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Let's Talk About It: Normalizing Social Anxiety Small Group 

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Let's Talk About It: Normalizing Social Anxiety Small Group 

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This is an 8-week, closed psychoeducational group titled "Let's Talk About It: Normalizing Social Anxiety. This group is intended for adolescents between the ages of 13 and 15. The primary objective will be to assist group members in defining social anxiety, identifying and addressing the social triggers that cause anxiety, and developing personal coping skills for overcoming social anxiety. Most importantly, this group will learn that social anxiety is widespread and that they are not alone on their journey.

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The ASCA Mindset and Behavior standards that will be demonstrated by participants following group counseling participation are as follows:

M 1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being

M 4. Self-confidence in ability to succeed

B-SS 2. Positive, respectful and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them

B-SS 4. Empathy

B-SS 8. Advocacy skills for self and others and ability to assert self, when necessary

B-SS 9. Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment

(American School Counselor Association, 2022)

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Because the members of this group will already be receiving individual counseling, the counselor will create a flyer to promote the group and post it in the private practice's lobby. The flyer will include a detailed description of the group, the targeted population, age group, meeting time, and dates. Personal invitations and contacting the family members of potential participants will also be used to disseminate information about the organization. The counselor will conduct an initial screening of prospective members.

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Individual Interviews & Screening Process

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Individual Interviews & Screening Process

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The next step is to schedule one-on-one interviews with potential members and have them complete a preliminary questionnaire. This group will ultimately consist of individuals who share similar experiences with social anxiety, but who also differ in some ways. A pre-questionnaire, as well as a post-questionnaire, will be administered to assess the retention of the psychoeducation provided in the group. To determine which members are compatible, the pre-questionnaire will ask participants about their perspectives on social anxiety and how it impacts their daily lives. The questionnaire will request examples of social anxiety in the member's life, as well as coping and overcoming strategies. The post-questionnaire will be administered during the final group session. The questionnaire will inquire about the differences between their pre- and post-social anxiety definitions. The questionnaire will inquire about the recognition of social anxiety triggers and their daily effects. The post-questionnaire will ask members to compare the situation described in the pre-questionnaire in order to evaluate the strategies they have acquired and how they will be applied or have been applied throughout the group's duration.
(Corey & Corey, 2018, p. 156)

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The informed consent procedure ensures that the participants understand the services to be provided and the group counseling procedure.

After potential participants have been chosen, an informed consent form will be distributed to them and discussed with them individually. Regarding their minor children, parents and guardians do have certain legal rights, which can be discussed during the informed consent procedure. A parent could be informed that their child must be afforded some degree of confidentiality for group counseling to be effective.
(Informed consent with children and adolescents)

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A confidentiality form will be made available to all members of the group. In the first group session, members will discuss confidentiality and the parameters of the confidentiality form. This form will discuss the group's privacy and the information discussed in the group. The consequences of violating confidentiality will be outlined on the form and discussed verbally with the group during the initial meeting. Members will establish group norms requiring respect for others within and beyond the group.

Safety Concerns: For each member's safety, the initial interview to be accepted into the group will include questions and triggers that the counselor must be aware of in order to prevent a member from experiencing a crisis. The member will discuss existing triggers and coping skills, such as fidgets, taking a break, getting a drink of water, etc. The counselor will discuss the member's ability to use the restroom or get a drink to self-regulate during group, as well as the need for a designated area for breaks when the member is dysregulated.

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Several of Yalom's Therapeutic factors are expected to be seen during the groups' sessions.
The presence of Yalom's Instillation of Hope is demonstrated by the group counselor's participation in some sessions in order to express faith and trust in the group process.
This group's primary objective is to demonstrate that social anxiety is a pervasive and not an isolated phenomenon. This creates universality and cohesion among the group members.
(Yalom, 1995)

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Stage 1:
Members will have the opportunity to introduce themselves through an ice-breaker. In this stage, group norms will also be established with member input. During this phase, confidentiality and its limits will be discussed so that members have a complete understanding.
Stage 2:
During this stage, the counselor continues to build trust with group members by listening attentively and offering self-disclosure during spontaneous moments. These intentional moments will facilitate the work of the group members by reducing their feelings of isolation. The counselor will evaluate the members' progress by observing their behavior and their willingness to open up more and more.
Stage 3:
The counselor will distribute the post-questionnaire mentioned in the screening procedure to the group members. Additionally, the counselor will encourage group members to express their reactions and emotions to the group's termination and separation. The counselor will remind the group members that the close relationships they have developed are the result of their effort, struggle, and dedication. During this time, they will also be reminded to use the awareness and coping strategies they learned. The members will be given an end-of-group activity consisting of writing a "Goodbye letter" to the experience with specific questions about how they feel after participating in the group. The counselor will reiterate the importance of maintaining confidentiality even after the group has concluded and will suggest that, when discussing their experience, group members only discuss their own experiences and not those of other group members.
(Corey & Corey, 2018)

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Screening prospective group members is an essential component of group counseling. The screening procedure is subjective, so the counselor's judgment is crucial. A counselor must consider both the benefit to the individual and the benefit to the group as a whole. Personal dislikes are not an appropriate criterion for selecting group counseling participants. Rather, the counselor should consider compatibility factors and the motivation of the potential candidate to join the group. Article A. 9. a. In the ACA Code of Ethics, a counselor must adhere to an ethical screening procedure.
(Corey & Corey, 2018, p. 155)

A.9.a. Screening Counselors screen prospective group counseling/therapy participants. To the extent possible, counselors select members whose needs and goals are compatible with the goals of the group, who will not impede the group process, and whose well-being will not be jeopardized by the group experience.

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Because of the importance of establishing trust in group counseling, a Participative leadership style will work best with this particular group. This style of leadership demonstrates the value of member input. Every member of the group actively participates in decision-making, which fosters trusting relationships. (Cherry, 2022)

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Informed consent ensures that I, as the counselor, maintain a counseling relationship with group members and carry out the crucial step of communicating written and verbal rights with them. It also gives group members the option of entering or remaining in counseling. This ongoing process fosters a relationship of trust between the member and the counselor.
(2014 code of Ethics - American Counseling Association)

A.2. Informed Consent in the Counseling Relationship A.2.a. Informed Consent Clients have the freedom to choose whether to enter into or remain in a counseling relationship and need adequate information about the counseling process and the counselor. Counselors have an obligation to review in writing and verbally with clients the rights and responsibilities of both counselors and clients. Informed consent is an ongoing part of the counseling process, and counselors appropriately document discussions of informed consent throughout the counseling relationship.

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ASCA student standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for student success. (n.d.) https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Cherry, K. (2022, May 23).
Leadership Styles and Framework You Should Know.  https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

Coffman, C., & Barnett, J. E. (2015, October). Informed consent with children and adolescents. [Web article]. Retrieved from: http://www.societyforpsychotherapy.org/informed-consent-with-children-and-adolescents

Corey, M. S., & Corey, G. (2018). Groups: Process and practice. Cengage Learning.