After 20 years of facilitating social skills groups in person, the COVID 19 pandemic opened up the opportunity to run groups online. The process was initially a challenge; however, online groups have proven to be highly effective and have offered unexpected benefits, particularly eliminating obstacles related to geographic location.

Online groups offer the opportunity for clients who previously had difficulty with traveling to on-site and community-based settings to participate in the benefits of social development groups. Given the hidden pandemic of social isolation and related mental health problems (increased anxiety and depression), this has proven to be true silver lining.

Group attendance has been equal to or greater than on-site meetings as has group participation and engagement in group activities and discussions.

Participants are learning through their positive experiences and we continue to provide a safe environment to encourage active participation and the practice of relationship skills.

Online groups cultivate competencies that include: reciprocal communication, engaging in shared experiences, supporting coordination and teamwork, social problem-solving skills, life skills and independent living skills, social judgment, perspective taking skills, body regulation, understanding and expressing emotions, asking for and accepting feedback, and building self-esteem thorough achieving social goals.

Individualized objectives are identified for each participant and specialized strategies are developed to target specific communication skills, emotion regulation skills, social engagement skills, and social interaction behavior during group activities. Goals and achievements are assessed weekly and interventions are evaluated and adjusted to continue to support progress. Individualized progress reports are provided to offer insight into each participant’s progress.

Each group begins with a biopsychosocial wellness check-in to assess coping with COVID19 stressors. During the wellness check-in the following topics are addressed: managing consumption of online information/digital media; following healthy daily routines; self-care through exercise and movement; practicing relaxing in the present moment; meditation techniques: engaging in meaningful activities during free time; staying connected with others and maintaining social networks: expanding range of activities (reading a book/listening to an audiobook, learning a new skill, journaling, puzzles, doing new tasks around his house, craft activities, and cooking).

Group activities include: self-disclosure exercises, teen/young adult relationship skills, didactic and experiential activities, group storytelling, collaborative problem-solving exercises, reciprocal conversation skill building, sharing of special interests and special collections, virtual house tours, and a wide variety of turn-taking and cooperative games.

What: A 24 week structured group for teens and adults that need support with building and maintaining social relationships.

When: Groups are offered Monday through Friday (after school hours) as well as Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Where: Offering structured group sessions on Zoom.

Who: This group is appropriate for those with ASD, social anxiety, non-verbal learning disorder, executive functioning deficits, and other neurodevelopmental challenges.

Goals: social coordination and teamwork, collaboration and behavioral flexibility, understanding and managing emotions, inference and perspective taking, cognitive flexibility, sharing experience and turn taking, social confidence and assertiveness, starting, maintaining, and ending conversations, understanding and using non-verbal communication, managing conflict, coping with bullying, understanding sarcasm/humor, social referencing, and joint attention.

Contact: Christopher Mulligan LCSW at 310-287-1640 for more information.

Christopher Mulligan is the founder and clinical director of GroupWorks West and has been facilitating social skills groups for the past 25 years in private practice, mental health, and school settings. Christopher Mulligan is currently the Clinical Director of the OCD and Anxiety Clinic at Psychological Care and Healing and the founder and clinical director of The Cyber Addiction  Recovery Center (specializing in video game and internet addiction).