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2007-08 School Year Program Meets from 4:30pm to 6:45pm twice monthly Office: (818) 788-2100 Fax: (818) 530-4123 Need an application?
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This program is designed for students aged 7 years old to 13 years (child group) and 13 to 18 years (adolescent group) who have difficulties with basic and pragmatic social skills, executive functioning skills and academic readiness skills. The program includes:
The group meets twice monthly from 4:30pm to 6:45pm. We conduct a pre-assessment for all students who have not previously participated in our programs at a cost of $250. You will receive a report that indicates your child's current level of social-emotional functioning plus behaviors to target. If your child is accepted into the group, the monthly charge, which includes all services is $330.66 plus a $35 monthly materials fee. We accept private payment and will prepare an insurance statement upon request. This program is approved for Regional Center funding and we accept NonPublic Agency school district contracts.
Referring Regional Center Clients The L.U.N.C.H. Group School Year Program was developed by Dr. Bruce Gale, a San Fernando Valley-based clinical psychologist to help children and adolescents with social skills and executive functioning challenges which can affect academic performance. Social skills are those behaviors we engage in daily to get along with others. Executive functioning skills include the ability to control our emotions, pay attention, plan and organize our behavior, monitor performance, and to develop new plans and strategies to effectively problem-solve. The focus of treatment in general is to create an enjoyable, stimulating, and motivating environment where students can learn about and have opportunities for practicing a variety of positive behaviors. As in past programs, there will be a link between group meetings, where the students can participate face to face, and the ability to report about progress when not in the group. We have significantly increased the amount of support available to family members, especially parents and siblings of participating students. Past attendees have worked on the following types of problems:
Children and adolescents who have a variety of challenges have participated in our program. Sometimes, families request that their child only be with other children having the same diagnosis. We have found that, by including children with many different kinds of challenges and varying strengths, we better approximate life in the real world. Beyond that, it has been helpful to work with children having different challenges as a group. In this manner, one child’s strength may serve as an appropriate model for another child’s weakness. L.U.N.C.H. is an acronym and stands for Learning, Understanding, Negotiating, Communicating, and Helping. The program concept was originally developed at a local public school and was run as a time-limited program on that campus. Since then, it has been run through Dr. Gale’s private practice. This year, we are expanding several elements of the program in an attempt to improve treatment outcomes further and to facilitate maintenance of gains after the program ends. Students who participate in the program often have a range of diagnoses including:
Some students do not have a formalized diagnosis, but rather, have traits of shyness, difficulty making or keeping friends, paying attention, trouble maintaining conversations, or difficulty controlling anger or other impulses. Experience has indicated that students come in many sizes, shapes, and types of problems. By accepting a broad range of students, we ensure that some children's weaknesses are likely to be areas that appear as a strength for a peer. This allows for modeling and behavioral rehearsal opportunities. We do not accept students into this program with the following:
If you have children with these problems or diagnoses, call us anyway and we will help you find another group for your child to attend via our resource list. Examples of behaviors students work on
Families are not required to commit to the entire school year, however we require a minimum commitment of 4 months (8 sessions). It generally takes new students about four sessions to fully understand and be able to participate effectively during the remainder of the program.
The program is highly structured, starting with the very first session. Upon arriving, the students learn each other's names, then watch a demonstration of the kinds of technology used in the program. What we do is constantly evolving, however below is a sample of the kinds of projects we have done this year (click on any of these to view samples). Projects Completed by 2007 Kids Projects Completed by 2006 Adolescents
Projects Completed by 2006 Children
During the initial two sessions, the following occurs:
During subsequent sessions, the students select different projects they wish work on as one large group or sometimes, by breaking up into smaller groups of 4 to 6 students. We combine use of PowerPoint for organizing with using standard flip charts. This method for facilitating group discussions was piloted during our 2006 summer program and proved highly successful. The act of writing on the flip charts is done by one of the counselors (see below) or can also be done by a student. The primary goal of the L.U.N.C.H. is not to use technology or just go out to eat, but rather to promote group process and interaction, consideration for others, learning when to speak up and when to wait, practicing conflict resolution, learning to be more tolerant when things do not go smoothly, and other skills necessary for success at home and in school. Different Students/Different Strengths Students who are more extroverted receive guidance on how to express their own ideas, while listening to and incorporating other students' input. Students who are more introverted are encouraged to speak up more loudly and clearly. All students are prompted and reinforced for expressing their ideas in a clear and understandable manner to their peers. Sometimes, families worry that their children are just coming in to "play with computer." In fact, the students do not use computers directly, they provide input to Dr. Gale or another assigned staff regarding particular projects or use the flip charts. Students do have opportunities to use digital cameras and video equipment. Meals Safety We work on a variety safety-related behaviors during the group and try to do this responsibly and carefully. This includes everything from practicing how to get into and out of chairs to opening doors; street, automobile, and pedestrian safety. You will notice the chairs around the tables are slightly close together, just as they might be in other settings. This is by design. I looked at several table and chair combinations before purchasing this for my office. Even the arrangement of the tables is designed to facilitate navigation skills. The children I have seen over the years seem to get bruises and minor injuries more often than their peers; they have difficulty with navigating safely around their environment and do not seem as aware of common hazards. I have learned of clients who have been struck by cars because they did not practice safe street-crossing techniques. This is one of the reasons we go out daily. It provides an opportunity to practice these skills, along with other community skills, such as how to speak to others while walking or when in a restaurant. I have never had a student experience an injury in my programs other than a very minor scrape on the skin as they went through a door during the five years of this program or during the 14 years my adult programs have been running. About Confidentiality I'm often asked what
steps I take to ensure your child's confidentiality in the sessions, out
in the community, and especially involving any uses of technology and/or
the Internet. Confidentiality in the sessions has never been a problem,
as one of the rules discussed early on is that no one is permitted to
talk about anything anyone else says outside of group. We practice
situations where two group members inadvertently run into each other
outside the session to remind members that, in greeting their peer, it
is important to refrain from identifying them as a member from group. Any information that your child completes using the Internet is also devoid of any personal identifying information. The group will decide what nicknames the members want to be identified by and this is approved by parents. You will be able to review any information completed by all participants, but will only be given the identifying information to see what your child has written. Pre-Assessment: Every child entering our program participates in an initial assessment, consisting of the following:
The information gathered during the assessment process is used to determine what areas are most important to address during the group sessions. We reassess progress after six months to determine the level of success in targeted areas. We generate a progress reports on your child's progress in the group as well as a summary when your child completes the program. These reports include:
During sessions, our trained college staff provides your child with guidance, structure, and reinforcement throughout the program under the direct supervision of Dr. Gale (the majority are psychology majors, all are enthusiastic and have experience in the field). We maintain a 4:1 staff to student ratio during the program. This helps us provide more individualized positive reinforcement and modeling for each student plus increases interaction between students, when needed. Parents have an opportunity to participate simple to use, yet state-of-the art, teleconferences. To participate, just use your browser to view a web site and dial a US toll number on your phone. You will see exactly what your child is working on in group and have a chance to participate in live discussions with Dr. Gale and other families. Based on the feedback from the Summer 2006 parents, additional "parent get-togethers" or meetings may be scheduled during the year. There is no charge for attending these additional meetings, other than the associated food costs. Meetings will be held at nearby restaurants or at the home of one of the group members, to be determined.
Questions? Call our office at (818) 788-2100 or use our email link. |
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Students attend the program twice monthly
for 2.25 hours each session. Approximately
65 to 90 minutes are
spent in the office followed by going out to eat or having a group BBQ
in the outdoor courtyard of the building. Families drop off their
children at Gelson's, next door and pick up in the same place. 
