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“Young and Expecting” is a group that will assist female students in high school, grades 9-12, that are expecting a child. This group will address any fears or misconceptions that students have regarding pregnancy and parenting. This group aims to teach students information about pregnancy and parenting that might not have been taught to them by their parents/guardian. Students will also learn how to apply for any government assistance that is needed. Students will learn about budgeting and will have experience in making a budget for their family.

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The ASCA Mindset and Behaviors Standards that participants will master during these small group sessions are B-LS 7, B-SMS 1, B-SMS 3, B-SMS 5, B-SMS 6, B-SMS 8, B-SMS 10, B-SS 2, B-SS 3, B-SS 6, B-SS 7, B-SS 8, B-SS 9, and B-SS 10.

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Data will be collected from the school counselor, school nurse, and teachers regarding pregnant students. Those students that have been identified as pregnant will be invited by the counselor in and individual meeting between the student, counselor, and their parent/guardian. If there is enough interest in the small group from counselor invitations, about 5-10 group members, no other publicity is needed. If there is not enough interest for a small group to be formed with the invitations from the data collected, flyers will be placed in the school's common areas to generate interest from students that might not have made their pregnancy public yet.

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Students will be screened individually by the school counselor. The only requirement for membership is a pregnant student that is willing to participate in the group sessions. The earlier along in the student's pregnancy, the better. If a student is 7 months pregnant and there are enough group members with later due dates, they will be invited to join the group first. Also, students that show a greater need for the session topics will get first invitations.

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As the school counselor meets with the pregnant students individually, they will sign a student assent form if interested in joining the group session. During this meeting counselors will call and inform parents/guardians of the small group opportunity their student has been invited to participate with. The counselor will also give the student a parent consent form to take home and get signed by their parent/guardian.

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The ASGW's Guiding Principles for Group Work is a great place to start if you are new to group work. This document offers information in the entire group process from pre-planning to evaluating and researching how effective the group work was to the members.

The ground rules for the "Young and Expecting group" are simple!

1. Confidentiality is important for group participation!

2. Be an active listener!

3. Respect others!

4. Be present and prepared to participate in group sessions.

5. Participate in group and individual activities for optimal learning!

Other group ground rules can be established during the first session of group if the members feel an addition is needed.

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Stage 1:

As the young women begin the process of small group, they will naturally build the relationship of unity because they are a group that is experiencing something that not everyone experiences at their age. The group members will form bonds not only because of this common experience but also because they will all be learning and sharing the ups and downs of this experience together.

As the group becomes familiar with the group procedures and expectations, the group norms will be established. Some students will be more extraverted during group conversations while other are more introverted. There will be enough activities planned that either personality type is welcome.

A discussion will be had during the first session about group confidentiality and the expectations of group members. Group members are expected to not share information about other group members outside of group sessions. Doing so could result in dismissal from any further group sessions. Due to the nature of the group sessions and the vulnerability the young group members might be feeling, I believe all group members will be respected inside and outside of group sessions.

Stage 2:

Group members will work cohesively and productively as the group sessions progress because the lessons and activities will not only be engaging, but also useful to these young women at this stage in their lives. The group members will keep a journal for themselves. The counselor will use the journals and member participation to gauge student progress throughout the group sessions.

Stage 3:

As the group sessions come to a close, the young women will feel empowered and successful. They will feel like they are on the right track with their pregnancy and have learned the skills to move forward without the help of the group. These young women will know how to track their pregnancy and communicate effectively with doctors. They will be able to problem solve and communicate to apply for assistance, if the need ever arises. They will also know effective budgeting strategies. More importantly, the group members will know they have people they can come to if they ever need anything or feel like there is something they cannot handle.

As the school counselor, whether the group is in session, or not, there will always be someone these young women can turn to if they have further questions or need help. Individual meetings will be held with the group members after the group closes. An exit survey will be given to group members by the counselor. The exit survey will allow the school counselor to see what the group members enjoyed most about the group sessions and to evaluate any changes that need to be made for future small groups.

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It is important for the school counselor to have an authoritarian leadership style in these group sessions. The authoritarian leadership style will work best with this type of group setting because these students are looking for someone to take charge. These young women are experiencing a lot of uncertainty in there life and need someone to show them exactly what and how things need to be done to feel successful. While the authoritarian leadership style will work best with this group, the student needs to know that the counselor will also work as a partner throughout these group sessions.

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There are many of Yalom's Therapeutic Factors that group members could experience throughout these small group sessions. Universality and imparting of information are shown in the purpose behind the group. This group is for students that are experiencing pregnancy at a young age. Corrective recapitulation of primary family group because the role of these young women is changing. They are transitioning from the role of child to the role of parent and will need to establish that role while still possibly taking on the role of a child if they will continue to live at home. As these young women establish and experiment with these different roles, their world will also seem to take on a transformation. They will have to develop socializing techniques will experiencing existential factors as their individual meaning of life might be changing. These group members will also experience direct advice and interpersonal learning as we work through the different topics in each session.

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Legal and Ethical Requirements--ACA's Code A.9.a.

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Legal and Ethical Requirements--ACA's Code A.9.a.

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The American Counseling Association has established a code of ethics for group work. Screening code A.9.a. states that "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" (American Counseling Association, 2014). This code ensures that participants that are selected for the group are in need of the group's topic sessions. For this particular group, the main screening requirement is that the student is pregnant. Without a pregnancy, the group topics, while important, are not typically of importance to high school students.

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Legal and Ethical Requirements--TEC's Section 33.006

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Legal and Ethical Requirements--TEC's Section 33.006

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Texas Education Code, Section 33.006(b)(1) establishes the need for a school counselor to "participate in planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive developmental guidance program to serve all students and to address the special needs of students (A) who are at risk of dropping out of school" (2 TEC Section 33.006(b)(1)(A)). Since pregnant teens are at risk of dropping out of school, this small groups aims to support the lives of pregnant students and keep them progressing through school until graduation.

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EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 33. SERVICE PROGRAMS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

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EDUCATION CODE TITLE 2. PUBLIC EDUCATION SUBTITLE F. CURRICULUM, PROGRAMS, AND SERVICES CHAPTER 33. SERVICE PROGRAMS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES SUBCHAPTER A. SCHOOL COUNSELORS AND COUNSELING PROGRAMS Sec. 33.002. CERTIFIED SCHOOL COUNSELOR. (a) From funds appropriated for the purpose or other funds that may be used for the purpose, the commissioner shall distribute funds for programs under this subchapter.

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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. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Association for Specialist in Group Work. (2021). ASGW guiding principles for group work. https://asgw.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ASGW-Guiding-Principles-May-2021.pdf

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. https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/guid-respon-serv-small-group-counseling-guide-2015.pdf

Texas Education Code: School Counselors and Counseling Programs, 2 Texas Education Code. Section 33.006. (2019). https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.33.htm#33.000

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