Spectrum Psychology Practice conducts the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) for teens between the age of 13 and 18, and who are currently accessing the mainstream school curriculum. PEERS is a world renowned evidence-based social skills programme developed by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) that aims to equip interested teens with a wide variety of skills to help them make and maintain friendships as well as handle rejections and conflicts.
Both teen and their parents will separately attend 14 weekly sessions that run for 90 minutes per session. A wide range of topics will be covered during the 14 weeks such as:
- How to use good conversational skills
- How to appropriately use electronic communication
- How to enter and exit conversations with peers
- How to choose appropriate friends
- How to use humour appropriately
- How to setup a successful get-together with others
- How to handle teasing and bullying
- How to change a bad reputation
- How to handle arguments and disagreements with others
It is important that the teen agrees to participate voluntarily and that both teen and at least one parent are able to commit to the entire programme. Parent’s participation is also mandatory as they play an important role in supporting and assisting their teen throughout the programme.
Programme details
The programme is open to all teens between the age of 13-18 who are currently assessing the mainstream school curriculum and are interested in learning a wide range of social skills. An official diagnosis (e.g., ASD, ADHD) is not required.
An initial interview lasting about 1 hour will be conducted with the teen and their parent(s) to have a better understanding of the teen. The programme will only begin when there are at least 4 participants and there will be a cap of 8 participants per group. Participants and their parents will be informed when the programme is confirmed to run.
Teens will have to attend the programme in person at the centre while parents will meet online via zoom. Both the teen and parents segment will last 90 minutes each for a total of 3 hours of instruction per week. The purpose of the parent’s segment is for the therapist to go through the lesson outline with the parents and also to troubleshoot any difficulties parents may encounter while helping their teen with their programme assignment.
Payment for each module will have to be made upfront before the start of the first lesson of each module. Payment for the initial interview will be included in the first module. There will be 3 modules of 14 lessons with Module 1 comprising 3 lessons, Module 2 comprising 6 lessons and Module 3 comprising 5 lessons.
Programme module topics
Module 1 – Conversational skills (3 lessons)
Module 2 – Forming and Sustaining friendships skills (6 lessons)
Module 3 – Self-protective skills (5 lessons)
Programme schedule
(Teen segment)
Start date: 3rd February 2023 (Friday) and weekly thereafter.
Time: 3 – 4:30 pm
Location: 66 East Coast Rd #07-10 S428778
(Parent segment)
Start date: (Tentative) 4th February 2023 (Saturday) and weekly thereafter
Time: 9 – 10:30am
Location: Zoom
Group size: 4 – 8
Price: Initial interview – $180
Per 3hr session – $220
Module 1 – $660 + $180
Module 2 – $1320
Module 3 – $1100
Teens and parents who are interested in participating in the programme can contact us at admin@spectrumpsychology.sg or 8860 2446.