Social Exposures Group will help facilitate treatment gains for your child into the community setting among a group of peers. Groups involve an hour of preparation where children will role-play and engage in imaginal exposure with therapeutic support in preparation for the actual exposure event. 

 

Spring/Summer Social Exposures Groups

Where

See registration pages for details

Contact

Dr. Kelly Amrhein
Advanced Therapeutic Solutions 
630-230-6505 
info@advancedtherapeuticsolutions.org
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What are Social Exposures Groups? 

Join us for a specialized program by ATS called Social Exposures Group! The purpose of this group is to help transfer treatment gains into the community setting. These groups are for children who have reached goals in an office and/or community setting individually, and who have progressed enough to take their new skills into a more public arena. For children who suffer from social anxiety/phobia with or without selective mutism, community exposures can serve as a catalyst for generalization into new settings.

Social Exposure Groups all typically involve one hour of imaginal exposure, role-play, and preparation, and one hour of the actual exposure event. See the links to the left for upcoming Social Exposure Groups.

Social Exposures Group may help you as parents to learn how you can facilitate social and verbal goals when out in the community with your child.

 

What to Expect

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Social Exposures Group is designed to be a flexible option where parents can pick and choose which groups they would like their child to participate in. All spring and summer groups are two hours in duration on the same day. The dates offered and a brief description of the activities are listed below. Clicking on each link will take you to the event registration page, where you can register your child. Note that a registration form needs to be completed for each group you are interested in. If you have any problems registering, contact the intake coordinator at 630-230-6505 or admin@advancedtherapeuticsolutions.org.

1) Saturday April 28th, 2018: 10am-12pm. Barnes and Noble Storytime. "Scientist, Scientist, What Do You See?"

2) Saturday May 5th, 2018: 9am-11am. Home Depot Kids Craft and Scavanger Hunt.

3) Thursday May 17th, 2018: 4-6pm. Wilder Park Playtime. Rain backup: Elmhurst Public Library.

4) Saturday June 2nd, 2018: 9-11am. Home Depot Kids Craft and Scavanger Hunt.

5) Saturday June 23rd, 2018: 9:30-11:30. Michael's Kids Craft and Scavanger Hunt.

6) Thursday June 28th, 2018: 10am-12pm: Lincoln Park Zoo Park Playtime and Animal Scavanger Hunt.

 

Prerequisites

  • Child must have completed sessions at ATS within the last three months, including at least one peer session (1:1 child to therapist ratio) or group session.
  • Demonstrates the ability to separate from parent(s) after a 5-10 minute warm-up during individual therapy and/or group sessions.
  • Demonstrates the ability to interact verbally with limited assistance by the group facilitator.

Readiness for the group can also be demonstrated by the following:

In the past 6 months, has:

  • Participated in Adventure Camp or Winter Adventure (1:1 Camper to Counselor ratio).
  • Participated in Social Thinking Group or Social Exposures in the past.
  • Participated in Courage Club.

If you are unsure if your child meets these prerequisites, talk it over with your child's ATS therapist. If it has been over three months since your child has been in treatment at ATS, then a refresher session may be necessary to reacquaint your child.

If it has been over 6 months since your child has been in treatment at ATS, or your child has never received treatment at ATS, and you think this group is ideal for your child's needs, please contact ATS at 630-230-6505 to set up an evaluation or email admin@advancedtherapeuticsolutions.org.

 

Fees

Social Exposures Group is not a long-term commitment; you can select the events you would like your child to attend. The group is innovative and useful for children with situation-specific symptoms that are the hallmark of selective mutism and/or social anxiety. With this group, ATS Therapists can take your child to the next level of exposure by being in the community with your child and treating symptoms in-vivo in a group setting.

By participating in this group, instead of paying for an individual community session with an ATS therapist, you split the cost with other families and avoid a travel fee.

Insurance CPT code is 90853. Statements will be provided to those who wish to submit to their insurance for reimbursement.

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