Children’s Friendship Training (CFT) is a social skills intervention in which participants will learn and practice foundational social skills, through a variety of engaging and fun activities.  CFT is an evidence-based, group-format, parent-assisted social skills intervention for children. 

This training is geared towards motivated children who are interested in learning ways to help them make and keep friends. During each group session, children are taught crucial social skills and are given the opportunity to practice these skills in session during role-play and play activities (e.g. sports, board games, etc.). Parents are taught how to assist their children in making and keeping friends by providing feedback through coaching during weekly socialization homework assignments designed to build on skills practiced in the sessions. 

Topics Covered:

• How to ‘play detective’ to find common interests

• How to join a group of kids at play

• How to handle rejection, teasing, and bullying

• How to be a good host on a playdate

• How to be a good winner

• How to be a good sport

• How to show respect to adults

• How to make phone calls to friends

Conversation Cues is a 12-session program teaching the skills needed during conversations.  Sessions are taught using a variety of activities, videos, workbooks, and role-plays. Topics covered include;

• When To Start the Conversation

• Cue: Interested

• Cue: Not Interested

• How To Start a Conversation

• Cue: Bored

• Take Turns

• Maintain Conversation

• Talk on Topic

• Cue: Disbelief

• Cue: Confused

• My Cues

• End Conversation

Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relationship Skills (PEERS®) is an evidence-based social skills intervention to teach children between the ages of 4 to 6 years how to make and keep friends.  Children are taught social skills through lessons, puppet shows, and role-play demonstrations, and practice these skills during group socialization activities and weekly homework assignments. 

16 weeks of 1.5-hour sessions, for both children and parents

Children will learn about:

• Listen & follow directions

• Ask & use names

• Greet friends

• Share and give turns

• Ask friends to play

• Join ongoing games

• Keep cool during play

• Be a good sport

• Transition to new play activities

• Ask & give help

• Use good volume control

• Maintain good body boundaries

Through the implementation of the updated Zones of Regulation curriculum, we will focus on:

• Improve competencies in co-regulation and self-regulation 

• Self-identify feelings, energy, and levels of alertness 

• Build self-awareness of body signals as they relate to emotions 

• Develop perspective-taking skills 

• Integrate situational awareness with self-awareness to determine how to regulate 

• Identify triggers and sparks that impact regulation