To schedule an appointment or to be added to our wait list, contact the secretary at the Psychological Services Center at 540-231-6914. For other information about any of our services, contact our center directly at 540-231-8747.
Intervention Services
Clinicians at VTAC can provide a range of intervention services including the following and more. Exact services depend upon clinician availability and interest from the community.
- Individual Counseling & Intervention Services
- Social Skills Groups/Playdates
- Pivotal Response Treatment
Individual Counseling & Intervention services are focused on developing behavioral, emotional and social skills. Children, adolescents, and adults often benefit from individual skills training. Individual services are intended to increase the ability to function successfully and adaptively at home, in the community, school or workplace. Many individuals with ASD may benefit from individual psychotherapy targeted at developing satisfying and stable social relationships, coping with anxiety and anger, and social problem solving.
Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) uses behavioral strategies to target core areas of intervention in ASD, such as motivation, to produce widespread improvement in communication, social interaction, and behavior. Intervention services are provided through a parent education model, in which the parent is considered to be one of the primary agents for intervention. The primary goal is to provide parents with an empirically validated approach that can be used throughout the day. PRT techniques are used for language, communication, socialization and behavior problems. These techniques can be implemented at home, at school and in the community - wherever the child goes. PRT typically consists of an initially intensive period of intervention (usually approximately 25 hours, across several weeks), followed by booster or maintenance sessions.
The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) is a 16-week parent-assisted evidence-based social skills intervention for individuals with ASD or other social or emotional difficulties. The program can be for preschoolers, adolescents, or young adults with who are having difficulty making and/or keeping friends. During each group session, individuals and their parents/caregivers are taught important social skills and are given the opportunity to practice these skills in session during socialization activities.
The Stress and Anger Management Program (STAMP) is designed for preschool and early elementary aged children with ASD who have emotion regulation difficulties. STAMP provides an evidence-base rationale for understanding emotional reactivity and regulation difficulties in ASD. This program consists of nine sessions of games and activities that are developmentally appropriate. Treatment components include effective education, cognitive restructuring, and the emotional toolbox, which are used as a practical set of strategies that work together to help children manage their moods by decreasing negative feelings and increasing positive feelings in daily life.