Who it's for
PEERS® is one of the most rigorously evaluated social-skills curricula for adolescents in the world. For two decades the bottleneck on getting it to the students who need it has been the same: it lived in clinics, delivered by clinicians, on a clinical waitlist. The School-Based track puts the curriculum in the hands of the people the adolescent already sees every day — their teacher, their counsellor, together with their parent — and gives them a structured 24-hour training to run it well.
This page is more concrete than the homepage grid. Below are the nine roles we typically certify, what your week tends to look like, and what changes after the credential is in your hand.
Today You watch the same three students eat alone at lunch. You want a structured, evidence-based way to coach social skills without becoming an unlicensed therapist.
After certification Run a PEERS® group during advisory or wellbeing periods. Embed the skills (trading information, joining conversations, handling teasing) into class culture.
Today You're already running small groups — anxiety, grief, friendship — but reach for activities week-to-week. You want a 16-session curriculum with measurable outcomes.
After certification Replace ad-hoc social groups with a research-backed PEERS® group, plus parent sessions that get caregivers reinforcing the same skills at home.
Today You're the only psych across two campuses. Counselling time is rationed. You need an intervention that scales beyond your caseload.
After certification Certify and train your counselling team. Run cohorts targeting ASD, ADHD, anxiety and peer-rejected students — with pre/post outcome data your district can audit.
Today Your students' articulation is fine, but pragmatic language and peer interaction still break down. Social communication goals on the IEP need a vehicle.
After certification Use PEERS® modules (conversation, humour, get-togethers) as the structured practice ground for pragmatic language goals.
Today Wellbeing and social–emotional learning are mandated, but vendor curricula are generic. You need something with a published evidence base your board will recognise.
After certification Certify 3–5 staff per campus. Roll PEERS® out as a grade-level wellbeing track. UCLA-credentialed providers are public-relations gold for your school.
Today You're in school psych, counselling, education, or SLP. You want to leave school with a credential that gets you hired.
After certification Start your career as a UCLA School-Based Certified Provider — a niche differentiator on every application, with a curriculum you can run immediately.
Today Your teen masks at school, melts down at home. Friendships are fragile. You've read every parenting book. You want a structured framework, not more advice.
After certification Co-attend with an educator or therapist (Parent–Professional package). Use the parent handouts to coach skills weekly at home. PEERS® is one of the only programs with a published parent-assisted RCT.
Today You see clients on the social-skills end of your caseload but reach for piecemeal worksheets. You want a published, replicable framework.
After certification Add PEERS® groups to your private practice. Bill structured 16-week programs instead of one-off sessions. Listed in the international UCLA provider directory.
Today You run after-school or community programs in under-resourced settings where clinical referrals are out of reach.
After certification Deliver PEERS® inside your existing program structure. No clinical degree needed — just complete certification and meet basic qualification criteria.
Any adolescent (roughly ages 11–17) who struggles socially. PEERS® is not autism-only. It serves students with ASD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, social phobia, peer rejection, recent moves or transitions, and any young person who finds making and keeping friends genuinely hard.
You can attend the full training regardless of background — but to receive the UCLA credential at the end, attendees are typically professionals or graduate students in education, allied-health, or medical fields. See the full eligibility criteria.
Ready?
The fastest way is a 10-minute WhatsApp chat. We'll tell you straight whether your role and setting are a fit before you commit.
