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A small group of selected High School Freshman students (15-years-old) that show record of chronic absenteeism. The small group will be derived from reports of chronic absences after the first report card period. Surveys will be sent out to teachers to inquire about the students. These students will be flipping the script on absenteeism’s proven negative outcomes. According to research, chronically absent students not only suffer more in mathematics than ELA but are also impacted more the higher the grade level. Studies also show that social-emotional development (SEL Skills) is affected by absenteeism, which includes but is not limited to self-efficacy, self-management, and growth mind-set. Which is exactly what we will focus on within the small group (SEL skills). Students will analyze life changes and develop coping skills, discover study skills, develop self-awareness, develop self-control, and discover anger management skills. The Counselor will support and guide the students to completing this goal by assisting them in identifying thoughts and feelings, developing coping strategies, and identifying support systems.

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The school counselor will encourage the following mindset standard for all students within the small group: Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.

However, we will also focus on the following behavior standards:

B-LS 1. Critical thinking skills to make informed decisions.

B-LS 3. Time-management, organizational and study skills

B-LS 7. Long- and short-term academic, career and social/emotional goals

B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions.

B-SMS 2. Self-discipline and self-control

B-SMS 6. Ability to identify and overcome barriers.

B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills

B-SMS 8. Balance of school, home and community activities

B-SS 1. Effective oral and written communication skills and

listening skills.

B-SS 3. Positive relationships with adults to support success.

B-SS 5. Ethical decision-making and social responsibility

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Publicity of the group is essential, as all stakeholders should/need to be informed. The information will be disseminated to designated audiences (Parents, Students, Teachers, Administrators, Counselors) in various ways.

There is a weekly Administration meeting that takes place every Wednesday morning during the Panther Pride period(study hall). The lead Counselor typically attends alone, however, once the attendance reports and teacher surveys are conducted the full counseling staff will attend the meeting.

During this meeting, the implementation/action plan will be discussed and developed. A bullet will be added to the professional development/staff meeting to inform teachers and support staff of the plan. There will also be an email sent out and a second email to the teachers of the selected students.

However, parents will receive a completely different email and letter mailed home. Counselors will also call to personally speak with the parents.

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• To inform the participants of the group, students will be called down to the Counseling office during the Panther Pride period to receive a personal invite and permission form. If they return the form they will then complete a pre-assessment.

•      The Counselor will assess the participants' readiness to participate, their willingness, and their interest by the TAP pre-assessment strategy. This strategy will focus on three areas:

1. Telling the student about the group.

2. Asking the student about his or her level of interest/commitment to the expectations of the group.

3. Picking the participants.

•      Participants will be individually screened when the consent form is submitted.

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•      Klein ISD has a very rigid approach to acceptable use policies, however, in terms of informed consent parental consent is required but departments can create their permission forms. According to the student handbook and employee handbook, consent is an absolute requirement.

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I plan to utilize the attached resource to set ground rules and expectations for the group.

Ground rules are most effective when they are posted and reviewed at the beginning of each session. Referencing ground rules helps maintain their importance. Encouraging group members to monitor participation creates a sense of ownership and facilitates group members’ mutual responsibility for the effectiveness of the group.

The following ground rules are suggestions to help generate additional group ground rules. Group members will delete and/or add items. It is anticipated that the ground rules will be slightly different for each topic group. The “Looks Like” and “Sounds Like” columns are included in order to allow group members to express in their own words what each rule means.

What rules are predetermined by you and what rules can be determined as a group?

1. All group members understand and respect confidentiality. a. Professional School Counselor b. Group members

2. One person speaks at a time.

3. Everyone has an opportunity to participate and share.

4. Use only respectful words and responses

5. All group members will treat each other with respect.

6. Make every effort to be on time

7. All group members are encouraged to actively participate

8. Group members have the right to pass on an issue

9. Group members will be encouraged to have an open mind and accept where other group members are in their development.

10. Group members will have the opportunity to develop other guidelines.

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Stage 1-

Building relationships is essential to stage one and will be shown through the counselor's ability to relate, make the participants feel comfortable, and achieve the results of what they are seeking. They are seeking a way to cope with the issues of life. The limit of confidentiality will be discussed through the consent form signed by themselves and their parents.

Stage 2-

The process of this group will be monitored each session. Each participant should contribute to the group verbally. The first session will be for the group to develop and understand group norms, get familiar with members, and understand the purpose of the group. The next steps/sessions will be to cover various topics such as coping skills, Study skills, Self-awareness, Self-control, and Anger management skills.

Stage 3-

The closure will be the application of the skills learned resulting in being removed from the chronic absentee list. The students will set a goal of the desired maximum absences and achieve the goal!

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My possible leadership style for this particular small group would be:

Free-Rien so that the attendees would assist one another and lead to their solutions with slight guidance.

Why? Teamwork makes dream work. Working together creates a sense of community, especially when it's in a positive atmosphere/surrounding. Helping and supporting others by experiencing the ability to help another person can build self-esteem. It can help to develop adaptive coping mechanisms. (Psych-Mental Health Hub, 2019)

Authoritarian style due to the Counselor truly leading the group in questions and setting the tone.

Why? The population is still youth who may not have mastered the content or responsibility of leading a group. This would cut down or possibly completely cut out the chances of horseplay taking over the session, keeping the group on task and focused on the topic at hand.

Last but not least, participative style, in which the leader still directs but gives the attendees room for free thinking.

Why? I believe this style is necessary as it gives the individual/student ownership of the thought. This would certainly work with this population because it would keep them actively engaged by talking "with" them, versus talking "at" them.

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I believe that ALL of Yalom’s Therapeutic Factors could potentially be witnessed during these small group sessions.

Instillation of Hope: While students learn techniques used to manage anger, encouragement that recovery is possible through shared stories and information.

Universality:  Students will recognize through shared experience that their problems are not unique and they are not alone in hardship.

Imparting of Information: While discussing life-changing events and coping skills, students will be taught about problems and learn factual information about treatment options.

Altruism: helping and supporting others by experiencing the ability to help another person can build self-esteem. It helps to develop adaptive coping mechanisms.

Development of social skills: learning new ways to talk about feelings, observations, and concerns.

Interpersonal Learning (modeling, vicarious learning):   finding out about themselves during self-awareness discussions, as well as others from the group.

Group Cohesiveness (belonging): the feeling of belonging to the group, and valuing the group.

Catharsis: the release of emotional tension while discussing life-changing factors in a safe environment.

Existential Factors (risk, responsibility): While discussing ethical decision making one may learn to take responsibility for one’s actions.

(Psych-Mental Health Hub, 2019)

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Texas Administrative Code, Rule 239.15 explains the standards required for school counselors.

Standard III (Learner-Centered Process) says that a school counselor must:

(3) use both preventive and intervening strategies to address the concerns of learners and to help them clarify problems and situations, set goals, explore options, and implement change.

The standard above is the most important requirement in support of this particular group. It also clearly supports the role of the counselor in finding strategies to address student needs and concerns, such as helping them clarify issues, explore options, and implement change. Which is exactly what "Flip the Script" will do.

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The American Counseling Association (ACA) sets ethical obligations and guidelines for counselors, with Section A thoroughly examining the counseling relationship.

A.9. Group Work 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.

This ethical requirement is important to the counselor as the screening process is a vital part of the process. While many students may wish to participate (or to be referred to the group), the counselor must select those that fit the requirements of the group's focus.

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American School Counselor Association. (2021). The ASCA mindsets & behaviors for student success: K-12 college-and career readiness for every student. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

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Missouri Comprehensive Guidance And Counseling Program: Responsive Services PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELOR SMALL GROUP COUNSELING GUIDE A Professional School Counselor’s Guide to Planning, Implementing & Evaluating School-Based Counseling Groups Developed by Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators with support from the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education and the Missouri Center for Career Education May, 2015 Missouri Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program-Responsive Services Small Group Counseling Module MISSOURI COMPREHENSIVE GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PROGRAM RESPONSIVE SERVICES: SMALL GROUP COUNSELING MODULE. (2015). https://missouricareereducation.org/doc/smallgroup/SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

Kelly, K. (n.d.). Chronic Absenteeism | Effects of Being Chronically Absent. Www.understood.org. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/chronic-absenteeism-what-you-need-to-know

Psych-Mental Health Hub. (2019, May 7). Stages and yalom’s therapeutic forces. Psych-Mental Health Hub. https://pmhealthnp.com/stages-and-yaloms-therapeutic-forces/

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