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For elementary school-aged children at Juniper Elementary School who have one or more parents serving in the military. Topics discussed will be making friends, coping with change, and being proud of what makes you special.

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Since this group is specialized for a specific group of students (military children), personal invitations will go home to them via mail, flyer through classroom teacher, and email or school messaging. Phone calls may also be made to those families who have a parent or guardian serving in the military.

The first group meeting would include a member "screening" which would involve going over guidelines for the group, and a signed agreement to those guidelines (described below).

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Since this small group forms by invitation sent to military parents of students at Juniper Elementary, it is the parent who signs the child up for the group. It would be assumed that the parent would discuss this with their child; however, at our initial group meeting, after going over what to expect from meetings, rules for group behavior, and the importance of confidentiality, I would ask for students to sign their name on our group "social contract". (We could also add rules contributed by the students before signing.) If, for some reason, they do not want to sign the agreement, I will speak to them after the first meeting alone and listen to their questions or concerns. In order to be part of Sunshine Society, members must sign the social agreement.

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ASCA Student Standards for Mindset and Behavior Addressed:

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ASCA Student Standards for Mindset and Behavior Addressed:

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

M 2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment

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 3. Positive relationships with adults to support success B-SS 4. Empathy

B-LS 5. Media and technology skills to enhance learning

B-SMS 6. Ability to identify and overcome barriers

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

B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills

B-SS 7. Leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse groups

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

B-LS 10. Participation in enrichment and extracurricular activities

B-SMS 10. Ability to manage transitions and adapt to change (American School Counselor Association, 2019)

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This form can be used for Guidelines/ Ground Rules for the Sunshine Society small group, but in kid-friendly language.

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Parents will be given a form to fill out to consent to their child participating in Sunshine Society small group. It will be included with the flyer mailed to them, sent home, and available online. It must be completed before student can participate.

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Stage 1: The first session of Sunshine Society focuses on getting to know each other, and finding things the students have in common. This gets everyone acquainted and builds comfort and trust among the group members.

Stage 2: Sessions 2 - 5 continue the camaraderie, remembering the value of old friendships while building new ones. In addition, common personal challenges faced by military children such as coping with change, parent absence, and worry/ fear are delicately addressed. The group learns together how to deal with these tough topics.

Stage 3: In Sunshine Society's final session, group members will serve as a "tour guide", displaying a poster of their travels and adventures together as a military family. As each student proudly shares their travels, group members show their interest and support to their new friend, and can look forward to the possibility of visiting a similar place with their military family in the future. This activity makes this "Good-bye" not as hard.

As school counselor, I will gladly check in on these students once or twice a month to be sure they are still doing well.

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After reading the descriptions, I think I will be a Democratic/ Participatory group leader. I know what the group goals are and how to get us there, but I will encourage student interaction, participation, and sometimes rabbit trail hunts; Of course, refocusing on the session's goal will be important, but I value children's questions, especially when they are honest and come from the heart. Young people have big thoughts and emotions and just need someone to listen sometimes.

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Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment 

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Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment 

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I believe these factors will be seen in Sunshine Society:

Instillation of Hope - faith that the treatment mode can and will be effective. (sessions 1-6)

Universality - demonstration that we are not alone in our misery or our "problems". (session 1, 2-6)

Imparting of information - didactic instruction about mental health, mental illness (ie worry/ anxiety; session 4,5).

Development of socializing techniques - social learning or development of interpersonal skills. (session 2-5)

Imitative behavior - taking on the manner of group members who function more adequately. (session 1 -6)

Catharsis - opportunity for expression of strong affect. (session 4,5) 

Interpersonal learning - receiving feedback from others and experimenting with new ways of relating. (session 6)

(Yalom 1995).

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American School Counselor Association. (2019). American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Schoolcounselor.org. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/

31 Tex. Admin. Code §239.15 (2017)

Yalom, I. D. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.). Basic Books.

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According to the Texas Administrative Code for School Counselors: Standard II. (c) "Learner-Centered Skills: The certified school counselor applies the knowledge base to promote the educational, personal, social, and career development of the learner as outlined in The Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs. The certified school counselor must: counsel individuals and small groups using appropriate counseling theories and techniques in response to students' needs;"