Westmead Feelings Program

Social Skills Programs

All group programs offered at Complete Therapy Group are run by registered psychologists and are delivered on a needs basis. These group programs are run throughout the year and we welcome expressions of interest. Please contact the office for information and check our website regularly for upcoming events including free parent/community information sessions about these programs.

Promoting emotional skills at home and school by upskilling parents and teachers to emotion coaches — Promoting emotional skills at home and school

The Westmead Feelings Program (WFP) is an evidence-based clinical intervention designed specifically to teach social and emotional skills to children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). WFP is grounded in theory and has strong evidence base to support its clinical effectiveness. WFP aims to enhance the emotional awareness of children with ASD by building on their knowledge of their own and others’ emotions, developing their skills in perspective-taking and empathy, and enhancing their capacity to regulate their own emotions, in particular, managing negative or unpleasant emotions. WFP is tailored to the unique thinking and learning style of individuals with ASD.

WFP teaches social and emotions skills in a coherent and developmental oriented framework. The WFP offers two programs:

Expressing intensities of emotions with the Feelings Strength Bar

Westmead Feelings Program 1 is designed to meet the learning needs of children with ASD and a mild intellectual disability aged between 8 and 12 years. The program is also suitable for children from 6 to 8 years with ASD without ID. It may also be useful for other children with social-emotional difficulties (such as language impairments or social communication difficulties).

Westmead Feeling Program 2 is designed to meet the learning needs of children with ASD without a co-occurring intellectual disability aged between 8 to 14 years.

Benefits for Children, Parents and Teachers

The current research has found that the WFP improves emotional competence in children with ASD in both the home and school environments. Areas of improvements include understanding and communicating their emotions, being able to understand others’ emotions and learning the skills to assist them to regulate their own emotions.

Please fill in the form below to express your interest.