Penn State Penn State: College of the Liberal Arts

Friendship Group

Welcome, PSU undergraduates, to the Friendship Group Program at the Child Study Center.

This 400 level Psychology class is a Mental Health Practicum with children. This program is an educational and outreach activity that provides social skill development activities to children in the community while also serving as a training opportunity for advanced undergraduate students interested in careers working with children and youth.

In addition to the classroom lectures, the on-site Friendship Group Program operates for 14 weeks at the Child Study Center in Moore Building, University Park.  Typically there is a six week session in the Fall semester and an eight week session in the Spring semester. The groups are comprised of about 3-7 similar-aged children (K-3) and (4-6).

The curriculum used in the Friendship Group Program is organized developmentally. It includes age-appropriate games, crafts, stories, role-plays, and other activities designed to target skills that have been identified as critical for getting along with others and developing good friendships. These include learning to recognize your own feelings and those of others, learning to stop and think in social situations rather than respond impulsively, joining in, sharing and turn-taking, good winning and losing, learning to control yourself when upset, communication, teamwork, negotiation and compromise, and conflict resolution. You, group leaders, will present skills and strategies, model these for the children, and provide the children with opportunities to practice them.

To register for PSYCH 477 (Fall) and PSYCH 480 (Spring), please contact Jennifer Murray Connell, .

Families interested in Friendship Group, please visit this page.