S.U.N.

Social Understanding for Neurodiveristy

Groups and Bootcamps

Our Social Understanding groups are influenced by the UCLA evidenced-based program PEERS®. The primary focus of our program is increasing each teen’s self-confidence as well as their understanding of social interactions rather than learning prescribed social skills. This focus promotes autonomy as well as the ability to make an intentional choice when socializing rather than complying with social rules &/or masking. Groups may be appropriate for teens with Autism, ADHD, Anxiety, & Depression.

The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is a social skills training intervention developed at UCLA by Elizabeth Laugeson to support individuals diagnosed with autism or other social disorders who have difficulty with peer interactions and relationships. PEERS® has a strong evidence base for use with adolescents and young adults with Autism but is also appropriate for preschoolers, adolescents and young adults with ADHD, anxiety, depression and other socioemotional challenges. Research has demonstrated that gains made over the course of the program are maintained 3-5 years later. For links to published findings of the efficacy of the program go to PEERS research.

Our groups differs from other programs because they are:

evidence-based
includes parents throughout treatment
focus promotes autonomy as well as the ability to make an intentional choice when socializing rather than complying with social rules &/or masking
structured like a class, not a therapy group
breaks down social understanding into understandable steps
teaches ecologically valid social skills based on behavior of socially successful individuals
generalizes social understanding to “real life” settings and includes skills that transfer to the workplace

Application

S.U.N. Summer Camp

Social Understanding for Neurodiversity Summer Camp 2024

Monday August 5- Friday August 9, 2024

9am to 3pm

Our Social Understanding and Executive Function Camp is influenced by the UCLA evidenced-based program PEERS®. The primary focus of our program is increasing each teen’s self-confidence as well as their understanding of social interactions rather than learning prescribed social skills. This focus promotes autonomy as well as the ability to make an intentional choice when socializing rather than complying with social rules &/or masking. This camp may be appropriate for teens with Autism, ADHD, Anxiety, & Depression.

Daily lessons and invivo learning opportunities will incorporate the following themes:

self-advocacy & responding to disagreements
self-regulation in social settings
maintaining reciprocal conversations
perspective-taking
boundaries
problem-solving skills
executive function skills

Itinerary:

Monday- Grocery Challenge
Tuesday- White Water Rafting
Wednesday-Photo Scavenger hunt/lunch out
Thursday-Science Center & riding LYNX to Optimus Hall
Friday- Frankies for bowling & laser tag

Pricing:

Total price for program- Cost: $2,225

Price includes camp, all activities, one camp T-shirt, food, and orientation/mental health screening appointment.

Camp is limited to 10 campers and will be run by Dr. Grayson, Amy Dombrosky and interns

Enrollment Process:

Complete the application
Upon receiving your application, a staff member will call to schedule a free 30-minute telephone intake.
Intake paperwork will be sent to parents if teen is admitted into the group. All Intake paperwork must be completed in order to secure spot in the group. Spots will not be held without paperwork.

Application

Full 10-week Program

Fall 2023- FULL- Sept 5 to Nov 15 (with the week of halloween off)

Spring 2024- FULL- Jan23 to March 27

Fall 2024- September 10- November 12

This 10 week program is influenced by the evidenced-based UCLA program PEERS®. The primary focus of our program is increasing each teen’s self-confidence as well as their understanding of social interactions rather than learning prescribed social skills. This focus promotes autonomy as well as the ability to make an intentional choice when socializing rather than complying with social rules and/or masking. Each group incorporates the themes of self-advocacy, self-regulation, perspective-taking, boundaries, and problem-solving skills into the lesson. This group may be appropriate for teens with Autism, ADHD, Anxiety, & Depression. Parent participation is required.

The group is open to clients ages 11-17 who have difficulty initiating and maintaining friendships. Teens learn social understanding through didactic instruction, live demonstrations, and extensive practice via group play activities such as sports, board games, etc. Regular attendance is imperative to program success.

Parents attend weekly group sessions, held simultaneously with the client group, where they learn how to assist their teen by providing feedback and coaching for weekly socialization homework assignments. Weekly attendance for parents/caregivers is a program requirement.

Time:

Tuesdays from 6:30 pm to 8pm.

Ages:

11-17 years

Weekly Groups:

10-weekly groups

90 min Teen group
90 min Parent group

Topics include:

Use appropriate conversational skills
Use humor appropriately
Use electronic communication
Enter & exit conversations
Be a good host during get-togethers
How to be a good sport
Handle arguments and disagreements
Change a bad reputation
Handle rumors and gossip
Handle rejection, teasing and bullying

Pricing:

Price includes boot camp and orientation/mental health screening appointment.

Total price for program- $1,850 ($185/session- parent and child group)

Enrollment Process-

Complete the application
Upon receiving your application, a staff member will call to schedule a free 30-minute telephone intake.
After the phone intake, both the teen client and parent/caregiver coach must attend a PEERS® orientation appointment with our clinician for a mental health screening and to determine if enrollment in the program is appropriate.

Application

Meet the Team:

Group Leader

Jillianne Grayson, MD

Dr. Jillianne Grayson was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She completed her undergraduate training in biology at Johns Hopkins University. She obtained her medical degree from Florida State University College of Medicine. She completed an intern year in internal medicine at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and subsequently completed two years of neurology residency before deciding to follow her passion and switch specialties to psychiatry. Dr. Grayson completed her adult psychiatry training at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and her fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Children’s National Medical Center.

She is a certified yoga instructor and has a special interest in mindfulness. With a personal belief in making every day count, she makes time for her passions of painting, yoga, traveling, and spending time with her husband and son.

https://www.graysonpsychiatry.com/

Group Leader

Amy Dombrosky, LCMHC, NCC

Amy was raised in Virginia and has resided in the Charlotte area for over 10 years. Amy has two young children and enjoys being outdoors. She enjoys being active whether that be hiking, gardening, or playing tennis. On the weekends you might find Amy and her family playing in Freedom Park, riding e-scooters, or using the Lynx to explore the Charlotte area.

Amy holds a MA from Marymount University in Community Counseling. Amy is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina as well as a Nationally Certified Counselor. Amy is licensed to provide Telehealth in South Carolina and Florida. Amy completed EMDR training in 2012 and the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) Certification in 2022. https://dombroskycounseling.com/

Intern

Ellie Morris

Ellie has lived in Charlotte her whole life. She is currently attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte studying Social Work and Sociology with a minor in Spanish. Outside of school, she enjoys going on walks, playing with her dogs, and traveling.

Office Manager

Dannielle Gozelski

Born in a small town just outside of Portland, Maine, Dannielle’s love for working with children began when she accepted a position at a local childcare center. After a few years in that field, in the summer of 2005, a career opportunity for her husband brought the couple to North Carolina. Once arriving here, Dannielle made a career move into office administration. She served in this role for multiple Lake Norman area establishments from 2006-2015. At this point, and with the ambitions of soon having a child of her own, Dannielle again switched paths and became a full-time nanny, she held this position until becoming a mom herself at the end of 2016. After 4 years of being a full-time mom, Dannielle jumped back into the childcare industry when she began working as a preschool teacher at a Montessori school in Mooresville. With her daughter moving on to kindergarten this year, Dannielle felt it was time to move back into the administrative world. Her background in office management and her love for children merged when she got the amazing opportunity to work with Dr. Grayson.