Social belonging and peer acceptance are key factors in our mental health, placing social skills among the most important aspects of human development. Some children may understand more intuitively how to interact with peers, while others need additional guidance. Events and circumstances in the child’s life can also play a role in social development, creating barriers or delays they’ll need extra support to overcome.
Our child and adolescent counselors at Union Square Practice have extensive experience working with kids struggling with social skills and peer difficulties. We help your child build on their strengths and improve their confidence through learning and practicing key communication and relational skills. Expert social skills therapy is available via telehealth across New York State and in person at our offices in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.
Some signs your child could use the help of an expert therapist include:
Our child therapists work gently with your child to understand the issues underlying their social difficulties, then help them find effective tools for coping with or overcoming these problems.
There are many reasons kids struggle socially, and it’s often a combination of factors. Developmental delays, ADHD, and autism can cause difficulties with emotional regulation, interpreting social cues, and verbal and nonverbal communication. Low self-esteem or a negative self-image can create a lack of social confidence and an expectation of rejection. Past adverse experiences such as bullying can cause social anxiety, distrust of others, and withdrawal.
Moving or changing schools presents challenges with making friends, particularly when peer groups in the new setting are already established. Cultural barriers of all kinds play a role in experiences of social alienation or anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic affected social development for millions of children who weren’t able to practice social skills in person during a year or more of relative isolation. And the list goes on.
Whatever the cause or combination of causes, social skills therapy targets the key issues and provides real solutions to improve your child’s social experiences and relationships.
Therapy offers the child a safe space separate from their everyday life to talk about their social experiences in their own words. Your child’s therapist will work to establish their trust and empower them to approach their peer relationships in new ways. Therapy can help kids:
We also work with parents and, with your permission, teachers or other school professionals to coordinate support for the child as they develop and practice new ways of approaching social situations.
We take an empathetic, nonjudgmental approach to social skills therapy and tailor our solutions-focused support to each individual child. Whatever your child or teen’s social struggles, we’re excited to help them build new skills, confidence, and resilience.
Reach out today to speak with one of our friendly clinical coordinators about how we can help.
Reach out to us using any of the contacts below or our general contact form.
