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This group is a a 6-week, closed, psychoeducational group for high school students who experience anxiety. It will meet once a week during the students' tutorial period. Students will have the opportunity to learn mindfulness exercises that they can use to cope with anxiety.

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School counselors provide culturally sustaining instruction, appraisal, and advisement, and counseling to help all students demonstrate:

B SMS-7 effective coping skills

B SMS-10 ability to manage transitions and adapt to change (ASCA, 2021).

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Teachers will be emailed and asked for referrals for the group. The group will be advertised on the monthly teacher newsletter.

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From the list of names suggested, the counselor will screen students individually. The counselor will begin by explaining the group topic, meeting times, and expectations. The counselor will screen students using the following questions from Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators (2015):

"Ask student to explain his or her understanding of what you have said about the group

Ask student what questions he or she has about any part of the group process

Ask student if he or she is interested in the group, and why or why not

Ask if student is seeing another counselor, inside or outside school

Ask if student is willing to adhere to expectations/ground rules (e.g. attendance, confidentiality, cooperative participation, sharing information about thoughts and feelings related to topic).

Ask student what his or her goals for growth are (or might be).

Ask student to rate his or her interest in participating in the group on a scale of 1-10."

Based on the answers that the student gives, the counselor can decide if the group is the best fit for the student based on the alignment between the goals of the student and the group.

Students who are selected for the group will receive an invitation to participate from

the counselor. Students who are selected to be a part of the group will be offered other counseling services.

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The campus policy involving informed consent says that a guardian's written consent must be given for a student to participate in individual or group counseling. The counselor will ask for assent when working with a student and inform the student of the limits of confidentiality.

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1) Attend the group every week

2) Keep confidentiality- breaking confidentially will result in removal from the group.

3) What is said in the group stays in the group

Limits to confidentiality

○ Someone is hurting a participant

○ A group member is hurting someone

○ A group member is thinking about hurting himself or herself

4) Group members practice good listening skills

During the first session, group members will be asked to assist in creating rules for the group. Previously stated rules are determined by the counselor and non- negotiable.

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Stage One- During the beginning stage of the group it is important to establish trust between group members (MPSCE, 2015). Creating a safe environment by establishing, but not guaranteeing, confidentiality and promoting a supportive atmosphere is important for setting up a supportive group. This group will create connection in the beginning phase by completing ice breaker/get-to-know-you activities. The counselor will work to engage each group member in discussion.

Stage Two- The counselor will model respect and active listening skills for each member. During this stage the group members are dedicated to the process and goals of therapy (MPSCE, 2015). Interventions will be used each session and group members will report on their use and success of interventions during the week.

Stage 3- The group will close by reviewing what we have learned in past sessions and discussing how we can carry these coping skills with us in the future. Students will be given the opportunity to share the most important things they have learned during the group. Students will be reminded of the importance of confidentiality, even after the group ends. The counselor will follow up with group members when having group members complete the post-assessment.

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I would use a combination of participative and authoritative leadership styles (Cherry, 2023) when conducting this group. This group is for high school students in a school setting, so it will be beneficial to give them ownership of the group by having them help create group guidelines and seeking their input when possible. However, this group is a psychoeducational group in a school setting, so some amount of authoritarian leadership could be expected.

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Leadership styles are classifications of how a person behaves while directing, motivating, guiding, and managing groups of people. There are many leadership styles. Some of the most widely discussed include: authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic), delegative (laissez-faire), transformational, transactional, and situational.

Great leaders can inspire political movements and social change. They can also motivate others to perform, create, and innovate. As you start to consider some of the people who you think of as great leaders, you can immediately see that there are often vast differences in how each person leads.

Fortunately, researchers have developed different theories and frameworks that allow us to better identify and understand these different leadership styles.

Lewin's Leadership Styles

In 1939, a group of researchers led by psychologist Kurt Lewin set out to identify different styles of leadership.﻿﻿ While further research has identified more distinct types of leadership, this early study was very influential and established three major leadership styles that have provided a springboard for more defined leadership theories.

In Lewin's study, schoolchildren were assigned to one of three groups with an authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire leader. The children were then led in an arts and crafts project while researchers observed the behavior of children in response to the different styles of leadership. The researchers found that democratic leadership tended to be the most effective at inspiring followers to perform well.

Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic)

Authoritarian leaders, also known as autocratic leaders, provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. This style of leadership is strongly focused on both command by the leader and control of the followers. There is also a clear division between the leader and the members. Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently, with little or no input from the rest of the group.

Researchers found that decision-making was less creative under authoritarian leadership.﻿﻿ Lewin also concluded that it is harder to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this method is usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial.

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Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group. The autocratic approach can be a good one when the situation calls for rapid decisions and decisive actions. However, it tends to create dysfunctional and even hostile environments, often pitting followers against the domineering leader.

Participative Leadership (Democratic)

Lewin's study found that participative leadership, also known as democratic leadership, is typically the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. In Lewin's study, children in this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a higher quality.

Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say in the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. Democratic leaders tend to make followers feel like they are an important part of the team, which helps foster commitment to the goals of the group.

Delegative Leadership (Laissez-Faire)

Lewin found that children under delegative leadership, also known as laissez-faire leadership, were the least productive of all three groups. The children in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation, and were unable to work independently.

Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave the decision-making up to group members. While this style can be useful in situations involving highly qualified experts, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation.

Lewin noted that laissez-faire leadership tended to result in groups that lacked direction and members who blamed each other for mistakes, refused to accept personal responsibility, made less progress, and produced less work.

Observations About Lewin's Leadership Styles

In their book, The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications, Bass and Bass note that authoritarian leadership is often presented solely in negative, often disapproving, terms. Authoritarian leaders are often described as controlling and close-minded, yet this overlooks the potential positives of stressing rules, expecting obedience, and taking responsibility.

While authoritarian leadership certainly is not the best choice for every situation, it can be effective and beneficial in cases where followers need a great deal of direction and where rules and standards must be followed to the letter. Another often overlooked benefit of the authoritarian style is the ability to maintain a sense of order.

Bass and Bass note that democratic leadership tends to be centered on the followers and is an effective approach when trying to maintain relationships with others. People who work under such leaders tend to get along well, support one another, and consult other members of the group when making decisions.

Additional Leadership Styles and Models

In addition to the three styles identified by Lewin and his colleagues, researchers have described numerous other characteristic patterns of leadership. A few of the best-known include:

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is often identified as the single most effective style. This style was first described during the late 1970s and later expanded upon by researcher Bernard M. Bass. Transformational leaders are able to motivate and inspire followers and to direct positive changes in groups.

These leaders tend to be emotionally intelligent, energetic, and passionate. They are not only committed to helping the organization achieve its goals, but also to helping group members fulfill their potential.

Research shows that this style of leadership results in higher performance and more improved group satisfaction than other leadership styles. One study also found that transformational leadership led to improved well-being among group members.

Transactional Leadership

The transactional leadership style views the leader-follower relationship as a transaction. By accepting a position as a member of the group, the individual has agreed to obey the leader. In most situations, this involves the employer-employee relationship, and the transaction focuses on the follower completing required tasks in exchange for monetary compensation.

One of the main advantages of this leadership style is that it creates clearly defined roles. People know what they are required to do and what they will be receiving in exchange. This style allows leaders to offer a great deal of supervision and direction, if needed.

Group members may also be motivated to perform well to receive rewards. One of the biggest downsides is that the transactional style tends to stifle creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Situational Leadership

Situational theories of leadership stress the significant influence of the environment and the situation on leadership. Hersey and Blanchard's leadership stylesis one of the best-known situational theories. First published in 1969, this model describes four primary styles of leadership, including:

1. Telling: Telling people what to do

2. Selling: Convincing followers to buy into their ideas and messages

3. Participating: Allowing group members to take a more active role in the decision-making process

4. Delegating: Taking a hands-off approach to leadership and allowing group members to make the majority of decisions

Later, Blanchard expanded upon the original Hersey and Blanchard model to emphasize how the developmental and skill level of learners influences the style that should be used by leaders. Blanchard's SLII leadership styles model also described four different leading styles:

1. Directing: Giving orders and expecting obedience, but offering little guidance and assistance

2. Coaching: Giving lots of orders, but also lots of support

3. Supporting: Offering plenty of help, but very little direction

4. Delegating: Offering little direction or support

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It seems like there are as many different styles of leadership as there are leaders. Discover some of the most common leadership style frameworks.

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Several therapeutic factors could be experienced by group participants.

Instillation of Hope (Yalom, 1995) is likely to be experienced by participants because they will be learning practical skills for coping with anxiety.

Universality (Yalom, 1995) is also likely to be experienced due to this group being homogenous. Students may find comfort in the fact that they are not the only ones who struggle with handling anxiety.

Imparting of Information (Yalom, 1995) will occur when the counselor teaches the students how our thoughts, bodies, and emotions are connected.

Catharsis (Yalom, 1995)- Students may experience catharsis if they choose to share personal struggles with peers.

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The Texas Education Code states that counselors have to gain parental consent for certain services which have been predetermined by the district. My district does not require consent for participation in guidance lessons or to speak to a counselor sporadically, but it does require consent for a student to participate in group work or to regularly meet with a school counselor.

Sec. 33.003. PARENTAL CONSENT. The board of trustees of each school district shall adopt guidelines to ensure that written consent is obtained from the parent, legal guardian, or person entitled to enroll the student under Section 25.001(j) for the student to participate in those activities for which the district requires parental consent (2TEC § 33.003).

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According to the American Counseling Association (2014),

"A.9.a.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. "

As a school counselor, there may be times when I think that a student will benefit from participating in a group, but the group may not benefit from that person being a member. Taking the time to screen students and being willing to offer alternative services is an ethical way to ensure that all students are served in nonharmful ways.

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

American Counseling Association. (2014). Code of Ethics. Counseling.org

Cherry, K. (2023, June 27). How to lead: Six leadership styles and frameworks. VeryWell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

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.
SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

Public Education, 2 TEC § 33 (2024).

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