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A mindset you should have by the end of this group...

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A mindset you should have by the end of this group...

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M 2. Self-confidence in ability to succeed
M 5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes
M 6. Positive attitude toward work and learning
(American School Counselor Association, 2014, pg. 2)

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B-LS 3. Use time-management, organizational and study skills
B-LS 4. Apply self-motivation and self direction to learning
B-SMS 1. Demonstrate ability to assume responsibility
B-SMS 8. Demonstrate the ability to balance school, home and community activities
(American School Counselor Association, 2014, pg. 2)

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(American School Counselor Association, 2014)

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Daily announcements will be scheduled during the morning school-wide announcements.

Flyers will be placed strategically around the school with all of the information of the small group.

All announcement TVs in the hallways and the cafeterias will have the small group information.

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The small group information will be pushed out through the school's social media outlets along with Remind messages that go to every parent in the district.

A parent information night will also be hosted for parents to attend and ask any questions about the group and fill out consent forms.

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Teachers will be informed of this small group counseling at the monthly staff meeting and be given flyers to place in their rooms.

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The plans to inform students of the group will be through the publicity that includes daily announcements, flyers throughout the school and in classrooms, and hallway and cafeteria announcement TVs.

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Students will be asked to complete an application into the small group. There will be short answers that the students must answer to help demonstrate their willingness to put forth effort into the group. These forms will be turned into the counselor for evaluation.

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After the forms have been turned in, students will be screened individually through one-on-one interviews with the school counselor. They will be asked a series of questions to determine if they will be contributing members of the group.

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After the interview, students will be given a permission slip to take home for parents to sign.
There will be a parent night for parents to attend to turn in the forms and to ask any questions that they might have about the small group counseling. Students will also have to sign that they are committed to the group and that they understand the goals of this group. They cannot continue in the group until all signatures have been obtained.

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(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015)

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(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015)

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This form will be a great guide to have open and honest conversations about what will and will not be allowed in this small group. The "looks like" and "sounds like" columns allow the students the opportunity to think through the meaning of the rules and will lead to increased discussions.
The group will go through each expectation individually and discuss and agree as a group what that looks like and will sound like for the purpose of the small group. The counselor will be the guide to make sure that things are handled appropriately. Ultimately, though, the rules should be led and made by the students.

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Non-negotiables that are pre-determined by the counselor will be...
1. That all members are respected at all times.
2. That all members will keep an open mind to any new ideas that are presented in the group.
3. Any information that is considered confidential, must stay within the group.

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This stage is aimed at building trust with the students, setting the norms of the group, and building trust with each other (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

Norms will be established early on. The group will walk through the steps of a normal small group counseling session and know what to expect from each portion of the session and what is expected from them.

Trust and relationships will be established as we create the guidelines and rules for the group and begin to get into greater discussion about each topic.

Confidentiality will be emphasized and prioritized to make group members feel safe. Discussion of what happens if a group member breaks confidentiality will be discussed along with discussions of how confidentiality cannot always be guaranteed based on legal responsibilities that the school counselor might have.

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In this stage, members of the group will work together towards individual and group goals (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

Members of the group  will be expected to continuously work cohesively and be productive by taking and giving suggestions to each other. The members can share ideas with each other of what techniques work and what techniques do not work for them individually. Members can then take the advice from the other students and put it into practice.

The counselor will check in with group members by monitoring and doing checks of the techniques that the members are being taught to utilize. The counselor will also continue to monitor any group discussions.

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In this last stage, members will reflect upon the group and their individual progress and identify any supports that might help them to retain the strategies learned in the group (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

Group closure will take place with the post-assessment where students will identify strategies that they have learned through the small group and see if they had a direct impact on their classroom grades. Students will be asked what further resources and support are needed to help them to continue to use the resources learned through the group.

Members will be encouraged to periodically check in with the counselor to touch base on the progress and continuation of the skills learned. Members will also be reminded of the importance of confidentiality and discuss in an open group how and why confidentiality must remain even after the group has closed.

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The participative leadership style will work best when leading this small group. This leadership style offers guidance and support and also allows input from the group members (Cherry, 2020).

This leadership style will allow the counselor to be the guide, but members will also feel as though they have ownership of the techniques that they are being taught. The members will feel that their voices are being heard and that it is a true group effort to get better at their academics and organizational skills.

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Students might experience instillation of hope with the intention that if they put these strategies into place, that they will automatically see an increase in grades and that they will be successful in all classes (Yalom, 1995).

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Students will see that they are not alone in the struggle to stay organized. They will see that the lack of strategies to be successful in class are not just kin to them, but that they are a larger problem with others (Yalom, 1995).

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Students will be given direct strategies to help them to become better organized and more successful in the classroom. This will help with time management and keeping to due dates if they continue with the strategies (Yalom, 1995).

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This states that the school counselor has an obligation to review verbally and in writing their rights and responsibilities (American Counseling Association, 2014).

The informed consent is required for a minor by their parents. This is consent that the school counselor must have legally in order for the student to participate within the group. Without the informed consent from the parents, then the student will not be allowed to participate within the small group sessions.

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This states that the school counselor has a responsibility to advocate for the students for any obstacles that might hinder the student from growth (American Counseling Association, 2014).

The school counselor has a legal duty to advocate for these students and promote this small group counseling. The counselor sees the barriers that these students have and will speak up for them to teach them new strategies and techniques that might help them to grow and reach their full potential.

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American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. Alexandria, VA.

American School Counselor Association. (2014). Mindsets and behaviors for student success: K-12 college- and career- readiness standards for every student. Alexandria, VA.

Cherry, K. (2020). Leadership styles and frameworks you should know. 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. https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/guid-respon-serv-small-group-counseling-guide-2015.pdf

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

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This group is designed for high school level students who struggle meeting deadlines, getting assignments turned in on time, or have low grades due to lack of note taking abilities. The group will cover topics and give them skills and techniques that will set them up for success in the classroom and in their future.