In-Person Social Skills Groups for Kids in Centreville, VA
Social Skills Group for Kids
Led by Beth Lang, Licensed Professional Counselor | VA LPC #0701006399
When Your Child Wants to Connect but Does Not Know How
You have watched it happen more times than you can count. Your child standing at the edge of a group, wanting to join but not knowing how to break in. Or sitting next to another kid and having no idea what to say. Or coming home from school and going straight to their room without a word about their day.
You have tried to help. You have coached them before birthday parties. You have set up playdates and hoped for the best. You have said things like "just ask them a question" knowing it is not that simple for your kid.
The invitations slow down. The phone stops ringing. And you start to wonder if this is just going to keep getting harder as they get older.
Where Kids Learn Social Skills and Then Practice Them for Real
This is a two-phase program. That is what makes it different from most social skills groups.
- Phase one is the training. Six to eight kids meet once a week on Saturdays for one hour. We sit around the table and work through real social skills together. Sentence starters. How to keep a conversation going. How to ask a follow-up question. How to read the room when something is not landing. It is interactive. We use games and activities, and I coach them through it in the moment so they are learning by doing, not just listening.
- Phase two is where it gets real. Every two weeks, the same group comes back for a social gathering. Pizza night. Game night. Cards. An hour and a half of actual socializing in a low-pressure setting. The difference is that now they have the skills. And I am still there, still guiding, but stepping back a little more each time.
You have to learn the skills before you can practice them. That is the whole idea. The training gives them tools. The gatherings give them a place to use those tools with kids who are working on the same things. Over time, they get more comfortable doing it on their own. That is the goal.
Is This Group Right for Your Child?
This group is for kids who struggle with the social part of life. You might recognize some of this.
- Your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, autism, or a learning difference that affects how they interact with others
- You suspect your child may be neurodivergent but do not have a formal diagnosis
- They have trouble starting conversations or keeping them going
- They miss social cues or misread body language
- They have lost friendships or stopped trying to make new ones
- They get overwhelmed in group settings and tend to pull away
- They want to connect with other kids but do not know how
If your child has been struggling with this for a while and the things you have tried have not stuck, this group is built for exactly that kid.
Group Details
Two phases. Both meet at our Centreville office on Saturdays. Same group of kids throughout.
Social Skills Training
- Day: Saturdays
- Duration: 1 hour per session
- Length: 6-8 weekly sessions
- Size: 6-8 kids
- Format: Structured curriculum with games and guided activities
Contact Beth for upcoming session dates
Social Gatherings
- Day: Saturdays (every two weeks, following training)
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Format: Pizza night, game night, or group activity with guided practice
Includes snacks.
Contact Beth for upcoming dates
You do not need to have every answer before reaching out. If your child struggles socially and you have been looking for something that might actually help, let's talk about it.
What a Session Looks Like
Training sessions follow the same structure every week. That consistency matters for kids who do better when they know what to expect. After every session, your child gets a take-home sheet so you know what we covered.
When you arrive:
Why I Started The Social Skills Group
Beth Lang, LPC | Licensed Professional Counselor | Centreville, VA
Parents ask me about this all the time. They come in for individual counseling and at some point they say the same thing: is there somewhere my kid can actually practice being around other kids? Not just talk about it in a session. Actually do it.
For a long time, I did not have a good answer for them. Most social skills programs teach the skills in a classroom setting and then send the kid home. The problem is that knowing what to say and being able to say it in the moment are two completely different things. Especially for neurodivergent kids. They can memorize a conversation starter. That does not mean they can use it at lunch on Monday.
That is why I built this group in two phases. The training gives them the tools. The gatherings give them a real place to use those tools, with other kids who are working on the same things, in a setting that feels more like hanging out than therapy.
I have watched kids come into this program barely making eye contact and leave it asking each other to sit together. That is the part I keep coming back to. Not the curriculum. The moment a kid realizes they actually can do this.
Questions Parents Often Ask
If you are wondering whether Level Up is the right fit for your child, you are not the first. Here are the questions we hear most.
Does my child need a diagnosis to join?
No. A lot of the kids in this group have a diagnosis like ADHD or autism, but that is not a requirement. If your child struggles to make or keep friends, has a hard time reading social situations, or gets overwhelmed in group settings, this group may be a good fit. What matters is not the label. It is what you are seeing at home and at school.
What is the difference between the training sessions and the social gatherings?
Honestly, most parents tell me their child was nervous beforehand. That's pretty normal. The groups are small on purpose — six to eight kids — so it never feels like a crowded room where your child could get lost. We start every session with icebreakers and low-pressure activities that let kids ease in at their own speed. I've watched kids who barely made eye contact on day one become the ones cracking jokes by session three. They usually surprise you.
What if my child is too shy or anxious to participate?
That is honestly the kid this group is built for. The sessions start with warm-up games so no one is sitting in silence figuring out what to do. The group is small. Six to eight kids. And I am right there coaching them through it in the moment. Most parents tell me their child was anxious before the first session and settled in faster than they expected. These kids tend to relax when they realize everyone in the room is working on the same thing.
How long does the program take and what happens after?
The training phase is six to eight weekly sessions. After that, the social gatherings continue every two weeks for as long as the group wants to keep meeting. Some kids stay in the gathering phase for months because the social practice is what they need most. Others move on when they feel ready. We figure out the right timeline together based on your child.
Location
Creative Connections
14631 Lee Highway, Suite 212
Centreville, VA 20121
Schedule
Session dates are announced as new cohorts form. Contact Beth to learn about upcoming groups and add your child to the interest list.
Register Today
You have been trying to help your child with this for a while. The coaching before parties, the playdates you set up hoping it would click, the conversations in the car where you tried to find the right thing to say. You have done more than you think. Now let someone come alongside you and give your child a place where they can actually practice. Or Find us on the Life Groups and Classes Directory
