Enhance who you already are.

PEERS® for Young Adults is an evidence-based social skills program for adults who are interested in making and keeping friends and/or developing romantic relationships.

What I’m Offering

Young adults and social coaches (typically parents or other caregivers) attend 16 weekly group sessions for 90 minutes per week, or more if desired. Participants are taught social skills through didactic lessons and role-play demonstrations and practice these social skills during socialization activities. Social coaches attend separate sessions and are taught how to best support the young adult in making and keeping friends and/or dating. 

I will help you to decode the social code of making friends into concrete terms and strategies that are proven to work. PEERS® provides ecologically valid social skills that disseminate socially helpful behavior and socially risky behavior. Rules and steps are provided that focus on making and keeping friends, dating, and handling conflict and rejection. Most importantly, the use of these skills is a CHOICE.

How it works

  • PEERS® began as a program for neurodivergent individuals and has been shown to be just as effective for neurotypical individuals.

    People experience and interact with world in different ways; there is no “right” way of thinking, learning, or behaving.

    PEERS® teaches skills that have been shown to be effective in social situations. These skills are VOLUNTARY and NOT about changing a person.

    PEERS® is about enhancing social interactions so others can appreciate you for who you already are.

    • 1-on-1 sessions with a PEERS® certified provider spread across 16 weeks (or more if needed). 

    • Weekly lessons: concrete rules and steps of socially helpful behavior and ecologically valid social skills taught.

    • Role-play demonstrations: model skills; socially risky and socially helpful demonstrations; and perspective taking questions.

    • Homework assignments: practice in natural social settings that helps generalize skills.

    • Homework review: review assignments from the previous lessons; provides repetition of instruction; and allows for individualization of the program.

    • Caregiver/social coach assistance: real world social coaching (if applicable). 

    • Sessions can be in person or virtual, whichever the young adult is most comfortable with. 

  • 16-week program

    90-minute young adult sessions

    A. Homework review (30 min)

    B. Lessons with role play videos (30 min)

    C. Practice exercises (30 min)

    If you have a social coach, separate sessions are available to

    A. Homework review (45 min)

    B. Reunification with young adult (15 min)

    • Reach out to me to schedule a consultation to discuss your social goals.

    • If a social coach will be involved, schedule a separate consultation to discuss the role of social coach and how to best support the young adult.

    • Complete assessments located in client portal.

    • If we agree that the program is a good fit for the young adult at this time, I will present a more detailed overview of the program and its structure. 

    • The young adult and social coach will fill out required intake paperwork. 

    • We schedule our first session!

Meet Loren

Your social coach will:

  1. More effectively support efforts at finding potential suitable friends 

  2. More effectively support young adults in making new acquaintances and developing close friendships 

In Summary

Each week we review strategies in friendships and relationships that have been shown to be socially helpful and socially risky. Learning and or using the strategies taught in PEERS® is voluntary and NOT about changing who you are. Learning and enlisting these skills should be about enhancing social interactions so others can appreciate who you already are. 

Let's do it!