Sorry I have been too busy!

So, I think you need homework. Basically, I see the following:

- your English is native and your French is at the reading/speaking competency level but your listening comprehension in French is less than optimal. right? quite less than optimal since you have to ask people to repeat themselves

- your one-on-one interactions that are focused on something (Monopoly) go with much more ease than group interactions that basically are chit-chat and do not have a clearly defined focus. So it is the nebulous nature of group conversations among people who do not know each other well, and, especially, across age groups, that gives you trouble.

We also know that the neighbor's son keeps asking you to play Monopoly with him, which means that you are a good buddy to him.

If the above indeed are our facts, how about the following homework that sort of aims at killing two birds at once:

Go into a French speaking area of the town. Go into stores and make very small talk with the shop assistants or store owners, in French. Buy something small and simple if you feel pressured not to leave empty-handed but not otherwise. Do not ask people to repeat what they have said; rather, if you do not understand what they are saying, ask them right away to speak more slowly. Currently you are letting people talk and then asking them to talk again. You can simply ask them to speak more slowly from the get go.

If you go to a souvenir store, do the following:

"My neighbor's son invited me to his birthday. He is turning 6. Do you think this magnet would be kind of cool for a 6 year old boy?" - it does not have to be a magnet - just something small and inexpensive.

OR

"I think I am going to get this one, but you have it in three colors and I cannot decide. What would you choose for a 6 year old boy?"

They would be happy to help you and then you should thank them with precision, i.e. not just "thank you", but "oh thanks so much, I could not have managed without your help! I am sure the birthday boy would be delighted when he unwraps this gift."

If you are in a grocery store in a French area, you can ask the store clerk for the French names of fruit if you do not already know them. "Oh, your persimmons look sooo good. How do you call them in French?"

If you actually know the names of fruit in French, you can still make small talk, but instead of "How do you call them in French?" you would say: "And in French, if I am not mistaken, they are called....Right?"

When you leave a store, always say: "Have a good day" or its appropriate alternative in French.

I think that these tiny steps would help. I am sorry the psychiatrist is not more helpful - she is probably overworked and overwhelmed by the a large client load.