Children's Friendship Program

Overview

This successful 12-week program is designed for the 1st* to 6th grader who has difficulty making and/or keeping friends. During each group session children learn a new skill, practice with group members, receive coaching on their play skills and are given a homework assignment in which they try out their newly learned skill.

*First grade policy: Seven year old first graders are accepted into the program starting April/May of their first grade year.

Enrollment is limited to 10 children per class. Classes are on Wednesday evenings. Regular attendance is imperative. Parent participation is required. Parents attend a concurrent class and will learn how to help their children make and keep friends by using the skills we teach in our program.

Your Child Will Learn:

Conversational skills
How to make a good first impression
How to “play detective” to find common interests
How to join a group of kids at play
How to handle rejection, teasing and bullying
How to be a good host on a play date
How to be a good winner
How to be a good sport
How to show respect to adult supervisors

Who leads the groups?

Both the child and parent group leaders are licensed child psychologists or licensed clinical social workers. Bob Myatt, PhD and Cynthia Whitham, LCSW are our main child and parent group leaders. Other therapists may also co-lead or assist with the groups but will be under direct supervision of a licensed clinician.

Where is your program held?

The groups are held at UCLA's main campus in Westwood. Please click here for directions.

When is your program held?

Wednesday evenings:

5:45pm-6:45pm (usually 2nd-4th grades)
7:00pm-8:00pm (usually 4th-6th grades)

Groups begin approximately every 3 1/2 months and run continuously through the year. Please call our office to find out when the next group is scheduled to begin.

The class is a 12 week program and participants can only start at the beginning of a class. Children are grouped by grade level (i.e. 2nd/3rd grade and 4th/5th grade) and groups are formed based on the grade levels of other interested families.

We work very hard to compose groups of children who are in approximately the same grade level. In some cases this may mean waiting a little longer for an appropriate group. Dates for forthcoming courses are listed on our Calendar.

Do you have a wait list for your program?

Group enrollment is limited to 10 per group. We run two groups at a time every 3½ months.

All children accepted into our program are placed on a wait list for an upcoming group. We work very hard to compose groups of children who are in approximately the same grade level. In some cases this may mean waiting a little longer for an appropriate group.

Groups will usually fill up one month before the start date of a new program. Please call our office at least 2 months in advance to complete your phone screen and receive your enrollment packet. In addition the date of your intake appointment determines your spot on our wait list

How much does your program cost?

Please call our office for information about our current fees. Self pay fees are $75 per week plus a one-time intake fee.

Many insurance companies may cover part of the cost of the program; however we cannot guarantee that our services will be covered by any particular health insurance program. Please call and confirm your own coverage as well as any requirements for pre-authorization. Ask your child's health insurance carrier if they cover "outpatient mental health" services at UCLA.

The outpatient finance department will verify your insurance coverage after you have submitted an enrollment packet.

Instructor(s):

Cynthia Whitham

Instructor(s):

Robert Myatt

Application

Application process:

Call our office at 310-825-0142 to complete a 15-minute phone screen with a member of our staff and mail out an enrollment packet.
Complete and return your enrollment packet
Come in (parent and child) for a 1-hour intake appointment with one of our clinicians to determine if our program is appropriate for you and your child.

Dates and Availability

Duration:

12 weeks

Planned Days:

Wednesday

Planned Terms:

Year Round

Planned Frequency:

We run two groups at a time every 3½ months and run throughout the year.

Venue

Semel Institute/NPI

Admin