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The Career Investigators include a small group of eighth grade boys around about thirteen years of age. The boys were identified by both the General Employability (GE) teachers and the counselor as needing additional assistance in the area of career exploration. All the boys reside in the rural areas of the district and are identified as economically disadvantaged. These particular boys were nominated because the teacher observed their limited career choices in the area of career exploration during the two-week career lesson in General Employability class. In addition, the students socioeconomic status and current grades were also a factor for the group. Both the teachers and the counselor agreed these boys would benefit from additional intrapersonal career investigation.

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ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success

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ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success

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Student in the Career Investigators group will master the following ASCA Mindset and Behavior Standards upon completion of this group:
Student Mindset Behaviors:
M 2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment.
M 3. Positive attitude toward work and learning
M 4. Self-confidence in the ability to succeed
M 6. Understanding that postsecondary and life-long learning are necessary for long-term success.

Student Behavior Standards: Learning Strategies
B-LS 4. Self-motivation and self- direction for learning
B-LS 5. Media and technology skills to enhance learning
B-LS 7. Long- and short-term academic, career and social/emotional goals
B-LS 9. Decision-making informed by gathering evidence, getting others’ perspectives and recognizing personal bias

Student Behavior Standards: Self-Management Skills
B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions
B-SMS 4. Delayed gratification for long-term rewards
B-SMS 6. Ability to identify and overcome barriers

Student Behavior Standards: Social Skills
B-SS 1. Effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills
B-SS 2. Positive, respectful and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them
B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills
B-SS 9. Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment

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Information about the Career Investigators will be disseminated through a variety of media.  First, the General Employability teachers and administration will receive an email about the creation of the group and ask for participant suggestions. Once selected, the students will receive an invitation to join the group. The parents will receive a letter, via their student, concerning the intent and consent for their student to participate.

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At Garner ISD, parental consent for students to meet with the counselor is included in the registration process. However, best practices advises informing the parents/guardians and obtaining additional consent for their student to meet in the small group. This would be obtained by a parental consent form similar to the one attached. Additionally, students would be given a consent/assent form during the final screening process with the counselor.

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Establishing ground rules is important when beginning any small group. The counselor will establish 3 explicit rules of Respect of the group:
1. Respect yourself.
2. Respect Others.
3. Respect the Process.
The counselor, with members, will define these rules and provide examples of each.

At the first group session, students will fill out the attached Guidelines and Ground Rules worksheet. As a group, the counselor and the students will discuss the 10 implicit guidelines on the worksheet and establish what each one would "Look Like" and "Sound Like". Furthermore, students will work in pairs to establish any additional guidelines or rules. The pairs will then share their ideas, and together, the group will finalize the rules and expectations needed to have productive  sessions.

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For screening of this group, the students identified through mined data and recommendations as potential candidates will be pre-screened by the General Employability (GE) teachers as to the students interest level in continuing career exploration and participating in a small group. Once the GE teachers have discussed the group purpose with the students, the counselor will then interview students individually to assess student's desire to continue with career exploration, willingness to work within a group, and inform the student of the reason they were chosen and the goals of the group. The students will also be informed of the meeting times (during 1st period), frequency of meeting (once a week), and the total number of meetings (six). Finally, the counselor will detail expectations of the student including attendance, participation, and provide a confidentiality agreement of assent.

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The Career Investigators are made up of eighth grade boys who showed difficulty in the career exploration unit in General Employability class. The homogeneous group has similar backgrounds and similar characteristics which should provide commonality and mutual understanding. Because Garner is a small school, most of the group members are acquainted with each other and the counselor. This will help develop trust and respect. The group dynamic stages would be as follows:
Stage 1: At the first session, the counselor will discuss and develop an understanding of confidentiality. While confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, it falls under the Respect rule established by the counselor. Students will also develop and establish guidelines and rules to show advocacy for the group and confidentiality expectations. The counselor will also review the groups goals and desired outcomes in order to ensure the students understand the purpose of the group.
Stage 2:  During the weekly sessions, students will be given individual and paired tasks to complete. Within each session, students will share findings and discuss knowledge acquired. This will allow students to work together cohesively and demonstrate value in their work and the work of others. Students will likely begin to connect around their related backgrounds. The counselor will also have a session "exit-ticket" that uses a Likert-scale rating to find out new knowledge gained and rate personal participations and group development.
Stage 3: During the third session, the counselor will discuss that the group has reached the half-way mark and gauge how the students feel about the group's progress. At the final session, students will reflect on the group experience through discussion and worksheets. Students will also discuss ways to apply the knowledge gained outside of the group. Students will fill-out a form to show their individual progress to their parents/guardians. The counselor will follow-up with each members parent/guardian to encourage them to support their student's career goals. A final reminder of confidentiality will be discussed before the group dismisses for the final session.

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In order to promote critical-thinking and decision-making among the group and the individual members, a participative leadership (democratic) style would prove most effective. The group members need to feel valued in their decisions and choices, but the counselor also needs to provide direction through participation and encouragement. These particular students need a group leader that will assist in directing the students to a future in a career that each had not previous known was possible.

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Through the small group sessions, several of Yalom's therapeutic factors could be evident. One factor would be the development of socializing techniques. students will have multiple opportunities to practice interpersonal skills through paired-work and group sharing. Students would also receive direct advise and interpersonal learning. Receiving feedback from others in the group concerning career investigation issues and providing direct advise to others allows the students to view issue from multiple perspectives. A final factor of the group, and one of most importance, would be corrective recapitulation of primary family group. Student were suggested for this group because they were limiting career exploration to family work/career dynamics or jobs that had limited growth potential. Through this group, students will move away this narrow vision and expand their knowledge of career industries.

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As a school counselor, I am legally obligated by Texas Education Code section 33.004 to obtain written consent for student involvement in school program activities. The small group counseling directly relates to this code. While parents grant permission for counseling programs during registration at Garner ISD, parental written consent will be obtained for this particular small group. This will ensure parent consent meets the education code requirements (Tex. Educ Code § 33.004).

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Several ASCA Ethical standards apply to small group counseling. First, the group is established to support student development (ASCA A.1a.e.g). Confidentiality would also be addressed with the students but also applies to the counselor (ASCA A.2a-f). When the counselor explains confidentiality and the limits of, the counselor is demonstrating the proper ethical standards and requirements to be effective and guide students properly in the group.
Furthermore, the counselor is also following the ethical codes of confidentiality outlined in the Texas Administrative Code concerning standard practices for Texas educators. Chapter 247.2 (3) of the Texas Administrative Codes discusses the ethical conduct towards students. This relates to the confidentiality discussion in session one between the individual students, the small group, and the counselor.
The counselor should inform the students of the ethical requirements that the counselor must follow in order to gain the students' trust to share in the group.

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American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/f041cbd0-7004-47a5-ba01-3a5d657c6743/Ethical-Standards.pdf

American School Counselor Association (2021). ASCA student standards; mindsets and behaviors for student success. Alexandria, VA: Author.

Educator’s Code of Ethics, 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 247.2(3a)

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. http://www.missouricareereducation.org/doc/smallgroup/SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

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

School Counselors and Counseling Programs, Tex. Educ. Code § 33.003-.004.