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This Is My Choice To Make, is the name of the group that will focus on decision making skills and how each decision we make determines certain outcomes. The group will focus on not only how hard it is to make the right decisions especially when there are outside influences such as peers. The group will include 7th and 8th grade students who attend Warren Middle School and have previous documented tardies and correlated discipline referrals.

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The following mindset and behavior standards will be met by students participating within this group.

B-SMS 1. Students will demonstrate ability to assume responsibility

B-SS 5.  Students will demonstrate ethical decision making and social responsibility

B- SS 8. Students will demonstrate advocacy skills and ability to assert self, when necessary.

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The group will be advertised through administrators who have counseled specific students due to attendance issues and correlated disciplinary referrals.The group will be offered as an option in lieu of further disciplinary action. The group will also be advertised on the school's website and advertised to parents, via email, as a resource for them if their student is struggling with similar behaviors at home or school.

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Students will be informed of the group mostly by administrators who have counseled them due to discipline referrals received. Once the counseled student and parent have been informed of the group, a referral will be made to the school counselor for participation. The school counselor will then meet with each referred student, individually, to discuss what the student understands about the reason they have been asked to participate in the group. Screening will be discussing the reason for the referral for group and the student's willingness to participate and make changes to avoid discipline issues in the future. The purpose and goals of the group would be explained as well as how the group is obtaining participants. The student would then be given time to ask questions and receive clarification for any concerns they may have at this point.

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Once group members, of no more than 15 participants, have been established, consent forms will be given to students during advisory. The school counselor will meet with the students in the library during advisory prior to the first meeting to discuss and complete consent forms. Consent forms will then be given to each student to take home to their parents and bring back to the school counselor prior to the first group session.

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The following rules will be established prior to beginning the first group session. The mandatory rules will be established before students are given their consent forms to sign.

1. Each group member must attend and participate in every group session.

2. Confidentiality must be upheld and maintained every group session and after closure of all group sessions.

3. Disclosure by a group member is at the group member's digression and comfort level.

4. Each group member will show respect to the other members and their thoughts, opinions and experiences they may share during each group session.

Additional group rules and norms will be established during the same meeting to gain consent. They will be rules and norms agreed upon by all group members.

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One factor that would possibly be seen within the group could be imparting information within the group. The group's focus is decision making skills, however some of the activities involve sharing and deeper discussions which could allow for didactic instruction. Another factor such altruism could occur between group members as they are sharing some of their own values and experiences during the group sessions. Group cohesiveness would hopefully be present as there is a increase in self-esteem and disclosure by group members, they will in turn become more supportive and accepting of one another.

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According to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) professional standards and competencies, school counselors are to provide short-term counseling to individuals and small-groups (2019). As a school counselor you will have to identify students in need of counseling intervention and how to best support their needs. You will also have to determine and respond with the best intervention strategies to meet the needs the students.

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According to the Texas Administrative Code (TCA), "The certified school counselor must use multiple sets of information and data to make decisions about students, programs, and services" (2019). When looking at starting a group, you must initiate a plan based on the needs of the students and campus. Therefore, as a school counselor, you must utilize various sources of data to determine what type of group would benefit the students and this is based on a needs assessment and various other forms of reported data.

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This group will most likely benefit from situational leadership as the group progresses and evolves, the leadership style within the situational model can also change. At the beginning of the group, the style will rely heavily on "selling." You will want the group members to "buy in" on the purpose and goals of the group in order to increase effectiveness of the group. As the group progresses, you may change to a leadership style of participating and allowing group members to take more control.

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The group will consist of 7th and 8th grade male and female student. The underlining factor that will tie group member together will be the reason for the referral to the group. Therefore there will be a commonality of all group members struggling with attendance and / or discipline.

Stage 1: Building relationships between group members and the school counselor will be initiated before the first session. Each group member will have already met with the school counselor post referral and during the group norms and consent meeting. Being open, honest, and having a genuine positive regard for all group members will help to establish relationships and trust. Including group members in establishing group norms and rules so they have a sense of belonging within the group will also help to build trust. Discussion with group members about confidentiality and what that looks like within a group setting as well as processing the concerns and ideas of group members will help to build cohesiveness and trust within the group.

Stage 2: The group's session activities include working with other group members to reach a common goal and discussions in which group members will share their own ideas, values and experiences. The school counselor will check in with the group at the close of each session to have group members rate the "helpfulness" of each session using a likert type scale.

Stage 3: Group closure at the end of all six sessions will consist of reflecting  on the first session, and progression of their emotion journals the group members created. A positive affirmation activity will be conducted and a post assessment will be administered to all group members.   Confidentiality will be addressed and processed withing the group again. Group members will voice any concerns they have moving forward. A post group session will be held about six weeks after closing of groups to check in with group members and allow group members to share any success stories. Group members will also be monitored through activities and teacher input over the next three months post group. The school counselor will check in with each group member toward the end of the three month monitoring.

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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. (2019). ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies.  https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a8d59c2c-51de-4ec3-a565-a3235f3b93c3/SC-Competencies.pdf

ASCA mindsets & behaviors for student success. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Standards/ASCA-Mindsets-Behaviors-for-Student-Success

Cherry, K. (2020, August 03). What are prominent leadership styles and frameworks you should know? Retrieved April 15, 2021, from 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. Retrieved from https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/guid-respon-serv-small-group-counseling-guide-2015.pdf

Texas Administrative Code, Title 19  §247.2 (2019)

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