You, as a caregiver, are consenting for your child to be in the Social Solutions online social skills training group and/or private coaching provided by S Groups, its employees, and contractors, in relation to social skills training. This consent extends to all individuals affiliated with S Groups, including but not limited to employees and contractors, involved in delivering these services.

Procedures

All Members that join S Groups will be asked to do the following activities:

Initial Intake Evaluation

During the intake we will be assessing whether attending the Social Solutions training group or private coaching is best suited for your child. You and your child will meet online via a HIPAA compliant platform of Zoom for 60 minutes. Our assessment will determine which option best suits your child’s needs. This is based on developmental skill level, social goals, and determining whether there are any life factors that may be inhibiting your child from being set up for success in the program.

Prior to the intake appointment you will be asked to complete the following:

1. Diagnostic information packet
2. Information Release form

During the intake your child will be asked to do the following:

1. Complete the Quality of Socialization Questionnaire to assess the frequency of get togethers with peers in the last month, and the level of conflict during get togethers with peers. Both child and parent will fill this form out.
   
2. Questionnaire – You and your child will answer questions in the area of general demographics. This will assess overall life functioning, social skills knowledge, psychological functioning, and quality of friendships.
3. Complete the Social Anxiety Scale – this assessment will ask your child questions regarding a variety of social situations and then ask you to rate the degree of fear and avoidance you experience for each situation
4. Test of Adolescent Social Skills Knowledge (TASSK) – this will assess your child’s knowledge about the specific social skills taught during the intervention 

Social Solutions Training Group (For Adolescents)

• Will be held on a HIPAA compliant platform of ZOOM once a week for 12 weeks
• Will be held at predetermined time
• Sessions will be for 90 minutes
• Will be held in a small group format of 2-8 peers
• Will include homework assignments to be completed at home each week
• Will include separate training classes for caregivers of members (if parent or caregiver is participating)
• Will teach you about making and keeping friends
• Will teach you coping skills and self regulation strategies for negative thoughts, situations, and feelings
• May be videotaped. These tapes will be used for supervision and instructional purposes only in order to train other professionals on how to run groups like these. If a session is videotaped you will be notified prior in addition to your consent here.

Private Coaching For Adolescents

• Will be held on a HIPAA compliant platform of ZOOM
• Time, date, and length of sessions to be determined by therapist and caretaker
• May include homework assignments to be complete at home each week
• Goals will be determined by therapist and member
• May be videotaped. These tapes will be used for supervision and instructional purposes only in order to train other professionals on how to run groups like these. If a session is videotaped you will be notified prior in addition to your consent here.

Testing

In order to see how much you learned from the Social Solutions training classes, we will need to test your child before the course (during the initial intake) and on the last night of the training classes.

Potential Risks and Discomforts

The Social Solutions training group and/or Private Coaching involves minimal risk to those who join. No more risk is involved in this program than what you encounter during school/work/vocational training or when playing games or socializing with other peers.

You may feel uneasy at first when starting the training classes and/or private coaching. To help this, staff will be there to try and make everyone feel comfortable and accepted.

Some people may become upset by some of the questions that we ask. If there is a question that makes you feel uncomfortable, you do not have to answer.

If it is decided that individual coaching is a better fit for you at this time you will have to wait longer before the next training group begins.

If it is determined that S Groups is not an appropriate fit for you, you will be provided with referrals if you need them.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

For groups: If you decide to withdraw from a group before it has started you will receive a full refund. Once the group has started, no refunds will be provided.

For masterclasses: No cancellations will be provided for masterclasses. If you are unable to attend the masterclass for any reason, you will receive a credit for a future masterclass, and you will have access to a recording of the masterclass you missed. 

For private coaching subscriptions: You may cancel your monthly subscription at any time. If you cancel your subscription before attending a session, you will receive a full refund. Once you have attended the first session, no refunds will be issued. If you cancel your subscription after the first session but before the end of the month, you are still eligible to receive the remaining weekly sessions for the month you have paid for.

For drop-in private coaching: Cancellations with more than 24 hours notice before the scheduled coaching session can be re-scheduled. Cancellations within 24 hours of the scheduled coaching session can not be rescheduled. No refunds will be issued for drop-in private coaching sessions.

If you are deemed ineligible for services after completing the intake evaluation, you will be refunded the cost of services minus a $99 intake evaluation fee.

S Groups does not offer any refunds after you have started services.

Confidentiality

S Groups therapists will do their best to maintain your children’s privacy and confidentiality however we can not promise that other participants in the Social Solutions training group will do the same.

Zoom is a secured health delivery platform and HIPAA compliant. Our sessions are private, and not open to the public. Sessions do not involve personal disclosures like group therapy; Social Solutions is very much like taking a class online.

Videotaping will only be used for training purposes in professional settings and your identity will not be revealed.

If we have information that a minor, dependent, or elderly person is being abused or neglected or that there is a risk of harm to that person or others, we will report this information to proper authorities.

If we receive information from you (parent) or your child (member) during assessment or anytime during the program that the member is a danger to themselves, then appropriate actions will be taken to assure their safety. At that time confidentiality may be bridged and information will be reported to the proper authorities. In the event that S Groups staff is informed of individual thoughts of hurting themselves or they answer yes to a questions about having thoughts about suicide, the S Groups staff will ask them further questions about the thoughts. Depending on the intensity of suicidal thoughts or how much an individual feels like hurting themselves, the S Groups staff may provide the member and/or members parents with referrals for treatment, work with them to contact the individuals personal physician, trusted family member, or therapist to discuss these thoughts of harming themselves or work with the individual on a plan that may include getting them to a hospital for safety.

Participation and Withdrawal

You can choose whether to be in the Social Solutions training group and/or private coaching or not. If you choose to join, you may withdraw at any time. You may also refuse to answer any questions you don’t want to answer and still remain in the group and/or private coaching. S Group staff may withdraw you from the Social Solutions training group and/or private coaching at any time if circumstances arise that warrant doing so.

If you have any questions about or concerns about the Social Solutions training group or private coaching, please feel free to contact the founder:

Heather Young, MA, BCBA

heather@sgroups.com