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A counseling group where first-generation American students, ages 7 - 11, learn to express their stress in healthy, productive ways

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ASCA mindsets mastered upon completion of this group:

"M 1. Belief in the development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional, and physical well-being" (ASCA, 2021).

"M 3. Positive attitude toward work and learning" (ASCA, 2021).

"B-SMS 10. Ability to manage transitions
and adapt to change" (ASCA, 2021).

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As a school counselor, I would inform potential participants of the group on a individual basis. I would ensure to review the expectations of the group as well as their candidacy.

I will assess participant readiness, willingness, and interest in the group by using the TAP process.            Tell student about the group.
Ask student about his or her level of interest/commitment to expectations of group,
Pick participants (Morganett, 1990).

Participants will be screened individually.

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The information would need to be distributed in a variety of ways to ensure all stakeholders are properly informed. The information pertaining to the counseling group would be posted on the weekly newsletter, email, and text message.

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Parents will need to provide consent for their student to participate. The permission slip attached is provided by my district. Additionally, student assent will be required as well.

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Setting the ground rules for the counseling group is essential to ensure therapeutic movement. As school counselor, I would make sure each group member understood this fact. I would provide the graphic organizer to each member of the counseling group and move through each rule one by one. After filling out each portion of the graphic organizer, I would ask the participants to share their answers and discuss their perspectives. Furthermore, it would be essential to ensure that each member comes to a mutual understanding regarding each rule.

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Stage 1: Trust and relationships take time. I anticipate guiding the conversations in the beginning. Additionally, sharing my experience as a first-generation American would help students feel comfortable sharing their own experiences. Group norms, which include confidentiality, would be reviewed at the beginning and end of every meeting. Furthermore, not keeping confidentiality would exclude a student from participating further in the group.

Stage 2: In order to ensure group members work cohesively and productively, I would take an active role in the conversation. Every group meeting has a learning outcome, and as the group facilitator, I would ensure the conversation remains on topic. Gauging the group's progress would involve taking short surveys regarding the learning outcome for that week.

Stage 3: Group closure would involve a summary of skills taught throughout the group. Furthermore, I would check on students once a month to gauge how they feel regarding their education once the group has ended.

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Participative Leadership (Democratic)

Participative leaders offer guidance to group members but also partake in the group and allow input from other group members. Participative leaders motivate group members to participate but retain the final say in decision-making (Bass, 2009). This approach would work best with this population due to my shared experiences. This would strengthen the relationship between the facilitator and group members.

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American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2014-code-of-ethics-finaladdress.pdf

American School Counselor Association (2021). ASCA
Student Standards; Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success. Alexandria, VA: Author.

Bass, B.M. (2009) The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications. 4th Ed. Simon & Schuster.

Morganett, R. S. (1990). Skills for living: Group counseling activities for young adolescents. Chicago: Research
Press.

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

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Therapeutic factors that could present themselves throughout the group counseling sessions are universality and interpersonal learning. Universality demonstrates that we are not alone in our misery or "problems" (Yalom, 1995). The group members will realize the impact of being a first-generation American and the shared experiences caused by that dynamic. Furthermore, interpersonal learning, which is receiving feedback from others and testing with new ways of relating, is bound to happen due to the topics discussed and experiences shared (Yalom, 1995).

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A.1.c. Counseling Plans

"Counselors and their clients work jointly in devising counseling plans that offer reasonable promise of success and are consistent with the abilities, temperament, developmental level, and circumstances of clients. Counselors and clients regularly review and revise counseling plans to assess their continued viability and effectiveness, respecting clients’ freedom of choice" (American Counseling Association, 2014).

This ethical requirement protects school counselors using the verbiage "reasonable promise of success" (American Counseling Association, 2014). Often, parents may have unrealistic expectations of the group's outcome. This ensures that expectations are kept within realistic bounds.

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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" (American Counseling Association, 2014).

This ethical requirement allows school counselors to use their professional judgment to assess whether a participant would be a viable candidate. This ethical code protects school counselors from the opinions of others, such as teachers and administrators, when determining optimal candidates.