Training in Core Social Skills

Summer Interactive Skills Sessions

This is a fun week-long psycho-educational group consisting of 5 sessions, Monday to Friday. Each session is 3 or 3.5 hours in length.

Participants will be invited to engage in fun and interesting activities in which they interact with others. During each session, the facilitators assess the needs of the participants while they engage in activities or discussions, and provide coaching to achieve successful outcomes. Activities may include outdoor games, conversations, scavenger hunts, card/board games, group building games, construction, art projects, and LEGO challenges.

A session for parents is held before the start of the program, where the supervising psychologist provides parents with an overview of the program philosophy and coaching language and techniques 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. This is both a good introduction to our Training in Core Social Skills Program and a great way to practice previously learned skills for those who have been with us before!

Our goal is to help children enhance their ability to understand social interaction and build skills and confidence in interacting with others successfully and comfortably.

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 with social interaction.

  • Providing a safe and caring environment for students to develop skills in successfully connecting with others.

  • Teaching conversational skills, cooperation and problem-solving skills, inviting, questioning and initiating skills in a fun and interactive way. And most importantly, teaching social cognition, the foundation of understanding ourselves in relation to others.

Summer Program 1

July 21–25, 2025

6–9 year olds:  9 AM – 12 PM

10–12 year olds: 1 – 4:30 PM

Parent Session: July 17, 2025, from 7–8:30 PM

Summer Program 2

August 11–15, 2025

8–10 year olds:  9 AM – 12 PM

 12–15 year olds: 1 – 4:30 PM

Parent Session: Aug. 7, 2025, from 7–8:30 PM

Registration for Summer 2025 is Open!

Summer Program 3

August 18–22, 2025

7–10 year olds:  9 AM – 12 PM

 10–12 year olds: 1 – 4:30 PM

Parent Session: Aug. 7, 2025, from 7–8:30 PM

Summer Program Information

  • The program is billed at $46 per hour.

    • 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Program: $46/hr x 17 hours

    • 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Program: $46/hr x 19.5 hours

    The cost includes one mandatory parent training session, parent handouts, and five child sessions, which encompass psychological consultation, intervention development, and both individual and group coaching.

    Psychological services may be eligible for reimbursement through your extended health insurance or government programs, such as Family Services for Children with Disabilities, Supports for Permanency, McMan, and Unlimited Potential Community Services, if you are a client. Receipts will be provided upon completion of the program.

  • A 30-minute intake session with the child’s legal guardian(s) will be scheduled to assess whether the program is an appropriate fit. If the program is recommended, a registration form will be sent to you.

    Participants with prior training in the Core Social Skills program may not be required to complete an intake interview.

    As spaces fill up, we will maintain waitlists. For more information about our programs, please reach out to us at office@eckertchildpsych.ca.