Group therapy with peers who are doing the same work.
Small, consistent therapist-led groups: children matched by developmental fit and goals, in low-stimulation rooms designed for connection without sensory overload.
Same group, same clinician, same room.
Group therapy here happens in small, consistent groups. Children are matched by developmental level and clinical fit, not just age. Your child meets with the same group, the same lead clinician, in the same room. That continuity matters: peer relationships are part of the therapeutic work, not a logistical accident.
Group therapy is one block in your child's individualized daily schedule, layered with individual therapy, OT, speech, and the rest of the program. The clinician leading group is in the same weekly team meeting as everyone else working with your child.
What groups actually look like.
Groups are seated on cushions and a low rug, not at a conference table. The tone is conversational. Materials are out (regulation tools, feelings cards, sometimes art supplies) and used as the work calls for them. Some blocks are expressive arts groups, where the making itself is the work.
A typical group block includes:
- A grounding check-in: how everyone is arriving today
- A skill block matched to the group's goals (DBT-informed emotion regulation and distress tolerance, Social Skills Training, repair after rupture)
- Co-regulation practice, with the clinician modeling and the children rehearsing
- A wind-down before transitioning to the next part of the day
What groups are for.
Groups are the place where social and regulation skills get tested in real time. A child can rehearse a coping strategy with an individual therapist in a quiet room, but the skill only matters if it holds up with peers, when something doesn't go the way they wanted. Group is where that gets practiced, with a clinician right there to coach the repair.
This is where Social Skills Training lives: modeling and teaching children ecologically valid, age- and developmentally-appropriate social skills they will actually use in their daily lives.
For children with autism, social communication groups target turn-taking, shared attention, and reading social cues. For children with anxiety or mood symptoms, groups offer the rare experience of being with peers who are working on similar things. For children with regulation difficulties, the group is the practice ground.
Is this part of what your child needs?
Group therapy is woven into every child's care plan in our program; the level and type are matched to the goals. If you're wondering whether your child would do well in groups, that's a conversation for intake.
The first call is a 15-minute conversation.
Tell us what's going on with your child.
A 15-minute call. We'll listen first, then help you figure out the right next step.