Helping Your Teenager Feel More Confident
Sixteen is a demanding year. GCSEs come to an end, sixth form or college begins, friendship groups shift, and social life starts to look far more adult. Many parents get in touch with us at exactly this point. Their teenager is bright, kind and capable, yet the social side of things has become a source of real worry.
If you have been searching for guidance on social skills for 16 year olds, you are not alone, and there is a great deal that can help.
Why Social Skills Become Harder at this Age
Younger children socialise around activities. They play football, they build things, they sit together in the same classroom every day. The structure does much of the work for them.
At 16, that structure falls away. Conversation becomes the main event, and it relies on reading tone, timing, humour and unspoken group rules. Add in the pressure of a new sixth form, a wider social circle and a heavy online element, and it is easy to see why some young people begin to withdraw.
For autistic teenagers, those with ADHD, and young people who have masked their difficulties for years, this shift often coincides with the point at which coping strategies stop working.
ContactSigns Your Teenager May Be Struggling
- Turning down invitations they would once have accepted
- Difficulty starting or maintaining conversations with peers
- Friendships that begin well but rarely last
- Relying heavily on online contact rather than meeting in person
- Physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches before social events
- Reluctance to attend sixth form, clubs or part-time work
How We Support Teenagers at CY&A Psychology
Our clinicians work with young people up to the age of 28, so there is no abrupt cut-off at 18. For social difficulties, we draw on the PEERS® programme, an evidence-based social skills intervention for adolescents and young adults, alongside CBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy where anxiety or self-esteem is part of the picture.
We also run therapeutic role play using Dungeons & Dragons, which gives young people a genuine reason to practise conversation, negotiation and reading other people, and Skill Up sessions for executive functioning.
Sessions take place at our Marylebone townhouse or online, whichever suits your family.
Evidence-Based Social Skills Programme
PEERS® is internationally recognised & has over 30 ‘gold standard’ research trials evidencing its effectiveness.
Parents as Social Coaches
While your child is in their group, you are in a parent group learning ways to help your child build their social skills.
Working in Partnership with Schools
We also work collaboratively with schools to ensure the benefits of PEERS® extend beyond the clinic.
Supporting Meaningful Change
Through specialist facilitation and parent involvement, the PEERS® programme helps young people build skills, confidence and meaningful friendships.
Practical Ways to Help at Home
Start by naming the difficulty without making it a problem to be fixed. Teenagers respond far better to curiosity than to correction.
Encourage interest-based settings. A drama group, a coding club or a sports team gives your teenager a shared focus and a natural reason to talk.
Rehearse specific situations rather than general confidence. Practising how to join a group at lunch is more useful than being told to be more outgoing.
Allow recovery time after social events, and resist the urge to debrief immediately.
Talking to Us
Please fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you. Alternatively, you can call us on 020 7458 4570 or send us a WhatsApp.
Don’t forget to check our frequently asked questions.