THERAPY GROUPS

Therapy groups consist of ages 4 through 18 and focus on a variety of issues. For the younger children, group topics include social skills, anger management, frustration tolerance, cooperation, shyness, conflict resolution among others. The teen groups (ages 14 through 17) focus on peer relationships and pressures, family relationships, drug and alcohol pressures, depression/suicide, social skills/shyness, identity formation and other teen topics. The group sessions foster cognitive awareness through specific therapy activities as well as skill building through applicable role playing. Therapy groups include 8 weekly sessions. Parent group sessions are also available to assist parents on how to best respond to their childrens’ needs.

The teen group focuses on:
* Fitting in and group affiliation
* Initiating and sustaining friendships
* Conflict resolution (with adults/ peers)
* Appropriate negotiating with parents (dating, etc.)
* Balancing school, and friends
* Self-esteem, motivation and expression of feeling
* Social pressures (drugs & defiance)

The children's group focuses on:
* Initiating and sustaining friendships
* Conflict resolution
* Empathy building
* Recognizing social cues
* Self-awareness in social situations
* Anger management
* Expression of feelings
* Cooperation and sharing
* Overcoming shyness and social fears

The teen and young adult transgender groups (13-18, 18-24 years of age respectively):
* Gain support from peers
* Learn how to cope with being bullied/teased
* Gain a sense of community
* Increase awareness about the process of transitioning
* Help navigate choices about body changes
* Learn how to deal with a changing identity
* Learn how to deal with responses to the new identity