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PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT - SKILLS FOR LIFE
For most of the school year, Bryna Sherr, JFS AdoptionLinks Coordinator and Outpatient Therapist, spends her Monday evenings with teens ages 13-19. In a conference room at the JFS building, they all meet to discuss the challenges of navigating social skills.
Skills for Life, or S4L, as it's more commonly known, has been around since 2013, when it was started after JFS staff saw a demand for
teen-specific group therapy. Bryna Sherr's been running the program since its inception.
Each weekly meeting is an hour long, and the number of teens in each eight-week-long session is relatively small, between four and seven.
The challenges they face vary, too, ranging from autism spectrum disorder to bipolar disorder to trauma issues, Sherr said.
Sherr comes prepared with an agenda for the first half of the session, which is spent talking about topics relevant to the teens' lives. That agenda usually ends up falling to the wayside when the teens get talking about their own individual challenges and asking the group for advice.
During the second half of the session, Sherr uses a structured activity with the group such as a board game or social skills exercise so the teens have a chance to further practice new skills.
"I have found that this type of activity turns into a really good social skills lesson in and of itself," Sherr said, adding that there's little competition and plenty of positive encouragement in the group.
Even though each session only lasts eight weeks, Sherr often sees a lot of growth among the teens during that time. They may start out reserved and unenthusiastic, but the teens connect and grow to be a cohesive group. The skills they gain in S4L can be applied in school, at home, and in their community.
Sherr is hoping to organize a month-long summer S4L session. She takes referrals from a variety of sources and conducts intake interviews before a teen joins a new session.
Learn more about S4L
here.
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