The Center For Child And Adolescent Development: Groups For Children and Adolescents
What We Do… Children and adolescents often learn and engage best when actively involved in group processes and activities. With our licensed , professional, experienced group leaders, your child will develop the skills they need to improve self-esteem, coping skills, behavior and interpersonal relationships.
Who We Help… We work with school aged children and adolescents. We serve typically developing children, as well as those with learning differences and/or difficulties in emotional regulation, sensory processing, problem-solving etc.
We Are Currently Offering:
SOCIAL SKILLS GROUPS
Overview
A critically important part of childhood is learning the building blocks that lead to gratifying relationships. To learn how to conduct one’s self in ways that allow for the development of positive relationships with others. Social skills are the foundation of lifelong positive interactions.
Some children find this more challenging than others, and have a harder time forming and maintaining successful connections with their peers. A child who has difficulty with social skills may develop poor self-esteem, may display conduct problems and may have difficulty in developing peer relationships.
Our goals are to help children feel successful with their peers and to offer them the tools that they need to develop positive, effective social relationships. Our social skills groups provide your child with the tools that help him/her form and maintain these successful connections.
A child with adequate/good social skills can:
- Be more self-confident
- Manage their emotions appropriately
- Display good cooperation skills
- Be more inclined to join group activities
- Better manage their frustration
- Solve social problems
- Express themselves appropriately
- Act less impulsively
- Display behavior that promotes friendship
- Understand feelings and help develop empathy
Children learn best when actively engaged in activities and group processes. Through a variety of activities, your child will learn and practice appropriate social behaviors within a small, structured and supportive group setting. Our groups teach and encourage your child to develop the social skills they need to improve self-esteem, emotional regulation, behavior and to develop relational success.
We provide weekly handouts for parents/guardians outlining the skills being introduced, with concrete suggestions, information and opportunities to practice these skills at home and at play.
Additional Information
Who…. We are currently running social skills groups for children ages 5 to 15 .
When.. Monday afternoon/evenings
Where.. Our offices at:
254 B Mountain Avenue, Suite 202
Hackettstown, NJ 07840
For further information and registration, please call our social skills group leader:
Suzanne Dowd, LCSW
908-979-1144 Ext. #3
ANTI-BULLYING GROUPS
Overview
Your child is not alone. Over 30% of school-aged children report experiencing bullying, and the real number is likely even higher. Sometimes parents are aware that their child is being bullied. Sometimes they are not.
Bullying can take the form of:
- Physical harm or threat
- Emotional attacks, including isolation
- Verbal abuse, including excessive teasing or harassing
- Cyberbullying , including spreading rumors, or hate, online or via text
The negative and frequently longlasting emotional impact of bullying can be serious and deep. Furthermore, scared kids can’t reach their potential as learners in school.
At Psychological Associates of North Jersey, we have two overarching goals for our anti-bullying groups:
- Helping your child heal from the destructive impact of bullying in a safe and encouraging atmosphere, where each child learns that they are not alone.
- Empowering your child to combat bullying on and off line. This includes helping your child learn the skills necessary to be resilient, to help teach your child the skills to face bullying with confidence, setting boundaries, using their voice in appropriate, helpful ways, getting help and support etc.
Additional Information
Who… We are currently running anti-bullying groups for children in grades 3 through 8.
When.. Saturday mornings
Where.. At our offices at:
254 B Mountain Ave., Suite 202
Hackettstown, NJ 07840
For additional information and registration, please call the leader of our anti-bullying groups:
Sarah Amador, PhD
908-979-1144 Ext#4
Other Information Regarding Groups At Psychological Associates of North Jersey
Our children’s groups generally run for eight week sessions. We require a $100.00 non-refundable deposit upon registration. The success of each child’s group depends upon having an appropriate number of well-matched children. We have found that these deposits help us start our groups in a timely and reliable fashion. The balance of the session fee is due upon the first session, unless alternative payment arrangements have been made.
Insurance often covers some portion of the fee. We will be happy to provide you a receipt that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.