Koru Family Psychology, Calgary Therapy
Book a Free 15-minute Consultation

Social Skills Therapy for Kids & Teens

SOCIAL SKILLS & FRIENDSHIP SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN & TEENS

Helping your child connect — in their own way.

Watching your child hover at the edge of a playgroup, struggle to maintain conversations, or return home from school completely exhausted is deeply painful.

At Koru, our goal is never to force your child to mask their natural traits, conform, or act like everyone else. We focus strictly on connection over conformity—helping your child build the specific social skills they want to cultivate the genuine, meaningful relationships they actually care about.

Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation

Prefer to email, call, or text us first? [Contact our intake team directly →]

kids laughing and playing, therapy for social skills for kids and teens

How It Works

Pick a Convenient Time

1. Choose Your Slot
Click any booking button on our site to open our secure portal. Select a date and time that fits seamlessly into your family’s busy week.

Share Your Family's Story

2. Connect with Warmth
We will call you directly at your chosen time. We will spend 15 unhurried minutes listening to your concerns and understanding your child’s unique needs.

Co-Design Your Path Forward

3. Build a Collaborative Plan

We will hand-match your child to the right specialist and secure your spot. You walk away with absolute clarity and an immediate plan of support.

DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?

Where connection gets hard

Social difficulty isn’t one thing. It shows up differently depending on which part of connecting is tricky for your child.

Wants friends, but struggles

Deeply wants connection, yet has trouble making friends or keeping them once the first spark fades.

Missing the cues

Trouble reading tone, facial expressions, personal space, or the unspoken rules that shift from group to group.

Conflict & repair

Disagreements escalate fast or end friendships abruptly, with little sense of how to patch things up afterward.

Conversations go one way

Long monologues about a favourite topic, or exchanges that feel scripted — with little back-and-forth.

Sharing, turns & losing

Games and group play break down around taking turns, compromising, or coping with not winning.

On the edge — or worn out

Hovering at the margins, being left out, playing alone — or melting down and needing to recover after social time.

None of this means something is wrong with your child. It usually means one specific part of connecting is harder for them — and that part can be understood and supported.

social cues info

WHY “JUST BE FRIENDLY” ISN’T ENOUGH

Connection is more than one skill

A single social moment asks a lot of a child, and fast. They have to notice what’s happening, interpret it, decide how to respond, time it right, manage their own feelings, and then actually do it — all in a second or two.


Most kids run those steps automatically. For others, one link in the chain is genuinely hard — and that’s usually where connection breaks down.

We don’t tell your child to “try harder” to be social. We find the step that’s tricky, and build it.

OUR APPROACH

How therapy helps

We tailor the work to the part of connecting that’s actually hard for your child — and to the connections they care about.

Reading the moment

Making the invisible visible — practising how to notice and interpret cues, tone, and unwritten group rules without shame.

Joining & keeping connection

Concrete, low-pressure ways to enter a group, start an interaction, and keep it going past the first minute.

Back-and-forth conversation

Building reciprocity — sharing the airtime, asking as well as telling, and following where the other person leads.

Friendship & conflict repair

What friendship actually involves over time — handling disagreement, apologising, and mending things after a rupture.

Regulation in the moment

Managing the big feelings that hijack social moments — losing a game, being teased, or feeling suddenly overwhelmed.

Parent & peer coaching

You learn how to set up gentle chances to practise and support friendships — without hovering or taking over.

Success is a child who can build the connections that matter to them.

OUR STANCE

Connection, not conformity

Some social-skills programs teach children to hide who they are — forced eye contact, scripted small talk, masking their natural way of relating. That can be exhausting and, over time, genuinely harmful.

At Koru, we do the opposite. We help your child build the skills they want, for connection on their terms — and if the social difficulty is coming from anxiety, ADHD, or autism, we work with that, rather than asking your child to paper over it.

The goal isn’t a child who fits in everywhere. It’s a child who can find their people—as themselves.

WHAT PROGRESS REALLY LOOKS LIKE

Connection that feels more possible

Over time, your child might…

  • Join a group without waiting to be invited.
  • Handle losing a game without it ending in tears.
  • Read a situation a little more accurately.
  • Feel less wiped out after being social.
  • Keep a conversation going both ways.
  • Recover and repair after a disagreement.
  • Make — and keep — a friend they chose.
  • Feel more at ease being themselves with others.

Success isn’t a child with a huge friend group. It’s a child who can build the connections that matter to them.

Meet Our Calgary Social Skills Specialists

Our team consists of Registered Psychologists who specialize in supporting children and teens through evidence-based, compassionate, and somatic-relational approaches.

Jacqueline Stowkowy

Registered Psychologist

Through her genuine care and compassion for others, Jacqueline fosters a supportive environment that she believes helps her clients to achieve their full potential.    

Read Jacqueline's Full Bio & Credentials Here →

Dave McPherson

Registered Psychologist

Dave collaborates with clients to develop a support plan that suits each one’s unique needs using a strengths-based and positive approach. I

Read Dave's Full Bio & Credentials Here →

Calgary Psychologist

Fiona Steedman

Registered Psychologist

Fiona is passionate about fostering school and home environments that promote positive mental health, skill development, and overall well-being. 

Read Fiona's Full Bio & Credentials Here →

Dr. Caroline Buzanko, Children Assessments, Calgary

Dr. Caroline Buzanko

Registered Psychologist

Dr. Caroline focuses on practical, real-life strategies to build confidence, resilience, and connection. As a mom, she understands how hard it is to “do the right thing,” so she makes sure her advice is realistic and doable.

Read Dr. Caroline's Full Bio & Credentials Here →

Nick Yasinchuk

Nick Yasinchuk

Registered Provisional Psychologist

More info soon!

Read Nick's Full Bio & Credentials Here →

mother and daughter on mountain top, self-confidence and self-esteem therapy for kids in Calgary

Kristina

Registered Psychologist

More Info coming soon

Read Kristina's Full Bio & Credentials Here →

Ready to match your child with one of our specialized clinicians?

Our team consists of Registered Psychologists who specialize in supporting children and teens through evidence-based, compassionate, and somatic-relational approaches.

Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation

QUESTIONS PARENTS ASK US

Frequently asked questions

No. We don’t teach masking or make a child perform a personality that isn’t theirs. We help them connect in ways that feel authentic — building the specific skills they want, for the relationships they want.
Not at all. There’s no required number of friends. We only work on social skills when a child wants more connection than they’re managing, or when social difficulty is causing them real distress.
Sometimes. Social challenges can stem from autism, ADHD, anxiety, missed learning, or a mismatch with the environment. We consider what’s underneath rather than treating the social difficulty as the whole picture, and an assessment can help when it’s unclear.
Many do, but plenty don’t — and that’s not a character flaw. Social connection involves a lot of fast, invisible steps, and any of them can be genuinely hard for a given child. Those skills can be learned with support.
It depends on the child and what’s getting in the way. Some benefit from individual work first; others do best practising with peers. We’ll talk through what fits your child.
Online friendships can be real and meaningful. If your child wants in-person connection too, or the balance is causing distress, we can work on that — without dismissing the relationships that already matter to them.
Often, yes. We look closely at where connection is breaking down — joining in, reading cues, conflict, intensity — and build those specific skills, while protecting your child’s confidence through what can be a painful process.
We never force a child to “fix” who they are. If they’re content and not distressed, that’s worth respecting. If they’re struggling but not motivated, we start by building safety and rapport rather than drills.
Often quite involved, especially with younger children. We coach parents on setting up low-pressure chances to practise and on supporting friendships without hovering.
Many extended health plans provide some coverage for psychological services, though coverage and eligible providers vary. It’s best to confirm your individual plan, and our team can walk you through fees and receipts.

EVERYONE DESERVES TO BELONG

Your child has so much to offer a friend.
Let’s help them share it — as themselves.

Tell us what connection looks like for your child right now, and we’ll help you find the next right step.

Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation