Social Skills Groups
Dr. Cohen is a certified facilitator of an evidence-based social skills program called “Secret Agent Society Small Group Program: Solving the Mystery of Social Encounters ®” (SAS for short).
The Secret Agent Society (SAS) Small Group Program is designed to prepare children for life’s social and emotional challenges in a fun and effective way.
SAS uses a spy-themed gamified learning program that captures children’s attention and engages them in learning key life skills including emotion recognition, emotion regulation, problem-solving skills, as well as social skills for building friendship and interacting effectively with others.
The SAS Small Group Program is designed for children between 8 to 12 years of age and consists of 18 weekly small group Club Meetings for children and their parents to attend together as Jr. and Sr. ‘cadets’. During club meetings Jr. and Sr. cadets will learn and engage together with up to 3 other families.
There are also 5 parent only group meetings during the program that provide dedicated time to answer questions, and trouble shoot any challenges that arise.
The combined child & parent club meetings can be done in person, via telehealth, or as a hybrid model (depending on what works best for each family, and the other group members).
To help with generalizing the skills that the child is learning across settings, the program can also include a teacher information session (held prior to starting the weekly meetings), and weekly Teacher Tip Sheets that go along with the skills the child is working on for that week. This helps teachers to understand the program and how they can support the child to practice their skills while at school. Between group meetings the children are assigned real-life practice missions using their new skills.
Parents and teachers or other significant people in your child’s life will have access to a Mentor Portal, which includes a system to monitor and reward skill development at home, school and/or in the community. After completing the 18 weekly club meetings there are 4 one hour booster sessions to monitor progress and reinforce skills and strategies for solving future social problems (held at regular intervals over the following 6-months). There is a graduation ceremony at the end of the last booster session.
To Get Started Submit A Secure Contact Form:
Completed contact forms will be sent directly to Dr. Cohen’s HIPAA secure email (Samantha.Cohen@hushmail.com). Dr. Cohen will reach out to connect with you and answer any questions about the program. If you would like to sign up for the group, she will create a Charm Patient Portal for your child. Within the portal you will be able to read and sign the Clinical Forms and Documents for the practice, and complete the SAS Registration Form. Dr. Cohen will also be able to schedule your Intake Interview so that you and your child can join the next available group.
Please see the links below for further information about the program
Summary of the SAS Small Group Program Requirements:
Age range: neurodiverse children between 8 to 12 years of age. Slightly younger or older children will be considered on a case-by-case basis after discussing the course with parents.
Intake Questionnaire & Interview: Submission of a completed SAS intake questionnaire is required prior to scheduling an Intake interview. The questionnaire and interview will help to determine the goodness of fit for the program, as well as with determining which children to group together.
Parent/Caregiver engagement: Attend weekly group meetings with your child, and 4 additional parent only meetings spaced out over the duration of the group. The parent only meetings provide time for parents to talk with Dr. Cohen regarding how to solve any problems with implementing the skills at home, and to answer questions. Parents support their child to complete their missions between group meetings and using the skill tracker app in the Mentor Portal to monitor and reinforce progress.
Teacher/School engagement: Openness of the child’s teacher and/or other school personnel to complete rating scales, support the child to practice their skills while at school, and briefly check-in with the child to monitor/reinforce progress (using the skill tracker app in the Mentor Portal). Dr. Cohen is also able to schedule a time to meet with your child’s teacher(s) and/or other school personnel to give a short presentation about the program and to answer their questions.
Program duration: Attend 18 weekly one hour combined child and parent group meetings, followed by 4 one hour booster sessions that are spread over the following 6 months (22 meetings total).
Group size: 1-4 child/parent pairs per small group led by one SAS Facilitator.
Meeting Location: In-person at my office in San Diego or via telehealth. There are be options to join an in-person group, virtual/telehealth group, and/or a hybrid model depending on what works best for each family.
Meeting Duration: Joint child and parent group meetings are 60 minutes/week; the 5 parent only group meetings are virtual and will last 30 minutes.
Technology: Access to the internet and a device to access the SAS online learning platform during and between group meetings. A reliable internet connection is also important for supporting the flow of meetings done via telehealth.
Contact Us For More Information
Reach out today to join hands in creating a brighter future for your children. Let's collaborate to support their development and well-being.
Please note: This form is intended for general questions only. Any details regarding patient information should be sent using a HIPAA secure modality: either the form on our contact page or via Dr. Cohen’s HIPAA secure email: Samantha.Cohen@hushmail.com.