Feb. 14, 2003

Contact: Julie Shaftel, Center for Psychoeducational Services, (785) 864-7021.

KU center offers groups for girls with social skills difficulties and their parents

LAWRENCE -- Middle-school-age girls with social skills difficulties and their parents are invited to join weekly support groups this spring conducted by the Center for Psychoeducational Services at the School of Education at the University of Kansas.

The center also will offer sessions for parents of boys and girls with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

The social skills groups will start at the end of February and run for eight weeks. Each hourlong session costs $10. A sliding fee scale is available for eligible participants.

Parents and children will meet separately in sessions at Joseph R. Pearson Hall at KU. The sessions are part of a pilot program focusing on girls. Sessions for boys may be offered at another time.

In the children's group, clinicians will work with students to practice critical social skills. Students and clinic personnel also will focus on the challenges group members face and how to meet those challenges. The parent group will focus on teaching parents the same skills the students learn and how to support those skills, plus sharing experiences, information and resources. Parents also will have an opportunity for individual consultation.

The support group for parents of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder initially was held for six weeks in fall 2002 and was enthusiastically received by parents, said Julie Shaftel, clinic director at the center. Participants from last semester may join the spring semester sessions.

For more information, contact the center at (785) 864-7021 or kucps@ku.edu.