Helping kids and teens grow more resilient.
Depression. Social anxiety. Peer conflict. Kids and teens deal with a lot these days.
Group programs at The Brookline Center help young people overcome challenges so they can enjoy fuller lives and experience brighter futures. Some groups feature discussion, while others focus on play. All provide a safe environment where children and teens can express their concerns and develop life-enhancing skills.
Groups we offer
The Brookline Center offers groups for kids based on the needs we see in our the community. Many of our groups are generalized in topics and engage a range of social, structured, and play-based activities. Groups may be most appropriate for youth who are struggling with the following: distress in social relationships, mild-moderate anxiety, mild-moderate depression, difficulty with self-regulation, and more. For some kids, a group is the ideal intervention. For others, group is an important supplement to individual/family treatment. Seeking support as a parent of a kid having a hard time? Check out our Parenting Groups here.
What to expect from our groups
All of our groups are designed to promote social connection, though some groups focus more on building social skills and others focus on connection through self-expression.
Groups for the 2026-2027 school year will start the week of September 28 and end the week of June 7. In August & September, you will be scheduled for an assessment with a group clinician, and as a team, you and the clinician will decide which group is appropriate for your child.
We are offering the following groups for the 2026-2027 academic year:
K-1 grades Sprouting Skills and Co-Occurring Parent Group
Both groups meet in-person at the Center. Sprouting skills welcomes kids in early elementary grades needing support with social skills and emotional regulation. We’ll use collaborative play, mindfulness, and expressive arts to build strategies that children can use to foster connection and manage big feelings across settings. Group will provide a supported, therapeutic environment in which members can try new activities, make new friends, build up their self-confidence, and fill up their toolbox with coping skills to support their well-being at home, in school, and in the community. The complimentary parent group will focus on attunement and creating a secure relationship that supports the needs of their child(ren).
This group will hold Fall and Spring sessions.
2nd-3rd grades Regulation Station
Regulation Station incorporates movement and mindfulness to support kids who have difficulty regulating their emotions and energy levels. Group members will engage in movement-based games to help them gain awareness of their nervous system and manage overstimulation. Through engaging in these activities, group members will gain tools to self-regulate and manage challenging emotions.
2nd-3rd grades Games and Gathering
The Connection Club will support 2nd and 3rd grade children in building social skills through collaborative play. The group will engage in board games and age-appropriate imaginative play to promote social connection. Activities will include play with legos and magna-tiles and games such as Sorry and Uno. Group leaders will provide in the moment coaching to support group members with connecting with others, understanding social cues, and effective communication. Group will support members in gaining the tools to build friendships at school and in the community. This group is well-suited for group members who have low self-esteem, difficulty making friends, or social anxiety.
4th-5th grades SPARX
SPARX seeks to facilitate peer interactions and bolster social skill development through board games. Using play-based interventions, this group fosters social reciprocity and cooperative play skills through in-the-moment practice during play, where these skills are often most needed and hardest to use. This group is for individuals who need support building social skills and cognitive flexibility.
4th-5th grades Craft & Connect
This group, for kids in grades 4-5, focuses on emotional expression, interpersonal skills, and self-esteem building through creative arts and facilitated conversations. Conversation topics will cater to the needs of the group members such as conflict with peers, making friends, family issues, and concerns about school. Creative arts activities will focus on self-expression and self-esteem.
6th-8th grades The Next Move
The Next Move is for 6th-8th graders to build social connections and social skills through board games and facilitated conversation. Group leaders will provide social coaching to support group members in communicating effectively and assertively and understanding social cues. Additionally, facilitated conversations will support group members in connecting with others through their interests and experiences.
6th-8th grades The Social Studio
The Social Studio will utilize creative arts and facilitated conversation to support 6th-8th graders in developing their sense of self and building confidence. Drawing on aspects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), this group will support members in identifying what matters to them and making choices consistent with those values. Middle schoolers who experience anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem would benefit from this group.
High School Skills
This group is for adolescents seeking additional skills to cope with difficult emotions and challenging social dynamics. The group will draw on CBT, mindfulness, and DBT skills to better manage school, friendships, and family relationships. The space also will function to process students’ practice of these skills outside of the group space and emotional or situational experiences that they are comfortable sharing with the group. Adolescents who have never been in therapy before, are newer to therapy, or have extensive therapy experience but are in need of a tune-up are well-suited for this group.
High School Self-Compassion
This group offers high school students (grades 9-12) a supportive space to explore self-compassion and self-expression through expressive arts (drawing, music, painting) and the principles outlined in The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook by Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer. Participants will learn the fundamentals of self-compassion and mindfulness, utilize art to process emotions and express themselves, and connect with others through facilitated conversation. This group is open to all teens but may be especially helpful for those who struggle with self-criticism or find it difficult to practice self-compassion.
High School Dungeons and Dragons
This interactive group supports the development of social and emotional skills through collaborative storytelling and role playing through Dungeons and Dragons. Group members will collaborate to develop a shared, imagined world and generate their own characters. Through engaging in role playing games and collaborative storytelling, group members will practice social communication and problem-solving skills and build self-esteem. This group is well-suited for teens who have some interest in role-playing games and character development and may need support navigating social dynamics.
