PEERS® FOR YOUNG ADULTS
Winter 2020 Session begins in November!
Are you out of highschool and having a hard time making connections with people? It can be really rough, especially with COVID precautions keeping most of us away from other humans. Making friends in person and online can be really challenging - what do you say? How do you even get started? How can you tell if they like you or find you funny? What if someone's being rude or trying to pressure you? Or what if you find someone cool and want to try dating?
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Now is the perfect time to learn how to navigate all of those challenges and more! Joining our PEERS® for Young Adults group can help. You can build skills and practice from the comfort of your own house with one of your loved ones as your "social coach"!
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PEERS® for Young Adults is an evidence-based social skills curriculum for motivated adults who are interested in making and keeping friends or developing romantic relationships! It was created by Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson at UCLA. These sessions are led by Kade Sharp, who is the only non-school based PEERS® Certified Provider in the Tri-Cities.
This curriculum is designed to assist neurodivergent youth (diagnoses like anxiety, autism, depression, ADHD, etc.) in building, maintaining, and growing relationships.
There will be 16 weekly group sessions, 90 minutes each week - one set for the Young Adults, and one set for their caregivers ("social coaches.") During these sessions, young adults will learn social skills through roleplay demonstrations, didactic lessons, and recordings. They will practice these skills during group socialization activities. Social coaches will attend separate sessions where they are taught how to assist young adults in making and keeping friends and/or dating.
And to keep safe during COVID: This is all done online!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions specifically about the PEERS for Young Adults Group
AS A YOUNG ADULT, WHAT WILL I LEARN?
Honestly, a lot of things! Here are the main topics we will cover:
Conversational skills
Entering & exiting conversations
Appropriate use of humor
Using social media & online platforms to develop and maintain friendships
Electronic communication skills
Organizing get-togethers
Dating skills and handling dating pressure
Handling direct and indirect bullying
Navigating disagreements and rejection
WHAT ARE THE PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS?
Have friendship challenges that you'd like to work on
Be open to learning about dating
Be kind to others and accept differences (this group is inclusive and LGBTQ+ friendly)
Be a young adult ages 18-35 years old; graduated from high school
Internet access with webcam, speakers, and microphone capabilities (laptop/desktop computer preferred)
Must be interested in attending the program and voluntarily agree to participate
Must consistently attend the program
Must have a consistent social coach willing to attend the program each week too
WHO CAN BE MY "SOCIAL COACH"?
Generally this is your parent or a caregiver that is with you often and can help to remind you of skills or practice them with you. They must be over the age of 18 and dedicated to joining you in learning this program. They need to be sure to attend each "social coach" meeting so that they are learning the same things as you and ways to support you.
HOW CAN I APPLY?
Sign up for a PEERS Group Intake Session on the scheduler here.
Complete and return your enrollment packet online 24 hours before the Intake session.
At the time you scheduled, have your "social coach" with you to meet Kade together to determine if our program is appropriate for you and your "social coach."
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
There are two pieces that have a cost:
An intake session for this group with Kade, which lasts between 50 and 90 minutes, costs $150. This meeting is to make sure we're the right group for you and that we will cover topics you're interested in! You'll get to ask questions and voice any concerns you may have before deciding to enroll.
Each set of weekly session for both you and your caregiver costs $165 (total cost each week.) This is where we learn all of the great skills, practice, and discuss!
WHEN AND HOW DO I PAY?
The intake session cost will be paid after that session via credit card or HSA card. (This session may be fully or partially reimbursed by your insurance company - please request a superbill at time of service if you're interested in reaching out to your insurance to discuss reimbursement.)
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To reserve your spot, half of the full fee for all 16 weeks will be due ($1320) via credit card when you enroll. The day before group begins, the other half of the full fee for all weeks ($1320) is due. October 27th is the last day to reserve a spot unless group fills up before then. If you are interested in paying the full 16 week fee at once, it is a complete $2640 charge; please let Kade know if you would rather do this than split the payment. As we are holding your spot and your caregiver's spot each week and attendance is crucial, we do not offer refunds. Due to the nature of the group, it will be closed to new members once it begins. Each week will build on prior weeks' skills and lessons.
ARE YOU SURE THIS STUFF REALLY WORKS?
Yes! UCLA has done a lot of research around PEERS to make sure that it is evidence-based and they continue to research it to improve it and to create new curriculum too. Here are a few findings from one of the studies on this program when it was done for teens:
"After participating in the 14-week, evidence-based PEERS program: Teens and their parents reported that teens organized, on average, two social gatherings more during the last month of the group than they did prior to group intervention. Based on our findings, the PEERS curriculum impacted participants in the following positive ways:
Decrease in autism symptoms by 8 %
Increase in social knowledge by 47 %
Increase in number of social activities
Decrease in social conflict by 69 %"
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So if you are interested in increasing your social knowledge, enjoying more activities with others, and decreasing your social conflict, this group can definitely help!
WHAT IF I WANT TO JOIN THE GROUP ONCE IT STARTS?
Group enrollment is first come, first serve for young adults that are a good fit. As the group closes once we begin, there will be no invitation to fill spots later. For our participants, this means there will be no unexpected attendees showing up from week to week. It can help build a safe space where we get to know each other and feel comfortable practicing skills, sharing about ourselves, and asking questions.
WHAT IF I NEED HELP WITH THE FEE?
At this time, we are unable to assist with fees. There may be certain funds or scholarships available within the community to help - such as Ben's Fun program, which provides up to $1000 grants for items: this can include therapy for families/young adults in Washington state who are on the autism spectrum.
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You can also reach out to your insurance company to ask if they are able to reimburse for PEERS® for Young Adults group sessions utilizing the curriculum designed by UCLA. If so, we can provide super bills (for you to submit to them) after sessions. You would cover the costs up front and they would arrange and discuss reimbursement with you.