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As a counselor, it is our duty to prepare clients for the counseling termination process and to terminate services when clients are no longer benefiting from counseling. Closing sessions can be a positive experience for both the client and the therapist. Together, they can take a step back and look at the personal growth that has unfolded over the course of the therapy sessions.

The closing session, or the termination session, is a time to review the client’s achievements and to reinforce plans for maintaining good mental health. Therapy is completed when a client has achieved their goals outlined in the treatment plan. When therapeutic goals are nearing completion, the counselor discusses the client’s readiness to terminate and their feelings relating to ending therapy, whether positive or negative.

Many group sessions are ended with rituals. The ritual that we chose to end our final group sessions is called you impacted me. In this ritual, students will take turns sharing how each group member positively impacted them during group sessions. It could be something they said, shared or how they treated others. It is a nice way for students to hear how they have had an impact on others to remember and take away from the group.

Reference:
Corey, M. S., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2018). Groups: Process and practice (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

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In this activity, the counselor will address the comments and concerns left on the parking lot at the end of Session 2. Students will be invited to discuss the feedback the counselor received and expand on their feelings of the session as well as their time in school since the last session. Students who aren't as vocal encouraged but not forced to share their thoughts, as well.

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For this activity, each student will create a graphic of their personal relationships with the people they come in to contact with on a regular basis. Students will write their name in the center of a sheet of paper however they choose, leaving plenty of space around the perimeter. The counselor will give the students time to list all of the people they come in contact with regularly, making sure to spread the names out yet arrange them however they like. The counselor will give each student a green marker, and the student will draw a green line connecting their name to those they feel they have a positive relationship with. Students should be asked to consider what they think a "positive relationship" is.

Next, students will be provided a red marker to create connections with those they have a "negative relationship" per their own definition. Finally, students are asked to draw a blue line to those they feel can give them assistance in a time of need. Remind them that these do not necessarily have to be people they have a positive relationship with. Any names that are not used should be erased. Students may choose to share some of the connections they have noticed or to keep them confidential.

Activity Goals:
-Students will create a visual representation of their personal network of relationships, highlighting those they can trust for support or positivity and those they should avoid.
-Students will acknowledge people who can be used as resources when they need assistance with bullying scenarios outside of the counselor.

Feedback:
-Are there any negative relationships students care to keep?
-Are the positive relationships only positive for the student or both parties?
-Of the names the students may have erased, could positive relationships be initiated?

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Relationship Mapping at Your School | Making Caring Common

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In this closing activity, students will write on a postcard to someone they trust summarizing the day's session. They should be sure to include why they feel we completed the activities as well as how the session's activities could affect their everyday life. Students will keep the postcard and can choose to deliver it to the individual they addressed.

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For this activity, students are provided a 3x5 index card and are tasked with sharing 1-2 sentences about any thoughts and feelings at the end of the first session. They may choose whether to include their name or not. They will fold the index card in half and place it in a bucket in the center of the group. Once all cards have been submitted, the counselor will open each card and read them to the group, allowing students to respond with similar sentiments or alternative perspectives.

This activity allows the counselor to directly address any concerns from students while maintaining the discretion of those who are more reserved. Additionally, students who may not have been as transparent in the first session are provided an opportunity to have their voice heard even if they lack the confidence to take ownership of their opinions in the beginning stages of the group.

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Exemplar from Hiawatha Elementary, Hiawatha, KS

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For this activity, students will use digital platforms such as Canvas, Google Slides, or Powerpoint to locate and compile images that act as a visual representation of their individual view of the bullying they have experienced or witnessed. Students are free to use as many images as they choose in any layout, as long as it will fit onto a single page. These images will be printed and framed. Students will then describe their image briefly in a paragraph, creating parallels between the visual and their perception of bullying.

Activity Goals:
-Students will define bullying in their own terms while creating exposure to behaviors other participants may not have considered. This may lead to commonality and relatability amongst students, solidifying trust in the group.
-Students are tasked to acknowledge emotions they may not have realized they have experienced, allowing the counselor to help explore those emotions further through discussion.

Feedback:
-How does your image reflect what bullying is or how it makes you feel?
-What is something the group can recognize or identify with in each image?

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Closing the Session: Parking Lot Feedback

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Closing the Session: Parking Lot Feedback

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To mirror the opening of the session where students shared concern or questions from the first session, they will be provided a sticky note and take 5 minutes to address any areas they feel necessary to bring to the counselors attention. They will post their sticky note on a wall chart on their way out of the door and the counselor will use these as feedback for the next session.

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Opening the session:  Getting to know you bingo:

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Opening the session:  Getting to know you bingo:

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This video does a great job of explaining a bingo activity that will allow the group to get to know each other.  The group leader will set up 16 options for each letter for a total of 80 blocks that the students will use to set up their board.  The statements will focus on things that describe them (have siblings, ride the bus, etc) or things that they enjoy doing (play X-Box, like pizza).  This will be handed out at the group prior to the students and will allow them to put their board together.  The winner will get a small treat such as candy bar or something else.  The goal of this activity will be for the group to get to know one another as well as show them the similarities they share as well as show how they are unique.

Reference:
Lynch, M. (2020, September, 2020).

Student Engagement Activity / Icebreaker - Getting to Know You Bingo Activity [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/fGVRfk8EIKQ

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Student Engagement Activity / Icebreaker - Getting to Know You Bingo Activity

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Session Activity

To start this session, we will have a quick review of the self-control session (breathing and counting techniques) as this session will have the students build off of the prior week's work as the focus is standing up to bullying.  To start, the group will go through a worksheet together that will focus on what a bully-free environment looks like as well as what they can do if they are bullied.  The worksheet is titled Stand Up Against Bullying and is PDF attached (Brilliant Star Magazine, n.d.).  After going through the worksheet, the group will role play some bully interactions.  This will allow the group to practice their self-control techniques as well as how to stand up to bullies.

Activity Goals
-  Members will recognize behavior that they can utilize to ward off bullying as well as help those that are being bullied.
-  Continue to utilize self-control techniques as well as utilize behaviors to deal with bullying as it happens as well as what to do after

Feedback
-  Do you currently practice the techniques to ward off bullying, and do you think they will help?  Are there any other things we as a group should think about that would help create a bully-free environment?
-  Do you think you can help step in and help those that are being bullied?
-  Do you think that the techniques described will help in a bullying situation?  Are there any other techniques we should use?

Reference
Brilliant Star Magazine.  (n.d.)  Stand Up Against Bullying retrieved from Bullying_SOND14_p31_r4.pdf (brilliantstarmagazine.org)

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We will close this week’s session with an activity called clock it.  The group leader will randomly call on students to answer a question about the today’s topics and each student will have 15 seconds to answer it.  Examples of questions could be:
-  What do you think was the best technique to utilize when you are being bullied?
-  What behaviors create a bully free enviorment?

Reference:

Kim, J. (2006). The Effect of A Bullying Prevention Program on Responsibility and Victimization of Bullied Children in Korea. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 26(1), 4–8.

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Opening the session:  Breathing and Directed Doodling

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Opening the session:  Breathing and Directed Doodling

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This week focuses on self-control, so the group will do a mindfulness exercise called breathing and directed doodling.  As you can see from the video, the exercise helps the group focus on how they are feeling as well as start to practice on breathing techniques that the group will use to practice self- control.  I think this simple exercise will be great for our target group as well as it combine doodling and get them into the right frame of thought for this weeks focus.

Reference:

Cassalman, C. and Drabant, S. (2021, April 23). [Michigan Medicine].  Mindfulness  Breathing and Directed Doodling [Video].  YouTube.  https://youtu.be/3S6JuNKN96s

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Mindfulness Breathing and Directed Doodling

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Session Activity:  Learning Self-Control

This small group activity will teach the students to use calming techniques such as breathing or counting backwards to maintain their composure when put into stressful situations.  The students will be shown how to use these techniques by the leader of the group through role playing and then they will also be put into stressful situations and coached through the process (Kim, 2006).  This will be a great skill for the students to learn as they will learn to settle their minds in stressful situations that will allow them to deescalate the bullying situations that they encounter, and they will also have confidence that they are able to handle stressful situations by slowing things down in the moment.

Activity Goals:

-Participants will learn self-control techniques in stressful situations to remain in control of the situation.

-Participants will gain confidence that they can utilize these techniques to help deescalate conflict

Feedback

Discuss with the students:

-  if they feel that they will be able to use the self-control techniques described when they are in the moment

-  to imagine that they were in their last bullying situation and if they had a chance to slow things down by practicing self-control, would they have handled the situation differently and if so how?

Reference:

Kim, J. (2006). The Effect of A Bullying Prevention Program on Responsibility and Victimization of Bullied Children in Korea. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 26(1), 4–8.

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Closing the session:

As the session comes to an end, the group will partake in a snowball fight activity where they will write down two things that they learned and throw them into center of the group.  Each group member will then pick up a piece a paper and read what was written (Bell, A., n.d.).  The group will then be handed out the materials for the bingo activity that will open the next session as well as be given instructions for setting up their card.

Reference:
Bell, A. 20 Closure Activities - Mrs. Bell The Crafty
Counselor. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from
https://mrsbellthecraftycounselor.com/2019/09/closure-activities/

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Opening of the Session: I Message Check-In

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Opening of the Session: I Message Check-In

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To open the session, group members will reflect on the past week and how participants did with trying out I-Messages learned in the previous session. Participants will reflect on how it felt to use I-messages in a real setting and what the results of the interaction were. It will be important to praise honesty rather than what would be perceived as good behavior (Sink et al., 2012).  Students will be told before sharing that it is okay if they forgot to try out using I-messages or if they tried it out, but it didn't go as planned.

Reference:
Sink, C. A., Edwards, C., & Eppler, C. (2012). School based group counseling. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

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The session activity will empower students to invite their peers to play and form new friendships.  Fostering social skills to build confidence in forming friendships and gaining greater peer interaction and support are recommended interventions to address bullying victimization (Wolgast and Donat, 2019).

During the activity, participants will be given a copy of the Ways to Make Friends worksheet that includes suggestions for making new friends (Khalsa, 1999).  Participants will then use crayons, markers, or colored pencils to draw how they would use these suggestions when they attempt to make friends.

Suggestions include: sharing who you are, being assertive with people you would like to know (inviting someone to play, inviting someone over to your house, joining a club or extracurricular team, etc.), being open to friends from all different backgrounds, and being friendly and introducing yourself.

After participants complete the worksheet page, they will split up into dyads and discuss their drawings and how they can use the suggestions in real life.

Activity Goals:
-To develop social skills to make friends

-To build participant confidence in proactively making friends by introducing themselves and inviting peers to play

Activity Process Questions:
-On a scale from 1-10 where 1 is absolutely terrified and 10 is extremely confident, where are you at with feeling comfortable introducing yourself to others or inviting friends to play?

-What might be holding you back from trying to make new friends?

-Sometimes a peer may not be able to come over or may not want to play when asked.  How might you respond in these situations?

-What coping skills do you have that can help you when you feel scared to approach a new potential friend? to handle rejection?

References:
Khalsa, SiriNam S. (1999). Group exercises for enhancing social skills & self-esteem. Professional Resource Press.

Wolgast, A., & Donat, M. (2019). Cultural mindset and bullying experiences: An eight-year trend study of adolescents’ risk behaviors, internalizing problems, talking to friends, and social support. Children and Youth Services Review, 99, 257–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.02.01

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Closing of the session: What Stuck with You

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Closing of the session: What Stuck with You

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Group members will be reminded that the next session is their last session.  Next, Members will write on post-it notes what stuck with them during the session that day to express what they learned in the session.  Participants will then discuss as a group what they will be taking away from the session.

Reference:
"what stuck with you today?" - awesome end of the day activity! The Teacher Treasury. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2022, from https://www.theteachertreasury.com/other-helpful-links/what-stuck-with-you-today-awesome-end-of-the-day-activity

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Group counseling is a form of counseling where a small group of people meets regularly to discuss, interact, and explore problems with each other and the group leader. Group counseling seeks to give students a safe and comfortable place on campus where they can work out problems and emotional concerns. The first session of the counseling session is the initial session or opening session. This is usually when we may notice a bit of anxiety from the students as they may be afraid to express themselves to others.  The first session must be dedicated to establishing ground rules and goals for the group, introducing members to each other, and explaining the purpose of the group.

Our group decided to focus on elementary school children who have experienced bullying. In a school setting, it is possible that some students in the group may already know each other however, it is important to have the students interact both positively, and differently from how they have typically acted towards each other outside of the group. One way to do this would be an ice breaker game called two truths and a lie. This is an entertaining way that everyone will be able to interact with one another while getting to know each other. In this game, each member will list two facts about themselves and one lie. Everyone else will try to decide which is the lie out of the three statements given.

After the introductions, it is important to then go over the confidentiality statement, purpose, and structure of the group. A student’s right to privacy and confidentiality is the basis for an effective counseling relationship. Confidentiality ensures that school counselors won’t share what is discussed between the students and the counselors except when the student authorizes it or when there is a clear and present danger to the student and/or to other persons. Expressing this to the group is important because it can also establish rapport.

It is also important to provide a refresher from the pre-group interviews that group members are expected to also support a confidential environment by not sharing what other group members say during the group sessions.  While confidentiality is the goal, participants also need to know and understand that it is not guaranteed in the group setting.

Once the group members have introduced themselves and we have discussed the confidentiality statement, it is important to talk about how the group works and the group parameters. Some major topics are ground rules, the role of the group leader, and interventions.

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Opening of the session: Metaphor Basket
Students will select an item from the basket and use it as a metaphor to describe how they feel when they encounter bullying behavior or someone being mean to them at school. This opening exercise will engage students in considering and expressing their feelings to help with the implementation of the session activity to come.
Reference:
Gruener, B. (2011, September 23). Metaphor basket. The Corner On Character. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://corneroncharacter.blogspot.com/2011/09/metaphor-basket.html

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Students will be reminded that there are 2 sessions left after this meeting.  The closing question for participants to discuss is: "If today was the last session, what goals would you still like to meet?" The reminder and question will help group members to understand and cope with the group nearing its end as well as allow for time to deal with unfinished business. Dealing with unfinished business at this point helps members to make the most of the final sessions to meet their goals (Corey et al., 2018).

As the session comes to an end, participants will be encouraged to try out I-messages throughout the week and report back on how this went at the next session.

Reference:
Corey, M. S., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2018). Groups: Process and practice (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

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Session Activity: Using "I Messages"
In the activity, students are introduced to I-messages, which are messages that express how someone is feeling without blaming the other person (Jong-Un Kim, 2006).  The formula for I-messages is also discussed and handed out to participants:

I feel________ when you_______ and I want you to ________.

The group leader or co-leaders will give an example of how to use an I-message in a bullying example and then participants will be paired up to choose images of conflict situations where they can practice using I-messages.  Topics will include things such as pushing, cutting in line, bullying, or excluding behavior.  The leader can then go around to the pairs and offer feedback and encouragement.

Activity Goals:

-Participants will learn the I-message formula and how to use it effectively in conflict situations.

-Participants will gain confidence in expressing how they feel and how someone’s actions are affecting them.

Activity Process Questions:

-What did it feel like for you to use the I-messages?

-Is there anything that might stop you from using an I-message if someone is bullying you?

-What support or coping strategies do you have if you are finding it difficult to use an I-message with a bully?

Reference:
Jong-Un Kim. (2006). The Effect of A Bullying Prevention Program on Responsibility and Victimization of Bullied Children in Korea. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 26(1), 4–8.