Social competence training for children

Domain II · Behavioural & cognitive · Franz Petermann, Ulrike Petermann · 1978 · Bremen

What it is

"Social competence training for children (Petermann)" is not one single therapy but a family of manualised, multimodal cognitive-behavioural programmes from Franz and Ulrike Petermann (Bremen; TAK from 1978, TSU from 1983). The two clinical core programmes share one architecture: a few intake…

Format

• Total duration is typically 6–8 months of weekly sessions, up to 10 months for complex cases.
• Session length and number (TAK)

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Version followed: Petermann & Petermann, Training mit aggressiven Kindern (TAK), 14th edition 2023 (Beltz; checked against the 13th edition 2012), and Petermann & Petermann, Training mit sozial unsicheren Kindern (TSU), 11th edition 2015 (Beltz). Older editions (TSU 1983/1986, TAK 2005) are cited only where they add procedural detail.
• "Social competence training for children (Petermann)" is not one single therapy but a family of manualised, multimodal cognitive-behavioural programmes from Franz and Ulrike Petermann (Bremen; TAK from 1978, TSU from 1983). The two clinical core programmes share one architecture: a few intake contacts, an individual phase, then a small-group phase, plus mandatory parent and family counselling run in parallel. TAK is…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Shame. Normalise without minimising.
• Relapse into old patterns once therapy ends.
• Tasks the family did not help plan are rarely done.
• Data protection and consent. Keep teacher requests small.
• Expect delayed effects. Plan more sessions from the start.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.