Connection · Friendship & community
Friend Plan: how to make friends as an adult, step by step
Six short lessons that turn “I should make more friends” into a plan you can follow. Map who you already know, find activities where you’ll see the same people, use simple openers and invitations, follow up, and write a six-week plan.
About this course
How to make friends as an adult, step by step.
Starter · About 1 hour of learning · 6 lessons · 15 quick checks · 1 download
Who it's for
Adults in Australia, the UK, the US and elsewhere who want more or closer friendships.
How it works
6 guided lessons in your browser, with worked examples, exercises and a quick check after each lesson. Progress is saved in this browser only, and you can restart at any time. You start with just your first name and email, and you can take one whole course that way. After that, a free account lets you continue past lesson 1.
Sources we rely on
16 published sources, mostly regulators and official bodies, listed below so you can check the original guidance yourself.
By the end you can
- Set a realistic timeline for making friends, based on the hours friendship takes
- Map your current network and choose three people to contact first
- Shortlist two repeating activities that suit you
- Move from small talk to a specific, easy-to-decline invitation and follow up
- Write a six-week friendship plan and know where to get support
Downloads
- Friendship plan workbook .xlsxFull versions of the course exercises: friendship map, activity shortlist with scoring, contact and hours log, eight-week rhythm and six-week plan. Includes Priya’s worked example.
Rules by country
Learning time
About 1 hour of learning. May count towards your CPD or professional development; check your professional body's rules. Estimated from reading time, exercises, quick checks and downloads.
Sources
Check the originals.
How these courses are made. Spotted an error or out-of-date rule? Send a correction.
Not therapy or counseling. If you're struggling, please contact a support service. In an emergency call 000 (AU), 999 (UK), 911 (US/Canada) or 111 (NZ). Anywhere else, call your local emergency number.
- How to make friends? Study reveals how many hours it takes (on Hall, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 2018) · University of Kansas (KU News)
- Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death (news release, 30 June 2025) · World Health Organization
- Improving Social Connectedness · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
- Feeling lonely · NHS (UK)
- Loneliness (Every Mind Matters) · NHS (UK)
- 30 ways to connect and overcome loneliness · Beyond Blue (AU)
- Volunteer opportunities, rights and expenses: find volunteer opportunities · GOV.UK
- About Volunteering Australia · Volunteering Australia
- Volunteer · AmeriCorps (US federal agency)
- Lifeline crisis support: 13 11 14 · Lifeline Australia
- Talk to a counsellor · Beyond Blue (AU)
- Contact a Samaritan · Samaritans (UK and Ireland)
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline · 988 Lifeline (US)
- Triple Zero · Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts (AU)
- Contact the police · GOV.UK
- National 911 Program · 911.gov, NHTSA (US)
Publisher
Who publishes this course.
Published by trainyourself.org, a trading name of Combine TRS Pty Ltd (ABN 42 112 983 678), Brisbane, Australia.
How it's made: researched from published official, public-health, university and support-service guidance (general education, not counselling or therapy), then run through automated quality checks against our course depth standard and automated source checks that match each rule to its official source, listed above. Read how these courses are made.
Last updated:
General education, not counseling, therapy, medical or legal advice. If you are struggling, contact one of the support services named in this course; in an emergency, call your local emergency number. Spotted an error or an out-of-date rule? Send us a correction.
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