The Friends Middle School Group

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• Does your child prefer playing on the computer rather than being with peers?
• Has your child been bullied by peers?
• Does your child have a hard time leaving home to go to a friend’s house?
• Would your child prefer doing a project alone or with others?

The Friends Middle School Group is a therapeutic group for middle schoolers entering 6th – 8th grade. The group focuses on social communication, group activities, emotional regulation, communication with peers, and sensory issues. We use art, building, games, and outdoor activities to help the students develop more adaptive ways of socializing with their peers and coping with daily stresses. 

A parent group meets at the same time as the middle school group where the parents and the group therapist discuss issues that they experience as parents. A parent must accompany his or her child to each session.

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The Nuts and Bolts

• The group will meet on Tuesdays from 6:15 – 7:30 pm.
• ​The cost is $165 per weekly session, which includes both the Middle Schoolers and the parents’ groups.
• The groups will meet in Dr. Laurie’s office in Palo Alto, CA.
  
  

Staff
Saige Portera, doctoral student in clinical psychology, Palo Alto University & Amy Dorr AMFT 
Laurie Leventhal-Belfer, PhD (Dr. Laurie) runs the parents’ group and directs the Friends Program.

To Learn More
If you’re interested, please contact Dr. Laurie Leventhal-Belfer at 650-322-4431 or Dr.Laurielb@gmail.com. ​Click to view, print, and download ​The Friends Program 2019-2020 Flyer.