Corinne Eckert Child & Adolescent Psychology
Training in Core Social Skills
Summer Interactive Skills Sessions
Target Group: Children who may have difficulty interacting successfully with others due to social
skills deficits. Students may have Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Aspergers Syndrome/Mild
Autism, Mild Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Social Anxiety, or simply some difficulty
understanding how to approach and engage in social interaction successfully.
Purpose: Children can have difficulty interacting with others because they do not understand
“how to enter the game”, whether “the game” is a real game or simply a group activity or
conversation with peers. Many children feel they do not know how to engage with others, or do
not understand how to participate successfully in activities with peers. They may feel
overwhelmed with group interaction experiences, become anxious or frustrated and possibly
avoid the experience entirely. Or they may miss the signals from others that should guide their
behaviour for successful interaction.
Our goal is to help children enhance their ability to understand group interaction, and
build skills in interacting with others in a successful and comfortable way.
Description: This is a week-long therapeutic and psychoeducational group consisting of 5
sessions. Each session is 2 hours. We will be inviting students to help develop and participate in
fun and interesting activities in which they will engage with others. During each session, the
facilitators will be assessing the needs of the child while he or she participates in activities or
discussions, and providing coaching to be as successful as possible. We may invite participants
to be involved in such activities as wide games, conversations, cooking activities, scavenger
hunts, card/board games, or group building, construction and art projects. We will invite
suggestions from the students before and during the first day. There will be a parent session
before the start of the program, where Corinne can provide parents with an overview of the
language and philosophy we use with the children we work with, so that parents may coach their
child at home to help generalize the skills outside of the program.
Emphasis will be on the following:
 Creating opportunities for participants to engage in social interaction.
 Providing “on the spot” coaching to participants to help them overcome barriers
they experience in relation to social interaction.
 Providing a safe and caring environment for students to develop skills in
connecting with others in a successful way.
 Teaching conversational skills, cooperation and problem solving skills, inviting,
questioning and initiating skills in a fun and interactive way.
Dates: Program #1: July 6-10, 2015
Time: 6-9 year olds: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
10-12 year olds: 11:30-1:30 p.m.
11-14 year olds: 2:00 - 4:30 p.m
Parent meeting Sat. June 27 at 9:30 a.m.
Program #2 August 17-21, 2015
6-9 year olds: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
10-12 year olds: 11:30-1:30 p.m
.
11-14 year olds: 2:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Parent meeting Sat. Aug. 15 at 9:30 a.m.
Children can register for one or both program dates!
Location: Christ Church Hall (12116-102 Ave, Edmonton)
Cost: $330 (This program consists of 5 X 2 hour sessions over 5 days + parent session the
week before. The 11-14 year old session will cost $345 due to the extra half hour of program
time) *Cost of psychological services are reimbursed by many employee extended health insurance plans, and some
children’s services agencies if you are a client. FSCD approves this program as respite for its clients. Appropriate
receipts will be provided.
Corinne Eckert is a child and adolescent psychologist who works with children and families in
private practice, as well as providing behaviour consultation and assessment to schools. She
teaches in the Masters of School Counselling Program at the University of Alberta. She has
worked in schools as a teacher and school counsellor, as well as in children’s mental health as a
therapist. She has facilitated many children’s groups, as well as parent sessions and
teacher/educational assistant training in child mental health and strategies/skill building. Through
the Training in Core Social Skills Program, she has worked with many, many children and their
parents and teachers to help them go more competently and confidently into social interaction.
Registration: Email: office@eckertchildpsych.ca or call (780) 454-4634 to discuss whether
this group would be appropriate for your child. A telephone intake interview will be scheduled and
if the program will be a good fit for your child, a registration form will then be emailed to you.
*Prior program participants do not need to do an intake interview.