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The Accountability Leaders will be comprised of 4th and 5th grade students who have been identified by staff as needing help with fostering a sense of responsibility and understanding the impact their actions have on themselves and those around them.

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Staff members will be given a brief introduction to the small group plan by the counselor after a regularly scheduled staff meeting. Recommendations for students to be invited will be made by teachers completing a Google Form sent out by the counselor. Any staff member that works with 4th and 5th grade students may refer a student to be invited.

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By participating in this group, several ASCA Mindset standards will be addressed. M 1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being. M 3. Positive attitude toward work and learning. M 5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes.
By participating in this group, several ASCA Behavior standards will be addressed. B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions. B-SMS 2. Self-discipline and self-control. B-SS 2. Positive, respectful and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them. B-SS 3. Positive relationships with adults to support success. B-SS 4. Empathy.

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Group dynamics should be taken into account when establishing the participant list. Participants should be selected, in part, by considering which students would have a high probability of working cooperatively and respectfully toward the group goal.
Stage 1: Participants will work on setting norms for the group, including those for confidentiality. The ground rules form will be reviewed and the group will determine additional rules. Purposeful set up of the space used for the group sessions will encourage sharing and comfort the group. Participants will be arranged in a circle using flexible seating to foster participation. Icebreakers and team-building activities will take place during the first two sessions.
Stage 2: High-interest collaborative activities will be utilized to build cohesiveness and productivity during the sessions. Group check-in will occur at the end of each session during the closing. Informal individual check-in will occur through observation by the counselor. After session #6, the counselor will ask each participant to complete a short survey about how they feel the sessions are going regarding goal attainment and comfort level.
Stage 3: As the group comes to a close, the participants will create visuals to represent the knowledge gained during the sessions. The counselor will remind the students about the importance of confidentiality. The group will conclude with a post-assessment which includes questions about the participant's feelings toward progress made toward the group goal. This group will be added to the Lunch Bunch schedule for a brief check-in during the next grading period.

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This group would benefit most from participative leadership. Participative leaders foster active participation and provide guidance, yet they maintain decision-making authority (Cherry, 2023). Given the topic of this group, taking accountability, participants would thrive in a setting that allowed them to aid in the process of attaining the group's goal. Because of their age and the fact that they have been identified as struggling with personal responsibility, the counselor having authority over the group would be advantageous.

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The Texas Administrative Code outlines requirements for school counselors. Standard 3C states a school counselor will counsel individuals and small groups using appropriate counseling theories and techniques in response to students' needs. This supports the counselor by ensuring that the small group counseling sessions promoting growth in the area of personal responsibility are in line with legal regulations. It gives guidance in the area of expectations of the school counselor when working with students identified as having a specific need.

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The Texas Administrative Code outlines requirements for school counselors. Standard F8 states a school counselor will work effectively as a team member to promote positive change for individuals, groups, and the school community. This supports the counselor by ensuring that the small group counseling sessions designed to assist students in taking personal responsibility are in line with legal regulations. It gives guidance in the area of expectations of the school counselor when working with groups of students to promote positive change.

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During these group sessions, one of Yalom's therapeutic factors that may be present is Direct Advice. This is when participants give and receive strategies for handling issues they are experiencing (Yalom, 1995). This collaboration will occur during activities and discussions. Another therapeutic factor that will be present is Interpersonal Learning. This occurs when participants receive feedback from others and experiment with new ways to relate with issues at hand (Yalom, 1995). During these sessions, students will collaborate with their peers to strategize how to be more responsible.

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Once students have been nominated by staff members, the counselor will meet with students to explain the topic and expectations. It will be made clear that participation is voluntary. A question and answer session will close the initial gathering. During this time, the counselor will guide conversations to gain information about students' willingness to participate. After meeting with the students, the counselor will choose the participants based on perceived need, interest and willingness to participate. Participants will be notified with an invitation delivered to them by the counselor. (Students not selected for this small group will be addressed as needed through individual sessions or other interventions.)

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Our school has an unwritten policy to gain parental consent for each participant. Once students have been selected, a form such as the attached will be sent home to gain consent from guardians along with a note from the counselor explaining the focus of the group and the expectation of confidentiality. A student-friendly consent form will be given to each participant during the first meeting.

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During the first meeting, the attached ground rules will be reviewed by discussing the "looks like" and "sounds like" for each. Additional expectations will be set by the counselor regarding confidentiality. Students will be asked to contribute any other rules/procedures they would like to see implemented. All rules and expectations will be set before students consent to participation in the group. Signed ground rules will be sent home to parents.

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American School Counselor Association. (2021). The ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College-and Career Readiness for Every Student describe. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Cherry, K. (2023, June 27). Leadership styles and frameworks you should know. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

19 Tex. Admin. Code §239.15

Yalom ID. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.). New York: Basic Books.