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A Wills Way is a closed, structured counseling group of 6, aimed at engaging participants in effortful practice of self-control.

The group comprises of participants between 18-25 years of age.

The results of a needs assessment confirmed that self-control is an issue among this population.

The goal of this group is to get members to practice self-control in order to live healthier, fulfilling lives.

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Small Group Action Plan_Group Counseling

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According to the American School Counselor Association (2021), a mindset A Wills Way participants should achieve is the "belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being" (p.2). Through targeted lesson plans like Healthy body, Healthy mind and Emotions: What do they mean and what do I do, A Wills Way strives to get its group members towards manifesting this mindset.

There are also several behaviors A Wills Way hopes its' participants achieve through its group counseling sessions. Based on the ASCA mindsets and behaviors (2021), they are as follows:

1. Responsibility for self and actions

2. Self-discipline and self-control

3. Delayed gratification for long-term rewards

4. Ability to identify and overcome barriers

5. Effective coping skills

6. Ethical decision-making and social responsibility

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The first public announcement about A Wills Way will be provided through a workplace meeting. It will be advertised as a supplemental group focusing on self-regulation techniques.

A flyer will be handed out to everyone and those who are interested will be encouraged to contact the phone number on the flyer to set up a time for an interview.

The same flyers will be posted in the workplace break room as well.

Lastly, the group will be advertised as a special announcement on the companies website, with all the information available as on the flyer.

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After the public announcements and flyers go out, people who are interested are encouraged to call a number to set up an interview with the group facilitator.

Those that are interested in A Wills Way will come in individually for an interview and tests.

The tests will consist of a trait self-control survey, self-control beliefs survey, and a behavior survey to assess need and want for participation in the group (Hagger et al., 2019).

The interview will proceed by assessing a potential members personality and benefit. The interview will follow the Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators process of TAP (2015). It will go as follows:

Tell about the group

The group facilitator will explain that A Wills Way is a voluntary, but limited capacity, group consisting of one hour long session over the course of 8 weeks, about the topic of self-control.

The goal of the group is stated.

Expectations of the group members are addressed such as maintaining confidentiality, attendance, and participation.

Ask about their interest and commitment

The group facilitator will ask a potential member about their understanding of the topic of self-control.

They will ask what their personal goals are.

They will ask if they have any questions or feelings about group work.

Pick Members

The group facilitator will ask what are the motivations for wanting to be in the group.

The facilitator will assess if the potential member was able to interact on a personal level.

Based on the answers to the previous questions, the facilitator will have to assess wether or not the potential member will be able to apply the techniques and lessons to their everyday life.

After the interview process and tests are complete, the group facilitator will analyze the data and make the final decision on which 6 members will benefit the most out of the group.

Those who are chosen will be contacted and asked about availability to set up the group meeting and time.

The others who were not chosen for the group will be informed of other resources.

Prior to the first meeting, a pre-assessment survey will have to be completed by the chosen members for data purposes.

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The rules for A Wills Way will follow the Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators participant guidelines/ground rules (2015). This resource is broad, yet effective as a baseline for ground rules in small group sessions. There is room to add on other ground rules, which participants are free to discuss. The one ground rule that will be emphasized and enforced by the group facilitator will be confidentiality.

The ground rules help establish boundaries which is beneficial in creating a safe environment for the members and facilitator. The rules hold everyone accountable, which in turn helps create a sense of trust among the members and will hopefully allow the members to share more freely.

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American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

American School Counselor Association (2021). ASCA
Student Standards; Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success.
Alexandria, VA: Author.

Cherry, K. (2021, August 11). What Are Prominent Leadership Styles and Frameworks You Should Know? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

Hagger, M. S., Gucciardi, D. F., Turrell, A. S., & Hamilton, K. (2019). Self-control and health-related behaviour: The role of implicit self-control, trait self-control, and lay beliefs in self-control. British Journal of Health Psychology, 24(4), 764–786. https://doi-org.easydb.angelo.edu/10.1111/bjhp.12378

Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015). Professional school counselor small group counseling guide: A professional school counselor’s guide to planning, implementing, and evaluating school-based counseling groups. Retrieved from https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/guid-respon-serv-small-group-counseling-guide-2015.pdf

Yalom ID. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.). New York: Basic Books.

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According to the Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators small group counseling guide (2015), the composition of A Wills Way falls into the category of a homogenous structured group (p.6).

The stages of the group will be as follows:

Stage 1: Getting Acquainted/Setting Norms/Building Trust

Since group members are co-workers, they might already know each other, however, they will all get re-acquainted through a small ice breaker. The group facilitator will also join in on the ice breaker, in order to let the group members get acquainted with them.

Setting the norm for the group will happen through setting rules for the group and the group facilitator. The group facilitator will explain how the group session will proceed and explain their leadership style to the members of the group.

Each member will be asked if they want to add any new rules as well as discuss what certain rules look or mean to them. This will help in building trust amongst the group members.

In order to firmly establish trust, the group facilitator will give examples on what confidentiality means and its' limitations, such as those provided in the informed consent form. For example, the facilitator will explicitly state that confidentiality will be limited when there is a posing threat towards oneself or others.

Stage 2: Working together to accomplish individual and group goals

The group facilitator will ask guided questions during group sessions to gauge members understanding of the lesson at hand.

Furthermore, in order to gain a better understanding of where members are in their progression, emails will be sent asking how they are applying the lessons in their everyday life.

The facilitator will also be responsible in letting everyone get a chance to talk and participate in the group lessons.

Positive group interactions will be rewarded in order to encourage group cohesiveness.

Stage 3: Ending the Group

The last lesson in A Wills Way is Planning for the Future. This lesson plan will help ease the group members into preparing for the "what's next" phase after group has ended. It will teach the members how to look forward and work towards goals.

Guided questions in the last lesson will gauge how members are feeling about the group ending.

The group will end with a thorough discussion on the importance of keeping confidentiality, even after group work has ended.

Resources will be provided to everyone in an email, encouraging those who are struggling with the closure to seek additional help.

Lastly, the email will ask the members to complete a post-assessment survey and encourage them to keep practicing self-control because a follow up interview will be scheduled a month later to assess the groups effectiveness.

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In order to establish the ground rules and regulations, the authoritarian style will best be utilized in the beginning stages of the group. After all, Cherry (2021) states that this type of leadership is effective in situations where one person is the most knowledgeable in the group, which in this case is the group facilitator. Furthermore, the group members were interested in joining A Wills Way in order to learn self-control techniques from someone who is knowledgable.

However, changing the leadership style about 2 weeks in may be beneficial to this age group. By switching to a democratic leadership style, it will keep this age group motivated towards progressing in their lessons (Cherry, 2021). And while the group facilitator has the final decision, this style will help the members practice making decisions, which is a lesson in the counseling session. This type of leadership will only enhance their skills in self-control.

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Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment

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Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment

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With A Wills Way being a counseling group focused on self-control, Yalom's factor of universality will be present. Universality is the "demonstration that we are not alone in our misery or our 'problems'" (Yalom, 2015). All of the members share the same interest in strengthening their will and practice self-control. Most, if not all, members will see similarities in struggles amongst themselves. This in turn, could give way to the factor of instillation of hope. According to Yalom (2015), instillation of hope is the faith that the treatment mode can and will be effective. Group members will experience this factor through learning moderation techniques and coping skills in A Wills Way.

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A Wills Way is part of an outside counseling firm who's services can be provided to any workplace seeking to enhance employee productivity. Therefore, an informed consent form will look similar to the one attached to this slide. Specific changes in fees will be adapted to fit the firms policies.

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An ethical requirement that applies to A Wills Way is during the screening process. According to the American Counseling Associations Code of Ethics (2014, p.6) the facilitator must select prospective members based on need and goals that align with the group and those who will interact well among the group.

This ethical requirement is crucial in requiring the group facilitator to choose members methodically. The screening process is an important step in advancing A Wills Way as a supplemental self-control group. The group fails if members do not reach goals due to poor compatibility of needs and goals.

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Another ethical requirement for group work comes in the form of protecting group members. The ACA code of ethics (2014) states that "in a group setting, counselors take reasonable precautions to protect clients from physical, emotional, or psychological trauma" (p.6). A Wills Way follows this ethical requirement by using a referral process, establishing boundaries, and reiterating confidentiality and its limitations.

For example, a member may express having problems with alcoholism. Since that is out of the jurisdiction of the group work, the group facilitator must refer the group member to someone who is qualified to handle the issue to ensure that the member gets the attention and help that they need. Secondly, establishing boundaries will ensure that group members do not cross any lines, further providing a safe environment among the group members. Lastly, reiterating confidentiality and its limitations will give the members a clear idea on what can and cannot be said outside of group. This trust is crucial in group counseling relationships. Keeping confidentiality fosters the relationship between group members and facilitator, which in turn helps the group reach their goals.