Gameplan: PEERS Program

Gameplan's PEERS for Adolescents is an online 2 x 8-week evidence-based social skills intervention program for motivated neuro-diverse teens in high school who are interested in learning new ways of making and keeping friends. During each group session, teens are taught important social skills and are given the opportunity to practice these skills during socialisation activities.

Parents attend separate sessions at the same time and are taught how to assist their teens in making and keeping friends by helping to expand their teen’s social network and providing feedback through coaching during weekly socialisation homework assignments.

Teens will learn to:

• Use appropriate conversational skills
• Use humour appropriately
• Use electronic communication
• Enter and exit conversations
• Be a good host during get-togethers
• Be a good sport
• Handle arguments and disagreements
• Change a bad reputation
• Handle rumours and gossip
• Handle rejection, teasing and bullying

Parents will learn to:

• More effectively support your teen’s efforts at finding suitable friends.
• More effectively support your teen’s ability to make new acquaintances and develop close friendships.
• Foster your teen’s independence with his or her social relationships.

The role

This is an online opportunity open only in Melbourne with Induction & Training conducted in person.

Student volunteers will fulfil the role of ‘Social Coach’ under the direction and supervision of professional Speech Pathologists and therapists at GamePlan.

Throughout the online sessions students can expect to:

• Be welcoming and proactive in developing a social connection with teens and parents in the program
• Role model social behaviours
• Conversations with young people
• Conversations with parents
• Assisting running of activities as directed
• Managing breakout room activities/conversation
• Support supervisors with note taking