Weyo is short for we-youth, or for youth who are we-oriented.

Connection coaching is an individualized, fun, goal-oriented experience where participants meet weekly for 45-50 minute sessions with engaging, personable coaches. The innovation for connection coaching came from the efforts of an experienced team of youth-oriented leaders and professionals who wanted a better way to reach, inspire, and help youth reach their goals and potential.

Connection coaching is not therapy. Although they are both conversation-based, therapy is for people who are working to heal challenges from the past and present and is provided by licensed therapists. Coaching is more future-focused for people who want to optimize how they function in life and relationships. Connection coaches will not try to diagnose, treat, or resolve social, family, emotional, or any other kinds of issues that would best be addressed by therapists. Connection coaches cannot diagnose, treat, or provide services for severe autism, gender-identification issues, self-harm, trauma, or major depression. However, connection coaches can offer coaching for young people with various clinical conditions, providing those conditions are being managed by professional therapists.

Connection coaching can help youth and parents be even better at really “seeing” people in their life and connecting with them, and through that process make improvements in possibly every area of life. It can help youth going through different transitions in life — a new school, class, sport, team, or other challenges and opportunities as they grow. It can help youth who may feel satisfied and content in their social and family relationships to gain insights and skills that can help them expand their comfort zone and to be better prepared for future opportunities and challenges in their education, extra-curricular activities, work, and service to others. Youth who may have more anxiety and challenges with some relationships will find connection coaching to be a cool way to think through those challenges with friendly, supportive coaches, and gain skills and insights to tackle challenges with more confidence and success. Connection coaching can help youth and parents grow consciously, deliberately and intelligently in their meaningful relationships and the areas of their life that matter most.

Most participants do anywhere from 6-10 sessions, although some may choose to do more. Some may also want to “bounce back” and do a few sessions in the next year or later, as they grow and come upon future opportunities and challenges.

Each weekly meeting is 45-50 minutes, and there is usually a weekly challenge that participants try to consciously implement in their day-to-day interactions (but that doesn’t really take extra time, just self-awareness).

Depending on the individual, a connection coach could help a young person do any of the following:

• Improve emotional connection with others – family, friends, and many others.

• Overcome shyness or social anxiety.

• Use fun and shared activities to connect (hobbies, music, dance, etc.).

• Understand friend groups, “popularity,” and social networking.

• Understand the levels of friendship and how to make friendly connections.

• Communicate better, be more empathetic and/or assertive.

• Create and maintain joy in dating relationships.

• Understand how technology helps and hinders connection.

• Build resilience through stronger connections with wider circles of people.

• Develop and improve leadership traits like adaptability, social awareness, interpersonal skills, and teamwork.

Something like mild social anxiety, yes. Profound autism, no.

It is not therapy, and if we assess that participants would be better served doing therapy we will refer out. Sometimes we may recommend that a participant do therapy concurrently with connection coaching. We have also found that some youth improve connections and communication with others enough through connection coaching that it can alleviate and help prevent some emotional and social challenges in significant and meaningful ways.

Prices are comparable to therapy rates in various areas, and the costs cover two coaches in each connection coaching session. Contact us at admissions@goweyo.org to find out more.

If you’re wondering why we charge these kinds of fees, especially as a nonprofit, please know that these fees alone do not cover all of our costs, but they get us closer to being self-sustaining and to allow these interventions to scale. There is a level of team effort and innovation in every coaching session for youth that we believe is unparalleled anywhere in the country. Every session not only includes two coaches with an individual youth (unmatched anywhere to our knowledge), but also includes video-review to assist coaches in quality assurance and team collaboration, weekly team meetings, and ongoing basic and applied research to continue to improve our effectiveness and knowledge base. We are simultaneously developing content, curricula, and other educational and interventional tools, including more cost-effective and free resources, that will be able to reach many more youth and families. Your support helps in the education and growth of your individual son or daughter as well as in the ability for coaches to make a living and in our ability to grow needed services and materials so they can reach more youth, families, and communities.

Our unique approach involves two coaches in every session, typically with one as a lead coach and one as an assistant. Our team of coaches include skilled and experienced professionals ranging from those with advanced degrees in therapy, social science, and education to young adults who are pursuing degrees in psychology, social sciences, or other fields and who are invested and talented in working with youth. We hand-pick coaches who are personable, fun, and emotionally intelligent in helping young people, and parents, learn to connect even better with others. We train our coaches in our research-based approach and use a team approach in ensuring that every youth has the best experience and outcomes possible. We also use video recording of sessions to allow coaches to review and improve their own styles and approaches, and to allow others on our team to offer support, ideas, and feedback. See Our People for more of a description of coaches.