Therapy Groups

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Do you have an autistic teenager who could benefit from:

• Greater knowledge about their autistic identity?

• Connection to other autistic teenagers?

• Increased awareness of their individual strengths and challenges?

In this group, we’ll focus on strengthening your teen’s self-understanding, acceptance, and confidence. Autistic teens will connect, share about their successes and challenges, build community, and learn from each other’s experiences. Groups will include psychoeducation, activities, and discussion.

Topics covered will include:

• Neurodiversity movement
• Social model of disability
• Sensory differences
• Self-advocacy
• Self-care

Dr. Whitham is a UCLA-trained psychologist with specialized

training in helping individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Virtual Group

Fee - $175/weekly session

  Please contact:

  Siena Whitham, Ph.D. at drwhitham@jpsygroup.com

For children with a diagnosis of selective mutism.

Children with selective mutism benefit from participation in small, structured groups with group leaders who are trained in selective mutism treatment. Children practice speaking to the group leader, to other children, and in front of the group. 

Parents will participate in an intake meeting with the group leader to determine which group would be the best fit for the child. The child will meet the group leader in a structured session prior to participating in the group.

Groups are weekly and ongoing, and can be joined at any time if an age-appropriate group is available at that time.

It is strongly recommended that families begin treatment with a selective mutism treatment provider prior to joining the group. The provider can assist and guide the family in helping the child to begin speaking in school, in the community, and with others to whom they are not currently speaking. Treatment in combination with group participation will yield the best results.

Please contact:

Catherine Eckel, Ph.D.

dreckel@jpsygroup.com

Does your teen struggle to talk and interact with a variety of peers and adults?

Teens with selective mutism or social anxiety feel discomfort in many social situations. This group provides teens with engaging and relevant activities to increase verbalizations and comfort during social interactions with adults and peers.  Teens are grouped by age and level of social anxiety.

Registration is open to new clients of Juniper Psychology Group as well as existing clients. New families must complete a virtual intake (60-minutes) and in-person intake session with teen (60-minutes) at the clinician’s hourly rate.

Ongoing Open Group

Fee - $200/weekly session

  Please contact:

  Amy Zimmerman, Ph.D. at drzimmerman@jpsygroup.com

For children who need practice with social communication and pragmatics

This group is for children who need practice in their social language expression, interacting with peers, and learning to understand communication as it relates to building their social cognitive skills, as well as their understanding of others' intentions. 

This group will be run by Rachel Rapp, CCC-SLP. Ms. Rapp is a speech and language pathologist with extensive experience helping children learn social pragmatic skills.

For more information, contact:

Rachel Rapp, M.S.,  CCC-SLP

rrapp@jpsygroup.com

         Does worry get in the way of your child feeling happy and confident?

Join us for an activity-based group in which kids practice coping skills and get to meet other kids who are experiencing worry.  The group will focus on:

• The cycle of anxiety that makes kids feel trapped
• Coping and grounding techniques
• The difference between helpful and unhelpful anxiety
• Ways to gradually face their fears and build confidence

This group is based on a cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) model in which kids will learn about  the connection between thoughts, emotions, actions, and body sensations.

 Fee- $190/weekly session for 8 sessions

Next offering will be this Fall

Please contact:

Ketki Deshmukh, LMFT at

kdeshmukh@jpsygroup.com

Learn how to help your anxious child. 

The Group will Cover:

• Ways children and teens present when experiencing anxiety
• Possible causes and types of anxiety
• Effects of anxiety on the brain and body
• Strategies to ground and cope with anxious feelings
• Correlation between thoughts, feelings, body sensations, & behaviors
• The cycle of anxiety that makes your children feel trapped
• Skills to help your child get out of the anxiety cycle
• Identify unhelpful parental accommodation and choosing strategic starting point to help your child
• Ways to support and challenge your child when they are feeling anxious.

6 weeks

weekday and weekend time offered

Fee - $190/session

Next offering will be this Fall

Please contact:

Ketki Deshmukh, LMFT at

kdeshmukh@jpsygroup.com