PEERS® Bootcamp | Friendship & Communication
Friendship Comes With a Lot of Rules Nobody Actually Explains
Starting a conversation. Joining one that has already begun. Finding people you genuinely enjoy spending time with. Knowing what to say when something becomes awkward. Making plans outside the place where you usually see each other. A lot of friendship advice assumes young people already understand how these situations work.
Less “just go and make friends.” More practical information about how friendship situations can actually work.
About the Program
Explicit Information Creates Options
Adults often give friendship advice with good intentions — join in, say hello, talk to people, put yourself out there, find people with similar interests. The problem is that each of those suggestions contains another question: how? How do you join in? How do you know when to say hello? What can you talk about? How do you tell whether the conversation is going well?
The PEERS® Friendship & Communication Bootcamp makes some of those unwritten expectations more explicit. Across two interactive days, participants explore practical strategies for common friendship and communication situations through teaching, demonstration, discussion and supported practice — breaking each situation into smaller, more concrete steps.
Explicit information creates options. It does not create one compulsory way to socialise.
Program Suitability
Could This Bootcamp Be a Good Fit?
This Bootcamp May Suit a Young Person Who:
Would like support navigating friendships
Finds some unwritten social expectations confusing
Would like practical communication strategies
Wants to better understand common friendship situations
Prefers information to be explicit and structured
Has friendship or communication goals they would like to work on
Participation Involves Being Able To:
Fall within the advertised age range
Have friendship or communication goals relevant to the workshop
Want to participate
Be able to engage safely within a small-group environment with appropriate supports
Participate in structured activities at a level appropriate for them
Participants are grouped according to the age range offered for each intake, and suitability may be discussed prior to enrolment.
What We Explore
Break the Situation Down — Then Practise What Might Help
Each area below is taught explicitly, demonstrated, and then practised through role-play, scenarios and structured activities across the two days.
Starting & Joining Conversations
Starting conversations
Finding common interests
Maintaining two-way conversations
Entering conversations
Exiting conversations
Finding Friendship Fit
Choosing people who may be a good friendship fit
Noticing shared interests
Developing friendships
Considering reciprocity
Organising social get-togethers
Communication Beyond Face-to-Face
Electronic communication
Messaging
Communicating between get-togethers
Considering how communication may differ online
When Things Don't Go to Plan
Navigating disagreements
Being a good sport
Responding when an interaction does not go as planned
Considering different ways to respond
Learning by Doing
Talking About Friendship Is Different From Practising It
Learn
Make the strategy explicit.
Watch
See examples and demonstrations.
Practise
Try strategies through role-play, scenarios or activities.
Reflect
Consider what felt useful, awkward, relevant or worth adapting.
Participation can still look different between people — some may volunteer quickly and enjoy role-play, others may watch a demonstration first or need additional processing time. The strategies themselves are presented as information and options, not as a demand that neurodivergent participants hide their natural communication style. The aim is meaningful participation, not one “correct” way to socialise.
Bootcamp or Full Program?
Looking for Something More Intensive — or More Ongoing?
This Bootcamp
2 intensive days, focused on selected friendship and communication strategies, in a shorter workshop format.
Full PEERS® Programs
Structured learning over multiple weeks, a broader curriculum, repeated practice, and program-specific parent/social-coach components where applicable.
This bootcamp does not replace the complete PEERS® program. Families looking for longer-term structured learning can explore PEERS® for Teenagers or PEERS® for Young Adults depending on age and suitability. Dates and age ranges vary between intakes, so contact our team to ask about current or planned availability. Explore PEERS® Programs
Want to Learn More About the PEERS® Friendship & Communication Bootcamp?
Tell us a little about the young person, their friendship or communication goals and what you are hoping they might get from the workshop.