At PIC, our team provides several group therapy options. Most groups run for 60-75 minutes with an additional 15 minutes of supervised semi-structured playtime, while the parents/carers receive feedback from the group facilitator. It is expected that parents/carers participate in these feedback sessions to promote skill development and generalisation.

Groups consists of 2-6 participants with a minimum of two facilitators. There is always a leading speech pathologist running the group alongside another speech pathologist or highly skilled assistant.

Social communication therapy at PIC is informed by a number of sources, including, but not limited to, Michelle Garcia-Winner of Social Thinking®, Karen Young of Hey Sigmund, Dr. Dan Siegel, Dr. Ross Greene of Collaborative and Proactive Solutions, Kristy Forbes of inTune Pathways, Dr. Deeta Kimber of Tracking Better®, Dr. Mona Delahooke, Jessie Ginsburg Sensory SLP, and other key figures in the field of social-emotional development. 

Preschool and Primary School Groups

Preschool groups are for children in their last year of kindergarten (ages 4-5). Primary school groups are for children in their first year of school (prep/foundation) right through to grade 6.

Groups are carefully organised based on age, skill-level, play styles and communication abilities. It is important for group members to be compatible and comfortable with each other to achieve best learning outcomes. Average language and cognitive skills are not essential, but are taken into account when grouping participants.

These groups typically focus on building the following skills:

• Understand and consider the thoughts and feelings of themselves and others

• Tune in and observe or “read the room”

• Shift and maintain attention

• Initiate and maintain conversations

• Regulate their reactions to different emotional experiences

• Develop tolerance, resilience and flexibility

• Collaborate with others in play and learning tasks

• Negotiate and compromise

• Relate socially and develop solid foundations of how to make and maintain friends

Group activities are structured to include the following:

• Introduction of specific vocabulary to facilitate thinking and understanding social dynamics

• Tasks requiring attention and focus

• Understanding and responding to verbal and non-verbal cues

• Social problem solving

• Conversation practice

• Understanding of the Zones of Regulation and relating them to ourselves and different contexts

• Collaborative and competitive games

The session ends with an opportunity for free play while parents receive group feedback, (approximately 20 minutes).

Contact our team for further information:

Phone: 03 9532 7807

Text: 0408 444 450

Email: admin@picsp.com.au

High School Groups

High school groups are for teenagers aged 13 to 18. As with all of our groups, participants are selected based on compatibility with each other to facilitate learning and social connection.

Similar to our younger groups, teenage groups focus on building on the same skills but with the added complexity of adolescence:

• Self awareness and acceptance

• Social interpretation and inferencing

• Situational awareness and perceiving implied expectations in different settings

• Self-advocacy and healthy assertive communication

• Making and maintaining conversations and friendships

• Navigating complex social dynamics at different levels of relationship/friendship

• Social problem solving

• Differentiating between healthy and unhealthy banter/teasing (and other complexities)

• Executive functioning for planning, organisation, self-monitoring and independence

Groups are highly interactive, personalised and include a variety of fun activities and games. Each session is followed by 15 minutes of feedback for parents/carers. Participation in feedback is essential.

Contact our team for further information:

Phone: 03 9532 7807

Text: 0408 444 450

Email: admin@picsp.com.au

School Holiday Programs

Our school holiday social group programs provide an intensive learning opportunity for students and parents, especially for those who are waiting for a regular weekly group to become available. People on the waitlist are considered first for our holiday programs.

The groups run for 3 consecutive days. Each session is 60-75 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of parent feedback. During this time the leading facilitator speaks with the parents in a separate room, while the children engage in supervised semi-structured play with each other.

At the completion of a holiday program, each participant receives a detailed report that includes:

• Group goals and learning aims

• Individual strengths and areas for further learning/support

• Explanation of concepts and glossary

• Strategies and recommendations

Contact our team for further information:

Phone: 03 9532 7807

Text: 0408 444 450

Email: admin@picsp.com.au

SSmarTs (Social Smarts for Teens)

This is a structured program for teenagers who find themselves challenged by complex social dynamics at home, at school, with friends, or in the workplace. As with all our services, this group uses neurodiversity-affirming practices related to navigating the social world and developing emotional regulation in teens.  

It is best suited to those students who have language and cognitive skills within the average range but who struggle with social communication and emotional regulation.

The program is a 16-session program based in Caulfield North.

Parents/carers and teens attend concurrent groups in separate rooms. The parent group is facilitated by a speech pathologist and/or psychologist. Parents/carers’ sessions focus on developing their understanding and communication to better support and advocate for their teens. The Tuning in to Teens™ program is incorporated into these parent sessions.

The teens work together in a group facilitated by a speech pathologist and multiple skilled assistants to develop ecologically-valid social communication, self-awareness, self-monitoring, emotional regulation and executive functioning skills.

Contact our team for further information:

Phone: 03 9532 7807

Text: 0408 444 450

Email: admin@picsp.com.au

TASC (Adult Social Communication)

This is a semi-structured group for adults who experience challenges navigating the social dynamic at home, at their place of study, at work or with friends.

TASC offers a social opportunity that uses best practice strategies to navigate the social world across a variety of contexts.

It is best suited to those people who have language and cognitive skills within the average range but who struggle with social communication and emotional regulation.

This group is currently not running. Stay tuned for updates about when it starts up again.

Contact our team for further information:

Phone: 03 9532 7807

Text: 0408 444 450

Email: admin@picsp.com.au