Enrolling in The Art of Friendship Social Skills Program is as easy as 1 - 2 - 3!
01
FILL OUT A REQUEST FOR ADMISSION FORM (link below)
Alert our Client Care Coordinator of your interest in the program.
Please take 5 minutes to complete the simple form that asks about your child’s age, which of our office locations you prefer, as well as your schedule availability. We also ask a number of social skills questionnaire questions about your child’s social strengths and needs. We will review your responses to the social skills questionnaire within a few days and let you know if we have a potential group with a well fitting peer group for your child. If we have a potential group for your child, move to step two…
02
FREE 30-MINUTE CONSULTATION PHONE OR VIDEO CALL
Speak with the therapist who facilitates the social skills group that is a potential fit for your child.
Our social skills therapist will tell you about the program and answer all your questions. Our therapist will ask follow- up questions to the social skills questionnaire and get to know your child’s strengths, needs, and developmental history. Together, the therapist and you mutually explore whether the other group participants are a good developmental fit for your child’s needs. If things look promising, you’ll move to step three when your child meets the therapist…
03
SCHEDULE AN ASSESSMENT/ ORIENTATION SESSION
Your child meets with the therapist to get to know each other to confirm a good fit & promote a successful start.
In this session the child meets the therapist for the first time - outside of the group context. We simultaneously help your child adjust to the new group and confirm that the group members will likely be a successful fit. We conduct a mock-group session, familiarizing your child with the activities in a typical session and making them feel safe and comfortable. Simultaneously, the therapist assesses your child’s energy and social engagement and coping style. If this session confirms a successful match your child joins the group!
What if, at any step in the 3-step process, it seems as though the group is NOT a good fit for your child?
Please don’t take it personally! It’s not a criticism of your child; we simply don’t have a well-fitting peer group at this time. You and we want the same thing: a successful social skill development experience for your child. If any step in our admission procedure results in a concern that the proposed peer group will not successfully meet your child’s needs, then we will suggest other options. Other groups at the Art of Friendship may be a better fit (if your schedule is flexible), or we can try to build a new group around your child’s needs (if our therapists have flexibility in their schedule). If we can’t place your child in an appropriate group within a month, we apologize, but we don’t keep a waiting list. We encourage you to contact us in several months to see if our groups have changed.