Skills services

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Skills services focus on building skills to support the mental health needs of each individual and are often provided in addition to therapy. Skills services provide an opportunity to practice skills, such communication skills, task completion, coping skills, and compliance, in the moment as they are needed. Skills services can be provided to an individual, family, and/or group in an office, home, or community setting. 

Skills services provide an opportunity for clients and families to practice implementing the skills they are learning in therapy sessions in the moment and also provide opportunities to practice skills more frequently and for longer duration.  Skills sessions tend to be 1-2 times a week for 1.5-2 hours.  This gives clients an opportunity for repetition and practice, which has been shown to increase ability to implement new skills and make lasting behavioral changes.  Examples of goals for skills sessions include:  improving communication skills, increasing use of coping skills, improving anger management, improving ability to be assertive, improving task completion, increasing ability to transition, improving compliance, improving ability to regulate, and improving social skills.  These sessions take place in a variety of settings, but are most effective when they take place where the client is experiencing difficulties.  This could be in a community location, school, client’s home, office, etc.  Skills sessions can be individual, family, or group sessions.  All of our skills workers are trained in behaviorism, conscious discipline, relationship based work, family systems, and play therapy techniques.  All of our skills workers also receive psychoeducation on trauma and the impact on behavior so they can tailor their interventions to each client using a trauma informed lens.  Treatment goals are individualized to meet the needs of each client and their family.