Supports we use · part of our programs for school leavers and adults
PEERS® for Young Adults.
PEERS® for Young Adults is a sixteen-week social skills program for young adults. It runs inside our programs for school leavers and adults.
What we believe
We believe nobody grows into a skill they were never taught.
Most providers believe friendship and dating will come in time, once somebody has a bit more confidence. The thinking is that the person is capable and kind, so what's holding them back must be nerves, and that with encouragement, a few social outings and a bit of time, relationships will follow. So the advice is to put yourself out there, and support is aimed at building confidence first. It's a hopeful view, and easy to hold, because the person clearly has a lot to offer.
In reality, both run on rules nobody states out loud, and ten years of attempts that didn’t work isn’t teaching those rules. It’s teaching avoidance. Confidence is the result of knowing what to do, not the thing you need before you can learn it, so waiting for confidence to turn up on its own means waiting indefinitely while the attempts get rarer.
That’s why we teach it directly, with a social coach attending alongside. The program covers finding people who share your interests once school is no longer supplying them, holding a conversation with somebody new, and four weeks on dating: how to let somebody know you are interested, how to ask, how a first date works, and how to handle it when the answer is no. The alternative is a young adult learning about rejection entirely by experiencing it.
What changes
From waiting for it, to knowing how.
What it covers
Friendship after school, and dating if they want it.
- Finding people who share your interests, once school stops supplying them
- Starting and holding a conversation with somebody new
- Humour, messaging, and planning get-togethers
- Handling disagreements, teasing and rumours
- Four weeks on dating: showing interest, asking, first dates, and handling a no
Who it's for
For young adults who want friendships.
Who it's for
Young adults who want friendships, and maybe a relationship, and haven't found a way to make it happen since school ended.
Intellectual disability isn't an exclusion, and neither is rejecting the diagnosis.
When something else needs to come first
Where significant social anxiety needs treating first, or behaviour would currently stop someone taking part in a group, PEERS® isn't the right starting point yet. There's still a place in our programs, and we'll talk about where to begin.
Where it fits
Part of our programs for school leavers and adults.
Questions about sex and sexual health, rather than dating skills, are covered one-to-one in OpenBook.
Common questions
What people usually ask.
Anything else, ask us on the call.
Who can be a social coach?
A parent, family member or friend. Somebody who is around during the week and can help practise the skills.
Do I have to do the dating part?
The dating sessions are part of the program. What you do with them afterwards is entirely up to you.
Is teaching social skills the same as masking?
No. We teach what actually works among people that age, and leave the person to choose whether to use it. What we add is options they were never shown. We never describe what we do as helping somebody fit in.
Is it online?
Yes. Sessions run online, anywhere in Australia.
Take the first step
Let's talk.
Request a call back and one of our team will ring you at a time that suits. It takes about fifteen minutes, it's free, and you don't need anything worked out before we speak.