Group Therapy For Children
BEST Kids™ is an evidence-based group therapy program supporting kids in Building Essential Skills Together (B.E.S.T.).
- Building – building new skills by learning, practicing, and creating together.
- Essential – the essential social skills of communication and relating to those around us.
- Skills – practicing developing these essential ‘skills’ of trust, empathy, problem solving, and effective communication.
- Together – the program takes place in a group setting where kids are amongst and supported by their peers in a strengths-based environment.
The aim of the program is to help children aged 5 – 12 develop skills to be their best selves and live their best lives. Our psychologists encourage our young people to consider for themselves: ‘what does a good role model look like?’ and ‘how can we be one?’. Through the program, kids are supported to understand that they can be empathic, they can be a good friend and they can be a good role model and are taught the skills to achieve it.
Hargan Psychology will help your child to:
- Build emotional awareness and learn how to identify their emotions and needs
- Build their confidence and learn essential life skills
- Explore their empathic nature and express that part of themselves
- Understand the difference between negative and positive behaviours
- Decrease negative behaviours and increase positive behaviours
- Build better interpersonal skills and improve relationships with their peers and families
- Develop skills to improve their skills to communicate their needs effectively
- Learn to be appropriately assertive, without aggression or intimidation
- Improve their confidence and learning outcomes
- Be a good role mode
The 6 X 1 hour sessions include:
- Emotional Awareness
- Managing Emotions
- Effective Communication Skills
- Positive Friendships, Empathy, and Sharing
- Positive Leadership
- Resolving Conflict
How the BEST Kids™ Group Program was created
The program was developed by Christine Harding as a result of her years working with within the juvenile justice environment. Christine found that her observations over the years working in juvenile justice, secure welfare, and more recently, schools, matched her research; most young clients presented with difficulties in social and communication skills. They often appeared unable to read social cues and body language, and experienced difficulties in self-expression and how to appropriately approach having their needs met. As a result, Christine noted that young clients often became aggressive and used inappropriate ways to articulate their needs. Similarly, some clients presented as passive, depressed, or anxious due to deficits in effective communication or assertive skills. Clients presenting with these issues required support to develop the skills to assist them make better choices.
Christine’s research highlighted that bullying programs within schools largely appeared inadequate in addressing these issues, lacking the necessary content for prevention, rather than cure. After spending time in the education environment, Christine realised the tremendous pressures involved in addressing bullying and associated behaviours by teachers and the in-school psychologist. A better approach was needed; hence BEST Kids™ was born.
The BEST Kids™ Group Program approach
The BEST Kids™ Group Program is a safe space for children to learn and practice essential social skills. Participants are provided with tools to promte emotional awareness, understanding and communicating with others, empathy, respect, and how to manage strong emotions.
The group format and facilitation of the program means that every child is equal. Passive and aggressive children come together in a non-hierarchical setting to practice empathy and sharing. The kids are there as a part of the team and learn to problem solve together, reforming the relationships between them in a more positive way.
Group participants are encouraged to become aware of their emotions, identify triggers to strong emotions and develop more appropriate strategies to assist. The program provides a number of worksheets which children work on together in group session but importantly take home to share with parents and caregivers to provide them with further support in the future.
The program delivered on site in schools and at Hargan Psychology in Hawthorn.
Experience the difference with the BEST Kids™ Group Program
To secure a place in our Hawthorn practice, please contact us today! If you are an education provider wanting to organise a program facilitated within your school, please enquire for more information.
Common B.E.S.T Kids FAQ's
The BEST Kids Group Program runs from our practices in Hawthorn on Saturday mornings during school term and during weekdays during school holidays. Please contact us to find out more and book your place.
If you’d like us to run this program in your child’s school during the school term, please send us a message via the link below and share this page with your contact at the school.
The group format and facilitation of the program means that every child is equal. Children come together in a non-hierarchical setting to practice empathy and sharing. From the outset, the participants are encouraged to be part of a cohesive group, developing their own group rules, learning to problem solve together, communicating with others that may be have different views or circumstances.
The B.E.S.T. Kids program has benefits for all children aged 5 – 12.
You only need a referral if you intend to claim back a Medicare rebate. As of 2024, Medicare now offers partial rebates for 10x group therapy sessions a year (separate from individual sessions). Please advise the team you intend to claim a rebate at the time of booking.
