The In-Betweeners


At a glance
About the group
The In-Betweeners is for young people who kinda need therapy, kinda don’t. Or are therapy curious. They need a little bit of support, but not the focused attention of individual therapy.
It’s also for youths who find themselves in-between socially, developmentally, or in the middle of some other kind of transition. The common thread is group support during change.
The group is a good fit for parents who feel their child could benefit from therapy, while the child themselves isn’t quite sure about the whole idea.
What happens in the group
The group is part check-in opportunity, part skill building, and part Worldbuilding—a form of collaborative imaginary play that is somewhat D&D-adjacent.
Across sessions, members will be introduced to a broad range of skills while also having a regular place to talk, connect, support, and navigate whatever changes are happening in their lives.
For young people who are uncomfortable with individual therapy, this offers a lower-pressure form of therapeutic support with peers.
All demographics, genders and sexualities are welcome. Neurodivergent affirming.
Schedule & school-year rhythm
As much as possible, the group will sync with the school year and follow the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) calendar.
That means the group will generally not meet during school holiday breaks and will ends for the summer break. The exact semester schedule will be finalized once the group has formed, but families should plan on approximately 15 sessions across the school year.
Getting started
Before joining the group, each prospective member will have an individual onboarding session.
Part of that meeting will include the parent or caregiver and child together, followed by time with the child individually. We’ll go over how the group works, answer questions, discuss what information is and isn’t typically shared with parents, and make sure the group feels like a good fit.
Parent check-ins
One parent check-in per semester is included. These meetings are an opportunity to hear updates from parents and to share general information about the child’s participation in the group—for example, how engaged they have been and how they seem to be settling into the group.
Attendance
Because a small group depends on consistent participation, regular attendance matters. Two consecutive missed group sessions will generally mark the end of participation for that semester