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Solutions is a small group of middle school adolescent students aged 11-13 experiencing difficulties with behavior, interactions with others, and frequent altercations. Students will be selected based on frequent behavioral issues on record. Solutions small group counseling will be after school, on Wednesday from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Treatment will last about 8 weeks. Participants will be counseled on six lesson topics throughout the treatment process. Solutions is a closed group on different topics during the 8-week time frame.  It will help students become familiar with managing emotions through problem-solving to make better decisions. Students will learn ways to prevent incidents that allow them to focus on academics. Students will know how to better interact with peers through problem-solving and peer mediation. The goal is to decrease the time spent on discipline and increase the time spent on instruction involving group participants.

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Solutions participants will have a mindset to recognize potential within themselves to develop mental and emotional balance. The activities will allow participants to solve problems and practice emotional stability. Solving problems promotes self-confidence and the ability to succeed. It will expose the participants to a community culture that includes all parents, teachers, administrators, and counselors, working together. Participants will recognize how they play a role in their campus community. The lesson topics, activities, and treatment will develop abilities to achieve high-quality results in other areas of development. Solutions are designed for participants to achieve short-term goals during treatment, creating a positive attitude towards work and learning. Health and wellness are initiatives that solutions provide during treatment. Lesson topics and strategies that Solution has to offer will help students learn in the classroom. Focusing on lesson topics and completing activities promptly will help participants develop time management.  Activities that focus on emotional management will allow participants to be familiar with self-control and behavior responsibility. Solutions will involve interactive activities with participants to solve problems associated with social-emotional learning. Participants will become familiar with cohesiveness and working as a team. They will be able to develop positive relationships while learning to resolve conflicts.

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The counselor will have posters in the cafeteria and the counselor's office, digitally via email and text. The counselor will create a social media page raising awareness for small group counseling. The counselor will go into classes and give small incentives like candy and snacks while promoting. The counselor will present during morning and afternoon announcements. The counselor will be present with a table with program literature during school activities and events. The counselor will collaborate with administrators and send out letters to parents.

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Administrators will be contacted via email about students having difficulties with behavior, interacting with other students, and incidents on record. I would ask them to provide me with a list of students. Once I receive the list, parents will be contacted via phone for a face-to-face meeting with the counselor and administrator if they consent to their child receiving small group counseling. The meeting will explain group topics to help students with social-emotional learning, problem-solving, and emotional management. The counselor will then narrow the selection to the most disciplinary issues on record. Then the parent and student will meet with the counselor to discuss scheduling, requirements, expectations, and policy. The parents and students will receive consent and assent documentation to sign before the first session. The counselor will not interview participants as a group; it will be individual with the parents.  The counselor will send Emails, alerts, and announcements to student participants, parents, and teachers about the program schedule, topics, privacy policies, and agenda. The purpose of this is to have collaborative support in the treatment process. Once the treatment ends and progress is made, a new selection of students will be made to start another small group.

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Letters about the benefits of group counseling in schools will encourage parents to consent. The letter sent with the parent consent form will explain how Group counseling makes it possible for students to achieve healthier academic and personal growth in a rapidly changing global society (American School Counseling Association, 2020). The benefits of education that the students will gain will help parents consent. Parents will feel comfortable knowing that the school is concerned for students' progress beyond academics. Once parents are informed, they will feel more comfortable committing to and supporting.

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The ground rules that are in place are aligned with the ASCA Student Standards:

Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. The guidelines require students to think positively about work and learning. This will allow students to be confident in their ability to succeed and develop high self-esteem. The standard for participants is to use their abilities to their highest potential. Also, participants must understand the importance of post-secondary education and how lifelong learning supports long-term success. Students must focus on solving problems so they can make better decisions. Participants are required to take responsibility for their actions for self-control and self-discipline. Participants must be able to adapt and overcome adversities. Participants' ambitions must be aligned with their future goals. Participants are expected to cope with situations effectively. Participants must maintain Positive, respectful, and supportive relationships with students who are similar and different from them. Participants must be prompt for every meeting scheduled. Participants must notify the counselor 24 hours before cancellation, or they will be unexcused. Participants must follow rules and cannot be involved in any incident on or outside campus that results in disciplinary action. The participant must have a written letter signed by the parent and administrator for early termination. Participants must not disclose any information or details discussed during the session with anyone. Participants must maintain academic standards in all classes.

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Democratic leadership is best because it fits the participants' needs and concerns. Behavioral issues and interacting with others come from feeling neglected and wanting attention. Democratic leadership allows participants to make decisions and feel included. The counseling group lesson topics and activities involve interacting, problem-solving, and decision-making, which would require a democratic leadership type so participants can have their own independence to learn objectives. Adolescents have difficulty making responsible decisions, and the democratic leadership style supports and develops decision-making skills.

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Stage 1

The counselor will create an environment for participants to feel safe, remain professional, and hold themselves accountable to provide services. The counselor will earn trust by establishing a professional relationship and communicating. Monitoring participants' behavior and academics shows concern, and participants will trust anyone who goes the extra mile to ensure success. Counselors must maintain professionalism within themselves to create norms for participants to follow. The counselor must monitor and hold participants accountable consistently to all rules. The counselor must be firm, fair, and consistent throughout the process, encouraging participants to adhere to norms.  The norms are to be on time, respect each other, and maintain positive behavior. Rules of confidentiality and the severity of privacy will be explained. The counselor will explain how not following confidentiality can affect participants. If personal information about a participant is shared, it can discourage them from continuing treatment. Personal information can be used to bully a participant, especially in a school. The counselor will explain ways confidential information can be breached. If a participant shares information harmful to themselves or others, if the courts require it, confidentiality can be breached upon campus administrators' request.

Stage 2

The counselor must provide affirmations to motivate participants to build morale and maintain progress in and outside the session. The counselor will evaluate participants weekly and notify parents of progress, so students can feel productive and build trust. The counselor will create interactive activities attached to lessons to keep students engaged and working cohesively. I will have individual sessions with participants to give feedback on their progress and gauge the group. These sessions will be confidential between the counselor and participant. The participants provide feedback and share any concerns. This will allow participants to express themselves and the counselor to adjust support for the group.

Stage 3

The participants must finish small group counseling feeling achieved, which needs to be celebrated. They will be recognized for investing time in becoming a better version of themselves. After completion of treatment, students will receive a paper certificate of completion. Students will be recognized for personal attributes that they added to the group. The counselor will see if administrators can provide a small incentive upon completion. The counselor will provide participants with the benefits and expectations upon completion. The counselor will give participants a closure that will allow them to recognize the treatment they received and how it will help them in various facets of life.

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The counselor will experience therapeutic factors through interaction and expression. One of the goals is learning to interact with others. Universality will demonstrate that each participant is not alone in their process and has similar challenges. Solidarity will allow a non-judgmental environment during sessions. The counselor will evaluate participants' progress to build faith in the treatment process. Faith in the treatment process is an example of instillation of hope. Participants will express their experiences, which is an example of catharsis. The activities and lesson topics are focused on socializing techniques, which support one of the objectives in the small group.

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ASCA requires counselors to ensure the privacy of participants through confidentiality. The school counselor is responsible for fully respecting a student’s right to privacy and providing an atmosphere of trust and confidence (ASCA, 2022). The counselor must be knowledgeable about protecting participants' information to avoid violating HIPAA laws.  Counselors must provide equal and unbiased service to every participant, no matter who they are or their personal circumstances. Counselors do not discriminate against clients, students, or supervisees in a manner that has a negative impact based on their age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status or for any other reason.” (American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, 2014).

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Counselors will be proficient in services and create an emotionally stable environment for students to focus on academics. An individual serving as a school counselor is expected to actively participate in counseling-related professional development activities to continually update his or her knowledge, skills, and credentials (Texas Education Agency,2001). To ensure quality services are practiced, counselors must receive training, evaluations, and education to continue to support the school community.

Counselors play a role on campus that reflects on safety, social-emotional learning, and behavioral support; they are held accountable for their role and duty requirements.  The Texas statutes state that school counselors shall work with the school faculty and staff, students, parents, and the community to plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program that conforms to the most recent edition of the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs developed by the Texas Counseling Association (Texas Statutes, 2019).

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ACA Code of Ethics. (2014). C.5.a Nondiscrimination

https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

American School Counseling Association. (2022). School Counselor and Confidentiality

https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Confidentiality

American School Counseling Association. (2020). School Counselor and Group Counseling. Summary.

https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Group-Counseling

Texas Education Agency. (2001). Chapter 239. Student Services Certificates

https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/laws-and-rules/sbec-rules-tac/sbec-tac-currently-in-effect/ch239a.pdf

Texas Education Code. (2019, December 1). Sec. 33.005.  COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS.  (a)

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.33.htm