At Believing In Change We are excited to announce the certification of our social skills leaders in the PEERS® curiculum and the implementation of the PEERS® methods into our weekly social skills groups. 

The world-renowned Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®), provides evidence-based social skills programs to preschoolers, adolescents, and young adults who have a diagnosis of autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, and other socio-emotional problems. 

Certified PEERS Providers are required to complete the full PEERS training under the tutelage of Dr Elizabeth Laugeson and her team. 

In addition, for certification providers are required to have qualifications in mental health and or special education/education and allied health professionals. 

The PEERS social skills program for adolescents and young adults utilizes strategies such as direct didactic instruction, role-play to learn new skills, and increased awareness and management of cognitions.

 The innovation of PEERS® to other programs is the intensive training of parents/carers, use of Socratic method, provision of real-world opportunities to develop skills and gain feedback in naturalistic settings, use of integrated role play/ demonstration, behavior rehearsal and experiential learning.

PEERS groups focus on obtaining core social skills such as developing and maintaining friendships, improving conversational skills, entering and exiting group interactions, and handling teasing as well as losing when playing competitive games. Studies have demonstrated significant improvements in social ability following participation in the PEERS intervention.