Groups & Events
Leiya groups and special events are a great way to learn from experts and connect with others in the Leiya community. We offer a variety of 8-week groups and trainings for parents, children and teens to gain knowledge and skills that can be incorporated into their everyday lives.
Upcoming Groups and Events
Learn More About Our Groups
A Skill-Building Group for 1st and 2nd Graders
Join Rachel Gorham for an 8-week group for 1st and 2nd graders to enhance their ability to identify and regulate their emotions. In the hour-long group, Children will spend time learning about their brain, understanding the power of their thoughts, and practicing relaxation and self-soothing strategies. Children will graduate the group with new tools and language to support the day-to-day emotional challenges of life.
This 8-week group will focus on:
- Emotion Identification
- Self-Regulation Strategies
- Building Confidence
- Increasing Cognitive Flexibility
- Utilizing Relaxation Techniques
Leiya members: Reach out to your care team lead for more information on upcoming dates, cost and registration.
Non-Leiya members: This group costs $120 a session ($960 total). Reach out below for more information on upcoming dates and to save your spot.
This group will meet at our
Berkeley Location
2999 Regent Street, Berkeley, CA
Psychological Associate
Rachel is a fifth year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Saybrook University, with her M.Ed. in Child Development. She has over 20 years experience working with children in both clinical and educational settings. Her dissertation topic (as well as one of her passions) is in pediatric ADHD and empowering children who have been diagnosed, as well as helping schools and parents navigate the challenges and the strengths of ADHD.
A Skill-Building Group for 1st & 2nd Graders
Join Victoria Green & Rachel Velen for an 8-week group offered in-person at our Berkeley clinic. In this hour-long group, children will spend time learning how their brains and bodies work together, understanding the power of their own pacing, and practicing when to utilize “fast-blast”, and “steady-slow” movement patterns. The group utilizes the principles of primitive reflex integration to support smooth, efficient, independent exploration and responses to motor demands. Children will graduate from the group with increased confidence and coordination to support independence.
This 8-week group will focus on:
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- Learning and practicing skills to increase coordination
- Building confidence when trying new types of movement
- Developing body awareness
- Understanding “body bubbles” and how to respect your own and others
- 8 essential movement patterns
Cost: Package of 8 sessions is $960 and paid in full at time of booking.
This group will take place in-person at our
Berkeley Location
2999 Regent Street, Berkeley, CA
Movement Experts is facilitated by:
Occupational Therapist
Victoria Green, M.S., OTR/L is an advanced mentored STAR-clinician, specializing in the evaluation and treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder, via the Sensory Treatment and Research (STAR) Institute. Her specializations include the differentiation and treatment of diagnoses under Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) as developed by the STAR Institute, Therapeutic Listening (TL), and MNRI® Dynamic and Postural Reflex Integration. Victoria brings years of experience working with youth across a wide spectrum of contexts, ages, and circumstances. Victoria’s work is deeply informed in the therapeutic integration of the nervous system in order to achieve functional well-being. In addition to her clinical work at Leiya, Victoria collaborates with families and early childhood programs around the Bay Area and as an OT-consultant, providing staff training and a supportive framework for sensory-responsive classrooms.
Occupational Therapist
Rachel Velen brings eight years of experience as an occupational therapist. She has worked in a variety of educational settings supporting children from age 3 to 19 presenting with various functional abilities and diagnoses. Her expertise is centered on creating dynamic, supportive environments that foster growth and development in children. She is committed to a compassionate and holistic approach to therapy and believes in providing personalized care that considers the unique circumstances of each child and their family. In addition to her work, she enjoys backpacking and values spending time with her family.
A Skill-Building Group for 3rd-5th Graders
Join Dr. Jessica Hamel, for an 8-week group offered in-person at Leiya’s Berkeley clinic. Resilience Builders takes a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach to enhance social competence and perspective taking among 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. In the hour-long group, children will be introduced to many of the core skills required to be resilient and socially adaptable and given opportunities to practice these skills.
This 8-week group will focus on:
- Perspective taking
- Reading verbal and non verbal cues
- Solving friendship problems
- Intent vs Impact
- “On the mark” vs “Off the mark” thinking
Cost: Package of 8 sessions is $960 and paid in full at time of booking.
This group will meet at our
Berkeley Location
2999 Regent Street, Berkeley, CA
Resilience Builders is facilitated by:
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Hamel is a Clinical Psychologist at Leiya. She specializes in working with children with a variety of conditions including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma, and parent-child relationship concerns. She has experience delivering evidence-based interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), trauma-focused CBT (TF- CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and supportive parenting for anxious childhood emotions (SPACE).
A Skill-Building Group for 6th – 8th Graders
Join Dr. Andrea Pascarelli for an 8-week group designed for rising middle-schoolers who want to learn how to improve their friendships, assert themselves and navigate social situations with confidence.
This 8-week group will focus on:
- Improving communication and friendship skills
- Initiating and maintaining conversations
- Navigating social conflict
- Building social confidence in a variety of settings
Cost: Package of 8 sessions is $1,440 and paid in full at time of booking.
This 8-week group will meet in-person at
Leiya Berkeley
2999 Regent Street, Berkeley, CA
Navigating Friendships & Building Confidence is facilitated by:
Lead Clinician
Dr. Pascarelli is a licensed psychologist. She completed her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at New York City Children’s Center (NYCCC) – Queens Campus working with children and adolescents in both inpatient, outpatient and day treatment settings. She has worked in a variety of settings including Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, Child and Adolescent Psychological Services of Seattle and the Child Mind Institute. Dr. Pascarelli has almost 20 years of experience specializing in working with children with anxiety-based conditions including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, selective mutism, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Dr. Pascarelli has extensive experience using evidence-based interventions including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), trauma-focused CBT, parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), and parent-child interaction therapy-selective mutism (PCIT-SM). In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and going for long walks with her dog.
Skills for the Whole Family
Join Katherine Fuller, M.S., R.N., PMHNP-BC, Leiya’s pediatric mental Health nurse practitioner, for an 8-week group and 4 individual parent coaching sessions focused on understanding ADHD, learning to advocate for your child and exploring how interventions can create a positive future for your family.
Does your child struggle with:
- Getting out the door in the morning
- Following directions or focusing in the classroom
- Completing assignments on time without tears
- Establishing and maintaining friendships
- Frequent meltdowns and overwhelm
This 90-minute group will support parents with:
- Understanding the science behind ADHD
- Helping your child regulate their emotions
- Addressing challenging behaviors
- Navigating ADHD in the school system
- Seeing your child through a lens of strength & potential
- Fine-tuning your advocacy skills
Cost: Package of 12 sessions is $1,440 and paid in full at time of booking.
(Please note: this group is open to California residents only. )
This group meets
Virtually
The ADHD Parent Training is facilitated by:
Nurse Practitioner
Katherine Fuller (she/her) is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She completed her graduate school training at UC San Francisco and specializes in working with youth with anxiety, ADHD, trauma, depression, developmental differences, and mood disorders.
A Group for Parents and Caregivers
Join Dr. Jessica Hamel for an 8-week group offered in person or virtually. Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) is a parent-based treatment developed at Yale and shown in studies to be effective for children with anxiety, OCD, selective mutism and related issues. SPACE equips parents with techniques and skills they can implement at home to enhance their child’s ability to manage anxiety and gain independence. Parents will learn how to respond more supportively to anxious emotions and reduce conflict with their child.
In this 8-week group, Dr. Hamel will focus on:
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- Understanding common parenting traps when responding to anxiety.
- Reducing the need to accommodate anxious emotions in everyday life.
- Implementing plans to develop more adaptive responses.
- Managing intense and disruptive behaviors.
- Developing a supportive community and home life.
Cost: Package of 8 sessions is $960 and paid in full at time of booking.
The workshop will take place at our
Berkeley Location or Virtually
2999 Regent Street, Berkeley, CA
SPACE is led by:
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Hamel is a Clinical Psychologist at Leiya. She specializes in working with children with a variety of conditions including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma, and parent-child relationship concerns. She has experience delivering evidence-based interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), trauma-focused CBT (TF- CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and supportive parenting for anxious childhood emotions (SPACE).
Upcoming Speakers & Special Events
We host guest speakers and special events to educate and connect the Leiya community. Click on an upcoming event below to find out more and reserve your spot.
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