Managing big emotions can be overwhelming for a child.

So if your child, or one you know, is finding the way they react to challenging situations, or how they respond to bad behaviour from those around them, is causing them distress or, conversely, to lash out, the Social Skills program may help with self-control and building resilience.

Designed for primary-aged children who are currently in Years 3-5 and their parents or carers, the program is held in the Macquarie University Psychology Clinic, located in the Australian Hearing Hub.

The Term 4 program will commence on 16 October, 2018 and runs weekly through the school term for 10 sessions on Tuesdays between 4.15pm and 5.30pm.

The Social Skills program involves two components:

Child program

Designed to develop children’s social skills, their capacity to deal with challenging interpersonal interactions (eg, teasing and bullying), and their ability to manage big emotions.

Sessions for children cover topics such as:
– Getting to know people
– Understanding and communication feelings
– Solving social problems
– Assertive, co-operative and friendly behaviours
– Dealing with teasing and bullying

Parenting program

Designed to provide parents with strategies for improving their child’s social skills, as well as additional information on child behavior management and parenting skills.

Sessions for parents cover topics such as:
– Goal setting
– Understanding and observing child behavior
– Reinforcing the positives
– Active listening
– Helping children with social problem solving
– Behaviour management
– Helping children deal with bullies

There are limited spots as the program works well with a group of only about six children, and a mix of boys and girls. Three clinicians will facilitate the child program and one clinician will run the parent group which runs concurrently.

The total cost for the two components is $300 (non-refundable $50 payable at the initial assessment, the remaining $250 payable before the first night of the group).

Please phone the clinic on 9850 8000 to make an appointment for an initial assessment or email the clinic. For more information, visit the clinic’s Social Skills group program webpage (the Social Skills program is the second program listed on the page).