PEERS Denver

PEERS® Denver offers parent/coach-assisted social skills programs for teens (ages 13-17) as well as young adults (ages 17-29). Developed at UCLA, the PEERS® program is backed by extensive research showing positive and lasting results in the social lives of the teens and young adults who participate. The goal of the program is to teach skills that are essential for making and keeping friends (and in the young adult program, dating skills are also covered). Meetings are held for 90 minutes once per week over a 16-week period. Each week, the teens and young adults will learn a new set of skills in a particular topic area (for example, starting and maintaining conversations, joining group conversations, having get-togethers, etc.), and they will also get a chance to practice those skills through games, role plays, and other activities. Parents/coaches will meet all together in a separate group at the same time as the teens and young adults. Parents/coaches will learn the exact same skills as their teens and young adults, but they will get specific instruction in how to act as social coaches, so they can most effectively support their teen or young adult in practicing and applying the skills. Groups will be offered both virtually and in-person beginning in January of 2022. For a free 15-20 minute phone screen to learn more about whether this program is the right fit for you and your family, please call the Program Director, Dr. Jason Peirce, at 720-645-8827.