support social success at school
- Parent coaching sessions: Teaching parents how to facilitate playdates, coach social skills at home, and support friendship development
Between sessions, children receive "social homework" – small, achievable practice tasks that build skills in real-world settings.
Friendship is a Skill That Can Be Learned: Some children develop social skills naturally, but many need explicit teaching and practice. Our approach breaks down complex social behaviors into manageable steps, celebrating small victories along the way.
Why This Service Is Important
Peer relationships are not just a nice addition to childhood—they are essential for healthy development. Children who struggle socially are at significant risk for anxiety, depression, school avoidance, and long-term relationship difficulties. The pain of social rejection or isolation is real, and without intervention, social struggles often worsen over time.
Without social skills support, children may experience:
- Social isolation and loneliness: Being left out, eating alone at lunch, or having no one to play with
- Peer rejection: Actively being excluded, teased, or bullied by classmates
- Academic decline: School becomes a place of social stress, leading to avoidance or disengagement
- Anxiety and depression: Chronic social difficulties are strongly linked to mental health disorders
- Low self-esteem: Internalizing the belief that something is wrong with them or that they are unlikable
- Behavioral problems: Acting out to get attention or because they lack appropriate social strategies
- Difficulty with authority: Problems with teachers, coaches, and other adults due to communication deficits
- Long-term relationship struggles: Difficulty forming romantic relationships, workplace alliances, and adult friendships
- Increased risk of victimization: Socially vulnerable children are more likely to be targeted by bullies
With our Social & Relationship Counselling, children gain:
- Friendship Skills: Practical tools for starting conversations, joining play, sharing, taking turns, and being a good friend
- Social Confidence: Reduced anxiety about social situations and increased willingness to initiate interactions
- Conflict Resolution: Ability to navigate disagreements, apologize effectively, and repair relationships
- Empathy & Perspective-Taking: Understanding others' feelings and responding with compassion
- Assertiveness: Standing up for themselves respectfully without aggression or passivity
- Bullying Resilience: Strategies for responding to bullying and knowing when to seek help
- Improved School Experience: Greater comfort and success in the classroom, lunchroom, and playground
- Reduced Anxiety & Depression: Lower rates of social anxiety and mood difficulties
- Life-Long Relationship Skills: Foundations for healthy relationships throughout adolescence and adulthood
The Evidence Behind Social Skills Training
Decades of research demonstrate that structured social skills training significantly improves peer relationships, social competence, and emotional wellbeing. Meta-analyses show that social skills interventions produce moderate to large improvements in social functioning, with benefits maintained at follow-up. Children who receive social skills training are 60% less likely to develop social anxiety disorder and show significant improvements in peer acceptance and friendship quality.
Specific Social Skills We Teach by Age Group
Early Childhood (Ages 4-7)
- Sharing & turn-taking
- Joining in play
- Asking for help
- Identifying feelings
- Using polite words
- Personal space
Middle Childhood (Ages 8-11)
- Conversation skills
- Reading social cues
- Handling teasing
- Apologizing
- Being a good sport
- Group entry skills
Adolescents (Ages 12-17)
- Navigating peer pressure
- Romantic relationship skills
- Digital communication
- Boundary setting
- Conflict resolution
- Social media navigation
Measurable Outcomes: Families typically notice improvements within 8-12 sessions, including increased playdate requests, better classroom behavior, reduced conflict with peers, and greater willingness to attend social events.
Common Social Challenges We Address
- Friendship difficulties: Trouble making or keeping friends
- Social anxiety: Fear of judgment, rejection, or embarrassment
- Bullying: Being targeted or struggling to respond effectively
- Shyness & withdrawal: Difficulty initiating or joining interactions
- Aggression or bossiness: Difficulty with cooperation and turn-taking
- Misreading social cues: Missing sarcasm, body language, or tone
- Social media conflicts: Online drama, exclusion, or miscommunication
- Friendship transitions: Moving schools, friend breakups, or changing peer groups
Supporting Social Success at School
We actively collaborate with schools to support your child's social development in their natural environment:
- Teacher consultations: Helping educators understand and support your child's social needs
- Lunch bunches: Facilitated lunch groups that provide structured social practice
- Recess coaching: Real-time support during unstructured social times
- Classroom observations: Identifying specific social challenges and opportunities
- IEP/504 support: Advocating for social skills goals and appropriate accommodations
For Parents of Socially Struggling Children
It's heartbreaking to watch your child struggle with friendships. You may feel helpless, worried, or unsure how to help. Please know that social skills can be taught, and with the right support, your child can experience the joy of genuine friendship. Many socially successful adults were once socially struggling children who received the right intervention at the right time.