Friendship Groups

About our Groups

Groups are typically run upstairs at our Blossom Tree Counselling office. We keep the groups small to no more than 6 participants and focus on in the moment processing and coaching during a natural play based activity. Natural play combined with a supportive adult who can observe, intervene, process and problem solve helps kids learn in the moment and increase their self awareness during social interactions. 

Oftentimes, our kids have not had a chance to really get a handle on how to manage themselves in social situations. The pandemic has really impacted social opportunities for many kids, and the schools often do not have resources on hand during recess breaks to sufficiently support kids in working through social challenges. And while kids may go to sports or activities with other kids, these activities are structured and don't allow for free range social interactions. The goal of our friendship skills groups is to help support kids who struggle with the following:

Initiating friendships - how do I make a friend

Sustaining friendships - how do I be a good friend

Working through conflict - how do I keep a friend

ADHD and differently wired kids often struggle with social interactions. Their impulsivity can be misinterpreted as rude, their hyper-fixation can be interpreted as not caring about others and their distractability and forgetfulness means they might let down their peers or come across as not interested. These friendship skill groups help kids slow down their social interactions, stop and think about scenarios and practice social skills during facilitated group activities. A facilitator is able to stop and point out to kids what is happening in the moment, and coach them on how to handle things differently. 

Our friendship groups have also been a much needed resource for kids who are slow to warm up and struggle to use their voice in peer interactions. Kids who experience social anxiety need opportunities to practice going into social situations and challenge their social anxiety. Kids who only have one friend and worry about what to do if that one friend isn't at school or worry if they lose their one friend can benefit from participating in a friendship group to help develop the skills needed to make new friends. 

All groups require a prescreening interview first to determine suitability and fit. This will be a 30 minute intake via our online counselling platform and the cost is $60. All group sessions are $40 per session. 

We have 4 group times coming up: Tuesday's and Thursdays at 4:45 to 5:45, & 6:15 - 7:15.

Our groups will be clustered to ages 5-7 year olds and 8-10 year olds. 

Kids attend one group a week. Groups start March 26 and run for 12 weeks, finishing June 11. 

If you are interested, please complete the contact form below and indicate the age of your child, and time and day you are available. 

Due to our limited spaces available, we are prioritizing space to children and youth who do not have access to any other social skills program. 

We will not be accepting participants who are physically and verbally aggressive, violent, and run away from caregivers. These are concerns that should be addressed in indivual therapy.