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In reviewing the American School Counselor Association student standards, many of the mindset standards from category one are relevant to this group, regarding the concepts that participants will master upon completion.

These include:

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

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

3. Self Confidence in the ability to succeed (M-4).

(American School Counselor Association [ASCA], n.d.)

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Additionally, behavior standards from the ASCA also apply to the desired outcome for participants to master through GRITT. These include:

1. Responsibility for self and actions (B-SMS-1)

2. Self-discipline and self-control (B-SMS-2)

3. Ability to identify and overcome barriers (B-SMS-6)

4. Effective coping skills (B-SMS-7)

5. Personal safety skills (B-SMS-9)

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

(ASCA, 2016)

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Information about this group will be given through the Justice involved program and the local mental health authority. More specifically, the jail transition case manager will speak with clients at the jail before they are released. Information will be provided to the jail administrator, Jail LPC's, local courts, public defenders, adult probation and parole and prosecutors through a flyer explaining the purpose of the counseling. This will be sent by email. Group information can also be given in person. Referrals can be made by those list above.

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Once participants are screened and determined to be eligible for the counseling group and have expressed their willingness to participate, they will be provided with an informed consent document. The jail transition case manager will review this document with the participants prior to their release from jail, ensuring that all parties understand the group’s purpose and guidelines. Participants will need to sign the document.

(UC Irvine Office of Research, 2024)

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The Missouri Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program (2015) provides this example of group rules and how a group may process and establish ground rules (p. 25).

For GRITT, the following ground rules are designed to foster a safe, supportive, and respectful group setting for all participants. Rules 1-5 are pre-established rules. The remaining rules will be reviewed by the group in the initial session; modifications and/or additional rules may be established by the group as needed.

1. Confidentiality

1. What is shared in this group, stays in this group.

1. Exceptions include danger to self or others, child/elderly abuse or court orders.

2. Safety

1. Keep the group space physically and emotionally safe.

2. No violence, threats, name calling or intimidation.

3. Notify facilitator if you need a break

3. Respect

1. Do not speak over others

2. Allow others time to speak

3. No interrupting

4. Use active listening

5. Use "I" statements

6. Speak to each other respectfully

7. No mocking or judgement

8. Respect time for session sections

9. Be on time

4. Boundaries

1. Respect personal space

2. Avoid giving advice

3. No discussing of illegal activity or incriminating details

5. No Substance Use

1. Sessions and facilities are substance and tobacco-free

2. If you arrive under the influence, you will respectfully be asked to leave.

6. Participation

1. Attend consistently

2. Be honest

3. Be as open as you feel comfortable doing so.

4. Group engagement is encouraged, but not required.

7. Self-Care

1. Take breaks if feeling overwhelmed

2. Use techniques taught in session

3. Inform facilitator if you need to step out

8. Commitment

1. Be willing to try new coping skills

2. Participate in sessions and homework.

3. Respect the process

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In stage one I will work to establish group norms and trust through authenticity, empathy, introductions and recognizing similiarities in participants. Establishing the expectation of confidentiality during the first session will help participants to understand the expecations and limits of the facilitator, themselves and others in the group. This will be promoted through written and verbal agreement during and outside of the group. Validation of lived experiences will help participants to feel empowered and increase trust. Indentifying group expections, allowing the development and modifications of some group rules and promoting collaboration by allowing some semblance of owning the group will increase buy-in and accountability. Rules will be posted and reviewed at the start of each session.

(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015)

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Members will stay engaged by knowing the structure of each session. Helping them to know what to expect will help them stay on topic and transition to each section of the session. Bibliotherapy sessions will include homework, journal reflection and completing the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (Copeland, 2011). Learning and practicing new coping skills will be encompassed in each session.

Ensuring that dominating voices are not compromising the sessions and allowing those that a quiet to have some time will help to improve participation. Role-playing and peer support activities will help to reinforce collaboration and mutual encouragement, promoting a more cohesive group environment.

Check-ins addressing how the last session may have influenced their behaviors between the last session, and the current session will help to track emotional engagement, dedication to the material and monitor progress. Helping participants reflect on what is working for them and what they could change will help them reflect on their needs.

Through informal observation and openness, group cohesion will help to inform, and adjustments needed for facilitation. Pre and Post assessments will also help to measure progress.

(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015)

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During the final session, time will be dedicated to processing the group closure; allowing participants to share what they have learned, what they found most helpful and any challenges that they anticipate with the group closing.

Normalizing feelings of mixed emotions that result from the closing of the group will be processed. Participants will be allowed and encouraged to share their feelings and reflect on the coping skills and knowledge that they can continue to utilize beyond this group.

A follow-up plan may be developed for participants that feel abandoned by the group closure. This plan may include referrals to ongoing services, individual counseling, support groups, or any resources that participants need.

During the final session, I will review and reinforce participants' responsibility to maintain after the group sessions have ceased.

(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015)

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Given the shared experiences of trauma and incarceration, in addition to mental health disorders, these therapeutic factors would be present most.

1. Universality - Participants will identify with each other and recognize that they are not alone in their experiences of trauma, anxiety, depression, or re-entry to the community after incarceration. This will help them to reduce feelings of shame and isolation.

2. Altruism - Participants may experience healing through supporting one another, offering encouragement, and validating shared struggles. Helping others can be empowering for women who have often been placed in disempowered roles.

3. Instillation of Hope - Seeing peers progress, share coping skills, and make positive changes can foster hope that recovery and growth are possible for each participant.

4. Group Cohesion - As trust builds, members may feel a powerful sense of belonging, acceptance, and support. This cohesion is often a healing contrast to the isolation and rejection they may have experienced in other areas of life.

(Yalom, 1995)

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The Texas Administrative Code, Title 22, Part 30, Rule §681.41 requires counselors to obtain informed consent before starting any counseling services, including group sessions. ACA and ASGW ethical codes also stress clear informed consent.

How It Supports My Role:
As a licensed professional counselor, ensuring informed consent demonstrates respect for client autonomy and helps foster trust. It also provides legal protection and establishes clear expectations, which is crucial when working with justice-involved or vulnerable populations.

Application to Group Counseling:

Participants must be informed about the purpose, goals, and risks of the group counseling.

Participants should understand the limits of confidentiality, with emphasis on informing them that confidentiality cannot be completely guaranteed among peers.

This must be documented by written consent before participation begins.

(American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014)

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According to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Ethical Standards (2016) and the ACA Code of Ethics (2014), counselors have a clear ethical duty to safeguard client confidentiality. However, they must also comply with all mandated reporting requirements, such as those pertaining to child abuse, elder abuse, or situations involving danger to oneself or others.

How It Supports My Role:
As a professional counselor, balancing confidentiality with legal obligations helps create a safe space for clients while also protecting vulnerable individuals from harm. This requirement ensures I uphold ethical standards, comply with state law, and safeguard the welfare of both clients and the community.

Application to Group Counseling:

Participants must be educated about both the expectation of confidentiality and its limits.

Counselors are legally and ethically bound to break confidentiality if there is imminent risk of harm or abuse.

Maintaining confidentiality is fundamental to establishing trust within group sessions.

(ACA, 2014; American School Counselor Association, 2016)

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Identifying Who is Eligible

Through the justice involved program at the local mental health authority, the jail transition case manager will verify the mental health diagnosis that led the potential participant to be involved with the case manager initially. This will help case manager to identify eligibility; from those participants the case manager will identify potential participants to invite to be screened for the group.

Informing Potential Participants

Through the jail transition case manager program, the potential participants will receive the following information to help them decide if they would be interested in participating:

1. Group Topic

2. The goals and objectives of the group

3. How this will be accomplished

4. Who is eligible to participate and that the group will have eight members, a facilitator, and a co-facilitator.

5. How they are eligible to be a potential candidate for the group.

6. Participants will be informed that their participation is voluntary. That the group will be c when they are aware that they will be released from jail within the next 30 days.

7. Participants will be given the expectations for attendance, confidentially, limits to confidentiality and informed consent.

8. Participants will be given information about group dynamics and the importance of participation, respect and valuing others lived experiences.

Identifying Participant interest

The jail case manager will identify participant readiness and interest through the following:

1. Request that the participant explains their understanding of the group’s purpose, goals, objective, rules, confidentiality, and expectations.

2. Ask if they have any questions about the group.

3. Ask them to identify how they feel that they will benefit from the group.

4. Determine the participants level of commitment to attend and participate in the group.

5. Ask potential participants to identify any conflicts, concerns, or hesitations that they may have in joining the group.

6. What is their reason for wanting to join the group, or not wanting to join?

7. On a scale of 1-5, how motivated are they to engage in the counseling group?

Selecting the members

The facilitator will determine the participants by evaluating the information. The facilitator will identify those that are most willing and eager to attend while considering the following:

1. What is their reason for wanting to attend?

2. Will they be able to apply the group to future decisions and reduce criminal involvement?

3. Will their participation improve the experience or hinder the experience of other participants?

4. Are they someone that has been able to be open with their feelings and respectful in prior conversation with the case manager or others?

5. On a scale of 1-5, how motivated are they to engage in the group?

6. Will their participation contribute to group dynamics?

(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

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GRRIT is a counseling group designed for justice-involved and formerly incarcerated women, age 18-40 who have experienced trauma that contributes to a mental health diagnosis of anxiety, depression, or PTSD. Recognizing the possible correlation between unresolved trauma and cycles of incarceration, GRRIT will foster a safe and empowering environment for participants to process experiences, learn coping strategies, gain information through psychoeducation, and develop healthy ways to navigate life stressors. Through guided sessions and peer support, participants will be encouraged to strengthen their personal identity and improve their personal growth.

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I plan to use a participative leadership style. Having a set structure, guiding the group, and fostering a safe space will allow me, as the facilitator, to empower participants to take ownership of their own engagement in the group. Using this leadership style will allow me to invite participants to contribute to group norms, share perspectives and promote peer support, strengthening the group's cohesion.

Using this style will be the best fit for justice-involved women that have lived experiences of having their power and voice taken from them. Using a leadership style that promotes shared decision-making, values diverse perspectives, and fosters environments that emphasize peer support, will lead to lasting results.

(Cherry, 2023)

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American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. Alexandria, VA.

American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Alexandria, VA.

Cherry, K. (2023). How to Lead: 6 Leadership Styles and Frameworks. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

Copeland, M. (2011). Wellness Recovery Action Plan. Peach Press.

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.

Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors. (2023). Texas Administrative Code, Title 22, Part 30, Rule §681.41. https://texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com/rules-and-meetings?interface=LANDING_PAGE

University of California, Irvine. (n.d.). Drafting the informed consent form. UCI Office of Research. https://research.uci.edu/human-research-protections/subject-enrollment/informed-consent/drafting-the-informed-consent-form/

Yalom, I.D. (1995). The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy (4th ed.). New York: Basic Books.