Your Teen Knows How to Be on a Team. But What Happens When There's No Coach?

You've watched your kid thrive in structured settings. Sports. School. Clubs. Put them in an environment with clear rules and a role to play and they do great.

But you've also watched what happens when the structure disappears.

A birthday party where they don't know many people. A group hangout with no agenda. Free time at a friend's house where everyone is just figuring it out as they go. Those moments are harder. And if you're honest, you've probably wondered why.

It's not that something is wrong with your teen. It's that nobody ever actually taught them the skills for those moments. They were just supposed to pick it up. And some kids do. And some kids don't, and they spend years feeling like they're on the outside looking in, even when they're surrounded by people.

That's the problem the Friday Game Group is designed to solve.

Why Games

A good board game does three things, whether those are realized or not. Firstly, games provide unstructured structure. There are rules, expectations, and goals that structure what you’re doing, but without the formal structure of a sporting event, a party, or club. It’s a time to follow and establish rules of engagement at a time where there aren’t clear and present rules exactly for the time set aside. Secondly, games provide social engagement. Barring some very specific examples, most board games are times to spend with others. Those times when finding something to do is hard are alleviated when there’s the option to pull out a box with pieces or a deck of cards that can fill time and drive connection. They model social connection and collaboration, and they can also foster a healthy sense of competition that let’s us see either the fruits of success or how we react when we fail in a safe, secure space. Lastly, and possibly most importantly, games are fun. Knowing how to be bored is an important lesson for many young people, but there’s a fine line present in finding positive ways to respond to boredom and negative ways. Knowing how to identify some of the present options for these times is an important skill, and one that helps kids make informed healthy choices for how they spend their time as opposed to finding options that encourage unhealthy risks.

What Four Fridays Can Actually Do

Over four Friday afternoon sessions, Josh May works with a small group of teens ages 12 to 15 using structured games to teach the unstructured skills that don't show up on any report card.

Reading the room. Managing frustration when things don't go your way. Knowing when to speak up and when to listen. Building trust with people you're still getting to know. Figuring out how to belong somewhere without a coach or a teacher making it happen for you.

These are the skills that determine whether your teen can walk into a room and make a friend. Whether they can handle conflict without shutting down or blowing up. Whether they feel comfortable in their own skin when life isn't handing them a script.

Six kids. Four sessions. A safe, low-pressure environment where learning happens through doing, not through sitting and talking about feelings.

Is This the Right Fit?

This group works well for teens who:

• Do well in structured settings like sports or clubs but struggle when things are less defined

• Have a hard time making or keeping friendships outside of organized activities

• Get dysregulated when things feel out of control or unpredictable

• Are in social situations all the time but still feel like they don't quite fit in

• Would benefit from building real social skills without it feeling like a therapy session
  

The Details

Who: Teens ages 12 to 15

When: Fridays, 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM

Dates: July 17, July 24, July 31, and August 7

Where: JPB Counseling, 1617 NC Hwy 66 S, Suite 103, Kernersville, NC

Spots available: 6 kids maximum

We ask that teens commit to all four sessions. The skills and connections build on each other week over week, and the group works best when the same kids show up each time.

How to Sign Up

Spots are limited to six teens and this group will fill quickly. Click the button below to fill out the interest form, or call us at 336-496-8027 and someone from our team will follow up with next steps.

Reserve Today

Josh May is a licensed therapist at JPB Counseling in Kernersville, NC. He works with teens and adults on trauma, ADHD, anxiety, and social and emotional development. JPB Counseling accepts BCBS, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Medcost. Please note that group sessions are not typically covered by insurance. We do not accept Medicaid or Medicare.