Children, teens and young adults with attachment issues, developmental delays or Autism can experience marked difficulty with social interactions. They may struggle to maintain eye contact, to initiate or continue conversations, and to demonstrate emotional reciprocity. Having social skills deficits often results in a person not experiencing a need or desire to engage others in a meaningful way beyond making requests for items or asking/answering yes or no questions. Attempts by family and peers to engage them are met with confusion, apathy, and sometimes anger.

When someone displays a lack of social skills, it can be helpful for them to work with an empathic partner to practice those skills necessary to increase social connectedness and to decrease behaviors that may have discouraged others from interacting with them in the past. Our licensed mental health counselors are trained to provide guidance and support for clients (and their parents) who need structured opportunities for repetition and reinforcement of prosocial behaviors to gain mastery.