Social Communication & Social Skills Groups for Kids & Teens in Haddonfield, NJ
We offer two kinds of services for bright older children and teens who want to fit in, join conversations, make friends, and stand up to bullies:
Social communication therapy during individual sessions (and occasionally dyads when there’s a good match) for structured, evidence-based skill building
Game Nights are offered monthly for current and former clients who need low-pressure practice, connection, and confidence-building
Social Communication Therapy Using PEERS® and Unstuck & On-Target!® 🧠
Evidence–based, individualized social and executive function skill building. We’ll teach your child or teen what to do, how to do it, and why.
Example topics include:
Reading social cues and body language
Starting & ending conversations
Making and keeping real friends
Responding to teasing and bullying
Staying flexible when social situations get hard
We make invisible social rules visible.
✔️ Clear instruction
✔️ Strategy and skill development
✔️ Roleplays and guided practice
✔️ Designed for lasting change
Game Nights 🎯
Low-pressure practice for eligible Cheerful Chatter clients in a more natural setting, so real-world confidence can grow.
Game-based activities and gentle coaching to help them:
Engage in conversation and get to know each other
Hang out and play cooperative, engaging, age-appropriate games
Build potential friendships
Gain experience so they can build confidence
For those who want to feel included and benefit from extra practice.
✔️ Time with real potential friends
✔️ Authentic practice
✔️ Social coaching
✔️ No ongoing commitment
Available for children and teens who currently receive or have previously received individual therapy at Cheerful Chatter. Offered monthly on Friday evenings.
Individual Therapy and Game Nights Work Together
During individual sessions, we focus on skill building — we break things down step-by-step so they know what to do, how to do it, and why it’s important.
Using PEERS® and Unstuck & On-Target!®, we customize instruction so it reflects their individual strengths and needs.
We work with most older children and teens individually, and occasionally through dyads when a good match is found.
During Game Nights, a more natural setting allows them to put those new skills to work with real potential friends.
🧠 + 🎯 = 🚀
Do Parents Stay During Game Nights?
Yes. Parents stay on site during Game Nights. This helps with safety, support, and carryover, and gives parents a better sense of what their child is practicing.
👀 Real-time observation
🧑🧒 Integrated parent training
🤝 Better carryover at home & school
🫂 Skilled coaching when it matters most
Not sure? Have questions?
That’s what the free consultation is for.
We’ll talk through your concerns and discuss next steps. Available in-person or online.
Why South Jersey Families Choose Our Social Skills Services
Structured, evidence-based social skill building through PEERS®
Socially-relevant executive function development through Unstuck & On-Target!®
Flexible, lower-commitment practice and confidence-building through monthly Game Nights
Designed for verbal children and teens with at least near-average language and cognitive skills
Parent training, real-world carryover, and gentle social coaching
“My 13-year-old son had been struggling with social skills and making friends. After his sessions, my son turned to me and said, ‘Mom, I wish I had this last year.’ It changed his life. He has friends now and engages people so much more. My 12-year-old daughter also took her sessions. When she meets new people, she introduces herself on her own and strikes up a very appropriate conversation. Bottom line is Ellen changes lives. I could not imagine where we would be without her.”
— Christine
Questions about Friendships, Conversation Skills, and Social Skills Services for Teens and Tweens in South Jersey
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Yes — we will teach them the skills needed to do exactly that.
But, real progress takes work outside of the office. You’ll want to:
Pay attention to what they’re learning and talk about it at home
Practice the skills together at home, over the phone with family members, and at gatherings
Remind them of the skills they’re focusing on before they head off to school or other activities
Have them join a new activity so they can practice with unfamiliar peers and get natural feedback — we know that’s hard, so we offer Game Nights 🎯 to help fill that need
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Many children and teens feel unsure about social situations or have had difficult peer experiences.
Our programming provides a supportive, neurodivergent-friendly environment where participants can learn new skills and then practice them with peers who are working on similar challenges.
Over time, new skills and practice lead to more successful social interactions and those interactions lead to more confidence.
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Yes. Cheerful Chatter uses PEERS® concepts and materials as part of individualized social communication therapy.
Instead of a formal PEERS® group, skills are taught during individual sessions and practiced with peers during Game Nights when appropriate.
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PEERS® teaches practical, research, and evidence-based strategies for building and maintaining friendships and handling difficult social situations.
There are numerous topics! They include understanding and using body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice; figuring out what the other person thinks, feels, and wants to do; handling teasing, bullying, and other forms of conflict; conversation skills, entering and exiting group conversations, using humor appropriately, and maintaining friendships over time.
We individualize our approach so time in therapy is spent on exactly what they need — nothing more nothing less — saving valuable time and resources!
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Yes — PEERS® is backed by decades of research and we have seen it make a meaningful difference for many kids and teens.
Not only is it based on decades of research and countless clinical trials, but it is specifically designed for the kids who are often left out of other groups — either because they’re too advanced or too old.
When needed, we will also tie in content from Unstuck & On-Target!®. This research and evidence-based program focuses on the social end of the executive function skill set.