Who are The Social Confidence Collective?

Three young people in conversation outdoors

Our Mission…

To help young people build the confidence to connect with the people that matter to them, in a way that feels right for them.

As human beings, we need to connect and interact with others in so many parts of life. Whether it’s at school, work, when online gaming or using social media….even when we order a coffee!

Social connectedness is also good for us.

Healthy social connections are associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety, improved self-esteem and a sense of belonging.

Sounds great, right?

A person stands alone, faced away with head downcast. They wear a brown jacket and grey hoodie and beanie.

…but social interaction is not always easy.

Many young people struggle to feel confident in social situations. Things like anxiety, low self-esteem, experiences of bullying and communication breakdowns can lead us to lack confidence within ourselves and around others.

Some of us deal with this by avoiding social situations that make us uneasy. This can reduce our anxiety in the short term, but over time, our world increasingly narrows, and we miss out on a lot.

Some of us work hard to mask our true selves, to try to fit in with what we (or others) think we should be. The problem is, it’s not authentic, and when we never feel free to be ourselves, it doesn’t feel good.

We offer a different choice.

Our therapy is designed to help young people focus on what’s important to them. We support individualised goal setting and provide a space to practice being around others in a way that is safe, authentic and supported.

Our Approach

We focus on young people.

We work with young people to explore their values, interests, strengths and hopes. These help guide our goals for working together.

We specialise in social confidence.

We believe that confidence within yourself, having social connection, and a sense of belonging are essential to wellbeing. If you or a young person you know has social goals, and want some help with that, we’d love to chat!

We are action-oriented.

Like the “Just Do It” slogan of Nike, we support young people to give their social goals a go. That’s why The Social Confidence Collective centres group work and action-focused therapy, rather than traditional talking therapy.

We embrace diversity.

We value the unique qualities of every individual and want young people to feel accepted for who they are. We strive to create an inclusive and affirming space for young people of all cultures, backgrounds, genders, sexualities, bodies and neurotypes.

We promote curiosity.

We use a neurodiversity-affirming approach, which means we believe that there isn’t one “right way” to be around others. We won’t tell young people what to do or how to behave in social situations in order to fit in. Instead, we provide space to reflect on our own and other’s needs, perspectives and feelings in social situations.

We value expertise.

Our services are informed by the latest evidence-based research and the unique knowledge, wisdom and lived experience of those joining our programs. We actively seek the perspectives of our participants to inform and grow our service.

Meet the Collective

  • Rachel is a woman with long brown hair, blue eyes and pale complexion. She is wearing a dark green top and chunky blue bead necklace. She is smiling.

    Rachel D'Souza

  • Jo is a woman who has blonde shoulder length hair, blue eyes and fair complexion. She is wearing a black top, black rimmed glasses and is smiling.

    Jo Rouse

  • Sonya is a woman with black shoulder length hair, dark eyes and olive skin. She is wearing a blue toned patterned top and bright blue dangly earrings.

    Sonya Vargas Stagg

Read more about our team