Two pairs of legs wearing different high-top sneakers, one black and one gray, with jeans, sitting against a colorful graffiti wall.
Stack of books with a beige cover, a brown hourglass, and a white round candle holder on top, against a light grey background.

OUR APPROACH

Social Coaching and Groups

We all need a community and, at District Kids, we inherently understand that kids are seeking connection and that their behaviors serve a purpose that we seek to understand. From our collective time in school settings, we know that kids need to be explicitly taught skills that help them connect. We utilize our training in education and social work, models of social thinking, creative modalities, advances in neuroscience, and mindfulness to create groups dedicated to helping kids practice building essential relationships that they seek outside of the practice. We are the coaches facilitating team building and connection. We are here to help kids strengthen their coping and social muscles to navigate the social landscape.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Upcoming Groups:

Don’t miss our September and October offerings!

Mindful in the Middle:

Join Kim Palombo, Ph.D and Educational Therapist, and Kristin Pillay, M.Ed and LICSW, for a six-week middle school group focused on building resilience, focus, executive functioning, and mindfulness using evidence–based strategies from neuroscience.

Through social connections, hands-on activities, and reflection, learn practical tools to:

  • navigate stress,

  • manage social and academic pressure, and

  • stay grounded.

Who: Middle School Students

When: Mondays 6:30 – 7:30pm

September 29 through November 3, 2025

*no session 10/13/25

Where: District Kids: Center for Minds and Hearts (5506 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC)

Cost: $850

More Fall Offerings starting in October:

Improv Group with Jake at District Kids!

Join Jake Frelick, LICSW, LCSW-C and former social worker at Chicago’s very own Second City, in a 10 week group using improvisation and theater techniques to provide therapeutic support to middle schoolers and high school students with anxiety. Participants will use improv to face their fears using creative play, exercises, and games. The group will serve both as a space to build skills to help teens cope with anxiety, as well as being a social support group to connect with peers working through experiences of anxiety.

Who: Middle and early High School Students

When: 10 weeks starting in October, inquire now

Where: District Kids: Center for Minds and Hearts, 5506 Connecticut Avenue NW

Meet our Group Coaches and Therapists

  • A portrait of a woman with red hair, glasses, and a sleeveless, patterned blouse, standing outdoors with sunlight and greenery in the background.

    Kim Palombo, Ph.D

    PARTNER & EDUCATIONAL THERAPIST

  • Smiling person with blonde hair and a light blue blouse, standing in front of green foliage.

    Kristin Pillay, LICSW, LCSW-C, M.Ed (she/her)

    FOUNDER & CLINICAL DIRECTOR

  • Smiling woman with short hair, wearing hoop earrings, outdoors

    Laura Howell, MAT (she/her)

    SOCIAL COACH

  • A smiling man with blue eyes, dark hair, and a beard wearing a black hoodie over a red checkered shirt, outdoors with trees in the background.

    Jake Frelick, LICSW, LCSW-C

    CHILD, TEEN, & FAMILY PSYCHOTHERAPIST

  • Black Newfoundland dog with tongue out, outdoors, blurry background

    Pru (she/her)

    CERTIFIED THERAPY DOG