Why parents are part of the program: the role of the social coach

When families first look at a social skills program, most of the attention goes to the young person - understandably. But one of the biggest reasons PEERS® works isn't only about what happens in the young person's session. It's about who's helping them practise the rest of the week.

That person is the social coach.

Skills learned once don't stick on their own

Think about learning any new skill - a language, an instrument, a sport. You don't master it in one lesson a week and never touch it in between. You practise. Social skills are no different. A young person might learn how to join a group conversation on a Tuesday, but if they never practise it before the next session, it fades.

That's where the coach comes in.

What a social coach actually does

In PEERS®, every participant has a social coach - usually a parent, but it can be another family member or support worker. The coach attends their own weekly coaching session and learns the very same skills the young person is learning. That means they're not guessing at how to help; they know exactly what's being worked on and how to support it.

During the week, the coach helps in small, practical ways: a quick role-play before a social event, a gentle prompt to try a skill at school, a supportive debrief afterwards about what worked and what they might try next time. None of it is heavy or time-consuming - often just ten or fifteen minutes here and there. But it's the bridge between learning a skill and genuinely being able to use it.

Why this is one of the reasons the results last

This is worth emphasising, because it's a real strength of the approach: the research behind PEERS® points to the involvement of a social coach as a key reason the gains hold up well after the program ends. The skills continue to be reinforced at home, in a consistent and encouraging way, long after the sessions finish.

You don't have to be an expert

If you're a parent reading this and feeling unsure, please be reassured. You don't need to be a social skills expert to be a great coach. The facilitators teach you everything you need, week by week. Your job is simply to show up, learn alongside your young person, and offer encouragement. Many parents tell us the coaching sessions helped them as much as the program helped their young person - they finally felt they knew how to help.

If you'd like to talk through what the coaching role would look like for your family, we'd love to chat.

Book a free Discovery Call - enrolments are open for our January 2027 intake.