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.
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 15 through October 27, 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
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Kim Palombo, Ph.D
PARTNER & EDUCATIONAL THERAPIST
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Kristin Pillay, LICSW, LCSW-C, M.Ed (she/her)
FOUNDER & CLINICAL DIRECTOR
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Laura Howell, MAT (she/her)
SOCIAL COACH
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Jake Frelick, LICSW, LCSW-C
CHILD, TEEN, & FAMILY PSYCHOTHERAPIST
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Pru (she/her)
CERTIFIED THERAPY DOG