Our Story

The CoMethod began as a dream that educators could extend social-emotional understanding beyond individual classrooms, improving people’s connections with themselves and one another.

In 2019, Cait Kamins began building this dream with CoMethod Program Strategist Mara Garcia. Cait received a master’s degree from Wharton and the School of Education at The University of Pennsylvania, focusing her two years of study on creating The CoMethod, and extending the organization’s community by partnering with like-minded educators and experts in their fields. Each has their own ventures, and when opportunity calls, they come to The CoMethod to do consulting work, facilitate events, or connect groups of people. From their work within institutions, they know the value of external community members providing support.

Each member of our team is a social-emotional educator with K-12 experience and deep dedication to strengthening communities. We have spent the majority of our careers within schools and are passionate about expanding our impact. As teachers, administrators, and parents, we know the power of intentional human work. We all deserve to move authentically through our lives.

 
 
  • Cait Kamins is an educator and administrator with over sixteen years of experience across three independent schools and in collaboration with dozens more. She brings expertise in leadership development, social-emotional learning, and faculty culture, bridging pedagogical knowledge and organizational insight.

    Cait is a Town and Gown Scholar at the University of Southern California, a graduate of Columbia University’s Klingenstein Program, and holds a master’s in education and business from the University of Pennsylvania. She is completing a certificate in Leadership Coaching through Harvard’s Professional and Executive Development program.

    Prior to founding The CoMethod, Cait served as Director of Human Development and Advisory at an independent school in California, where she designed two UC-approved courses, led a comprehensive advisory program, developed school-wide curricula, guided faculty growth, and taught social-emotional learning courses at both standard and honors levels. Her path toward cultivating emotionally intelligent school communities began during her years as an English teacher and through volunteer work with child survivors of sexual trafficking.

    Cait co-created and facilitates Full Circle, a professional development group for independent schools in Los Angeles. Her work includes presentations at the annual conferences of the International School Counselor Association (ISCA) and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), as well as service on an accreditation team with the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS). She also served briefly on the board of an elementary school in East Los Angeles. Cait holds certifications in Trauma-Informed School Leadership and Clinical Trauma and regularly partners with a team of neuropsychologists to integrate research-based strategies into pedagogy and professional learning.

    A Bay Area native now based in Los Angeles, Cait lives with her husband, children, and the animals who have made their garden a home.

 
 
  • Mara Pavich Garcia is the Director of Community Engagement and Wellness at The Lili‘uokalani Trust in Hawai'i. She previously served at K-12 Director of Wellness and Professional Programs at St. Andrew's Schools. Over the past 18 years, she has worked in independent schools as a school counselor, program director, learning specialist, and culture leader.

    She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Redlands and a master’s in community counseling from Gonzaga University.

    She has helped develop Nalukai Academy, an entrepreneurial institute for adolescents, as well as helping to lead The Shanti Alliance and working with the Domestic Violence Action Center. She was recently awarded membership to the Patsy T. Mink Leadership Alliance and served as a faculty member for SDLC through NAIS.

    She lives on O’ahu and is deeply involved in her community.

 
 
 
  • Sarah Huss teaches Human Development courses and leads parent talks to students and families at several Los Angeles area schools and provides consultation to schools developing their own human development programs. She has been a faculty member at Campbell Hall School in Studio City for 23 years, serving as the Director of Parent Education and Human Development and the Co-Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice. Among the many courses she has developed and taught are K-12 human sexuality, drug education, peer mentoring, healthy relationships and consent, and responding to microaggressions and bias. In addition to Human Development, Sarah directs a robust Parent Education program that links school communities to innovative thinkers and steadfast veterans in the fields of parenting, mental health, social justice and spiritual development. She was the co-creator of the Sexuality Education Symposium as part of the National Association of Independent Schools’ Annual Conference in 2017. She also developed the Sexuality Education Summit for California independent school teachers with the California Teacher Development Collaborative. She is an experienced facilitator of Council Circles with both students and adults.

    Sarah received her Bachelor of Science at Northwestern University in Education and Social Policy. She earned her Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, Los Angeles. She lives in Los Angeles with her 17-year old son.

    Find Sarah at www.sarahhussconsulting.com.

We are honored to have worked with the following institutions, and others.

Consulting and Presentations

Albert M. Greenfield School

Chartwell School

Crane Country Day School

Drexel University

Everlasting Elementary

Harvard-Westlake

International School Counselor Association

National Association of Independent Schools

The Brain Learning Center

The Empathy Center

The Institute for Social and Emotional Learning

University of Pennsylvania

Viewpoint School

Conferences and Events

Brawerman School

Brentwood School

Buckley School

Campbell Hall

Carey School

Crossroads School

Everlasting Education

Global Protection Corp

Harvard-Westlake

Iolani School

Laurence School

Los Encinos

Marin Country Day School

Mirman

Oak Grove School

Oakwood School

Polytechnic School

Sequoyah School

Sierra Canyon

St. Matthews

Thacher

The Center for Early Education

University School of Nashville

Viewpoint School

Waverly School

Wildwood

Experiences with The CoMethod