Relationships are a cornerstone of young people’s well-being. Close and trusting friendships provide a sense of belonging and meaning, emotional support and a foundation of fun and play. They also play a key role in shaping young people’s identity as they move from childhood to adulthood.
Unsurprisingly, interpersonal relationships are intrinsically linked to young people’s mental health. Unstable relationships and relationship difficulties are connected to a range of mental health disorders. Likewise, developing interpersonal skills and forming fulfilling friendships with others are often key aspects of recovery programs.
The Wave’s program for the enrichment of relational, communication and social skills (PERCS) is our signature program. It supports young people, teenagers and emerging adults in building friendships, repairing relationships and enjoying everyday social interactions. We work together to improve the rollercoaster friendships that some young people may have experienced and address the intensity in friendships that can lead to explosive endings.
What Does the Program Involve?
The PERCS program involves a variety of structured sessions, aiming to:
- Build confidence
- Develop an understanding of ourselves and others
- Increase mentalisation skills through mentalisation-based treatment
- Establish learning styles
We also provide opportunities to practice these skills through enriching experiences, both in team activities with other young people and participation in community projects.
Why Are Friendships So Important For Adolescent Mental Health?
Research has consistently shown that supportive, trusting friendships are a cornerstone of adolescent mental health. Young people with at least one high-quality friendship tend to have greater self-worth and lower levels of depression. High-quality friendships are also linked to less emotional distress and fewer social difficulties. Even a few close friends can act as a barrier against broader social difficulties, such as exclusion, rejection and isolation.
Research has consistently found that among adolescents, support from friends is a protective factor against depression, anxiety, stress and suicidality.
While trusting friendships are important during all stages in life, they’re often particularly influential during adolescence and young adulthood. During these developmental periods, young people are exploring their identities and forming a coherent sense of self. Friendships usually play a key role in shaping and constituting this identity.
When adolescents and young adults experience social difficulties, including unstable friendships, fall-outs and peer rejection, these processes can be disrupted, leaving young people feeling lost and unsure of who they are. It can impact their sense of autonomy and their self-esteem.
What Role Does Friendship Building Play in Teen Mental Health Recovery?
Relationship building is already central to many different treatment approaches for young people. Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a stand-alone therapy that focuses on building interpersonal skills required to form high-quality friendships. IPT is used to treat a range of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety and eating disorders.
Dialectical-behavioural therapy, a go-to treatment for borderline personality disorder, binge and binge-purge eating disorders and self-harm, also includes interpersonal skills as a key module. Likewise, the MANTRa treatment for anorexia nervosa holds relationships at the core of the treatment program.
High-quality friendships provide a source of emotional support that inspires resilience in mental health recovery, helping young people navigate challenging times. They replace the stress and emotional intensity of unstable friendships, which can exacerbate mental health symptoms and make recovery more difficult. They also help boost young people’s self-esteem and their belief in their own ability to recover.
What Is Mentalisation-Based Treatment?
Mentalisation-based treatment is one element of our PERCS program. It’s a type of therapy that focuses on building mentalisation skills – the ability to understand the mental states behind our own and others’ actions.
Mentalisation is a cognitive skill that helps us form and maintain secure interpersonal relationships. It makes us curious about the emotions, intentions and thoughts of others, allowing us to look beyond their actions and understand how they are thinking and feeling. This builds compassion and empathy for other people and ourselves, helps us identify and express our emotions and opens the door to more meaningful connections.
Difficulties mentalising often lead to actions being taken at face value, misinterpreted intentions, escalating conflicts and intense, unmeasured reactions. This can result in unstable, roller-coaster relationships that cause stress and loneliness.
On the other hand, developing mentalisation skills helps us align our responses with social contexts, see other people’s perspectives, remain calm and regulate our own emotions.
What Experiences and Opportunities Do We Offer?
One key strength of the PERCS program is that it offers the chance for young people to learn and develop interpersonal skills through practice, forming lasting friendships along the way. At The Wave, we offer a range of enriching, collective experiences, including:
- Jungle school and survival skills
- Wild-water adventures
- Arts masterclasses
- Martial arts
- Collective gardening, cooking and dining
Relationships can also be built – and interpersonal skills developed – through our global citizenship opportunities. Every young person at the Wave participates in community and environmental projects, learning to become more aware of the world and their place within it. As part of these projects, they form friendships with people from different cultures, take on new social roles, such as teaching and practice working with a team.
Centring Autistic Young People
Autistic young people often struggle to exist within the social environment, expectations and norms of a society designed more for neurotypical people. Trying to fit within these norms and structures can cause anxiety and distress, often leading to social withdrawal and isolation.
In our PERCS program, we centre the needs of neurodiverse people, developing an understanding of each individual’s challenges in conjunction with our autism assessment team. We also work with all young people to develop an awareness and understanding of neurodiversity, creating friendships and communities that are inclusive for everyone.
Contact Us
The Wave offers specialist mental health support for young people and families. Our residential and outpatient spaces offer a diverse selection of evidence-based treatment modalities, designed and delivered by global experts in child and adolescent psychiatry. We specialise in complex trauma, borderline personality disorder, eating disorders and other mental health concerns.
Our philosophy is grounded in inclusivity and fairness, underpinning a community and family-centred, trauma-focused approach to mental health care.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our programs, reach out to us today.
