What is Friendship Craze?

As Friendship Craze grows I thought I'd better clarify what it is I offer and how it is the same and different from other services in the community.

I specialize in helping kids with friendship skills.  There are many aspects concerning socialization.  Some kids are very anxious and shy about making friends, some try too hard, some have a hard time listening to what other people want, some may be bossy and some just don't understand the very basics of socialization (eye contact etc.)  After a parent tells me a little about their child’s specific situation I will work on lessons that will specifically address their needs.  I offer one on one classes where we do games, activities, role playing etc. catered to the child.  

The services I offer to your child are social skills lessons, coaching or social skills tutoring and is in no means any substitute for professional counseling.  I have a Master's degree in School and Community Counseling (M. Ed. )I am a (NCC) National Certified Counselor and a Licensed School Counselor, but I am not licensed to offer private counseling without a LPC (Licensed Professional Counseling).  Please also understand that as part of my ethics as a licensed school counselor I am to avoid dual relationships with students through communication mediums such as social networking sites. In order to keep proper boundaries I will also be avoiding accepting parents as Facebook friends on my personal page.  (Even though the parents I meet are incredible and I would love to be friends with them.)

There are advantages to my being a ‘friendship coach” rather than a counselor.  For one is the stigma.  I think it’s a lot easier to go to a ‘coach’ where you play games and learn skills rather than to be told you are going to a ‘counselor’.  There shouldn’t be this stigma but let’s face it there still is.

I specialize in friendship skills, so I can read up and learn all the latest research on what helps most and incorporate them in my lessons. Since I have one specialty I spend my time researching what helps best rather than counseling a wide range of areas (Of course many things overlap.) 

 I also offer group classes-“friendship craze” through local rec. centers.  Again a big advantage is the class is for everyone and the stigma is therefore mostly removed.  To be honest the disadvantage of teaching it at the rec. centers is I can’t prescreen who is taking the class so sometimes I may have children with needs that are completely different. 

Sometimes our kids need a mentor. (Just like the parent who is an excellent musician-sometimes they have to hire someone outside the family to have their child take it seriously!).  Our lessons will be in the Fayetteville, Georgia area.  You can have your child come to my home or meet me at the Peachtree City library.
 
The first lesson consists of me getting to know the child and between the parents feedback, the child’s thoughts and my observations I come up with lesson plans for future meetings.  The parent decides how many times they’d like the child to meet with me.  We can meet a couple times, weekly or as needed as the situations arise. 

I charge 25.00 for a 30 minute session or 45 dollars for an hour session.  Why only 30 minutes? When I am working one on one we can get a lot done in 30 minutes and I have their full attention.  However I can increase the lesson time according to the child’s needs and the parents' wishes.

 Even though I am only meeting with your child for 30 minutes I spend a lot of outside time preparing a lesson to specifically fit  your child's needs, so we can get a lot done in 30 minutes of face to face contact.

Arrange your after school time by going to friendshipcraze.com and using the contact page or e-mailing me at [email protected].  You can also call or text me at 678-360-4627.