Service

Social skills groups

You cannot learn to take turns alone. Small groups, matched by age and skill, with a therapist there to help when it gets hard.

(951) 440-6220
Serving the Inland Empire

Also available by telehealth

Who this is for

If this sounds like your family, this is the right page.

Children who do well one-to-one but struggle with other children, joining a game, handling losing, reading when someone is done playing.

Four children playing a turn-taking board game around a low table, with a therapist kneeling beside them.

What it actually looks like

What an ordinary week tends to involve.

Small groups, matched carefully rather than by age alone
Real games and real disagreements, with support standing by

How it works

Social skills groups

You cannot practice friendship alone. That is the whole reason this exists.

Each group is kept small, with children at a similar age and stage and enough staff for every child to get support. It runs for a set number of weeks so there is a beginning and an end, and so families are not signing up for something with no shape to it.

What a session looks like

Each session starts with free play, so children can settle in and we can see how they're interacting that day. From there, things change depending on the skill we're working on. Your child might watch a short video that shows the skill being used, practice it with the group, and then use it during interactive games. There is always a snack break. Each activity targets one specific skill, such as taking turns, losing, asking to join, or noticing when someone is upset. Our staff guide gently and then step back, so children can practice with each other.

What we teach

We are not teaching children to act like everyone else. We are teaching the specific skills your child wants, that you have seen cost them a friendship, or that our assessment shows they need.

How we group children

By skill and interest, not just by age. A nine-year-old who is still learning to take turns has more in common with a seven-year-old at the same stage than with another nine-year-old. We will explain why we put your child where we did.

While your child is in group

You join a parent group that runs at the same time, where you learn ways to support your child's social skills at home. Group is only a small part of your child's week, and the rest of the week is where friendships actually happen.

Your first few weeks

So you know what is coming, and when.

We meet your child first
One short visit, on their own. We need to know what they find easy, what they find hard, and what they actually want out of this.
The first two sessions are for settling
We ask for very little. A child who is scared of the room is not learning anything about friendship in it.

A good fit if

Your child talks at other kids more than with them, or stays on the edge and watches.
Recess and playdates fall apart over rules, sharing, or who goes first.
Your child does well with adults but struggles with children their own age.
Your child can follow simple directions in a small group, with some help.
You want skills practiced with real peers, not just talked about.

This may not be the right starting point if

Your child is not yet following directions from one adult. That comes first, one to one.
Hitting or running off happens most days. A group is not the safe place to work on that.
You want a drop-off activity. This is therapy, with goals, data, and practice to carry home.

If that sounds like your family, say so on the first call and we will point you towards something that fits better.

Questions parents ask

How many children are in a group?

two to six, with two adults.

Are you teaching my child to mask?

No. Masking means hiding who you are to keep other people comfortable, and it does real harm. We teach skills a child chooses to use. If a goal only benefits the people around your child, it does not go in the plan.

Does it work?

Groups are good at teaching skills in the room. Getting those skills to show up outside it takes deliberate work, and we plan for it. Friendships themselves are not something a group can promise.

Other ways we help