Building Social Skills and Connection for Teens and Young Adults through the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®)

(From the lens of The Highland Center for Mental and Behavioral Health - a Dallas-based therapy practice that welcomes clients and patients from all over Texas)

Navigating social relationships can be challenging for adolescents and young adults, especially for those who are socially anxious, neurodivergent, or have struggled to find a sense of belonging. At The Highland Center for Mental and Behavioral Health, we often see young clients who want to connect more confidently with peers, navigate friendships and dating, and feel less isolated. For many, structured social skills programs provide a framework to develop these essential skills, but our approach is what makes it truly personalized and transformative.

The UCLA PEERS® program, developed by Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson, is an evidence-based social skills intervention that began in 2004. It started as a parent-assisted program for children and young adults with social difficulties and has since expanded to include programs for preschoolers, adolescents, and adults, covering topics like friendships, dating, and employment. The program has a strong history of supporting neurodiverse adolescents and young adults, and its success has led to translation into over a dozen languages and implementation in more than 150 countries. While highly structured, The Highland Center for Mental and Behavioral Health integrates the PEERS® program with a tailored, reflective approach that considers each young person’s strengths, challenges, and individual goals. Rather than simply teaching skills in isolation, we work closely with clients to practice and process these skills in real-world contexts, helping them generalize what they learn to school, extracurricular activities, and home environments.

One of the most powerful aspects of the PEERS® program is its focus on role-playing and experiential learning. In sessions, young people practice conversations, invitations, conflict resolution, and handling teasing or rejection in a safe, supportive environment. At The Highland Center for Mental and Behavioral Health, we take this a step further by embedding reflection and self-awareness into each practice scenario. Clients explore not just what to say or do, but why certain reactions occur, how their own patterns influence interactions, and how to respond in ways that feel authentic. This combination of skill-building and introspection helps teens and young adults approach social situations with greater confidence, flexibility, and self-compassion.

Parents are often an important part of the process, but it doesn’t have to be a parent. It could be any trusted adult or social coach in the adolescent or young adult’s life who is invested in supporting their social growth. We provide guidance and coaching for these adults, helping them encourage skill development without taking over or creating pressure. We acknowledge that caregivers or mentors often feel anxious, frustrated, or even guilty when their young person struggles socially, and we work to normalize these feelings while providing concrete tools to foster independence and resilience. This collaborative approach ensures that skill-building continues beyond sessions and into everyday life.

It’s worthy noting that our founder, Arzu Vig, is a PEERS® certified provider, which allows The Highland Center for Mental and Behavioral Health to deliver the PEERS® program with the highest level of expertise and fidelity, while still adapting it to each client’s unique needs and circumstances.

Ultimately, the PEERS® program at The Highland Center for Mental and Behavioral Health is about more than teaching social skills - it is about empowering adolescents and young adults to feel seen, capable, and connected. Clients leave the program not just with new strategies for navigating friendships and social interactions, but with increased confidence, emotional insight, and a sense of belonging that supports overall mental health and wellbeing.