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Mrs. Miller's Counselor's Corner

I hope to accommodate, educate, and motivate each one of my students so that they are successful in every aspect of their lives!

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Group dynamics are like windsurfing; with every shift in wind direction, you will find something new and different. A surf that may pull you, push you, and force you in a new direction; and all for the good of your future!

The First-Gen group session will be homogenous as it is a group that has similar needs and are heading in a somewhat similar direction as well. It will have a maximum membership of ten members to a session per six weeks. It will be structured in nature as it will have prepared lessons/curriculum to guide the group leader through the sessions.

Stage one of the group dynamics is "Storming/Norming" which entails the members getting to know each other, trusting one another, and knowing their place in the group. The first session will have several activities that allow the counselor to see where some strengths and weaknesses lie within each member. Students will share, if they choose, a little about themselves, their background and their future goals and plans.

Stage two embodies the "Performing" aspect of the group which allows members to work together to accomplish their goal(s). The members begin to see value in each other and begin to believe that the group will make a difference in their life. In this stage, members will begin to assist other members through trust. They will see that they are all working toward bettering their future self, finding commonalities between each other.

Stage three of group dynamics is considered the "Mourning" stage. At this time, group members will do some self-reflection, make future plans for growth, and apply the skills and knowledge they have learned over the past six weeks. Again, they will share any knowledge they would like about what they have learned and how their plans may or may not have changed for their future. Regardless of plans, by this stage, students will have advanced their knowledge of the college process, whether utilized or not.

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The group is designed for high school juniors and seniors who are first-generation potential college students. The purpose of the group is to help create powerful mindsets in students who need to know their worth!

Students were selected based on their first gen status that was determined through a school survey, whether they plan on going to college or to work post-high school.

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By participating in this group, the following ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors will be met:

Mindsets

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 4. Self-confidence in ability to succeed

M 5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes

M 6. Understanding that postsecondary education and lifelong learning are necessary for long-term success

Behaviors

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

B-SMS 5. Perseverance to achieve long- and short-term goals

B-SMS 10. Ability to manage transitions and adapt to change

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

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Parents and guardians of first-generation students will receive a letter in the mail that explains the group sessions and its purpose. Flyers will be hand-delivered to qualifying students during their activity period that will describe and motivate first-gen students to attend the sessions! Announcements will be made daily on the intercom about the upcoming group sessions. Students who complete all six sessions will be eligible to attend a college field trip at the end of the semester where they can interact with recruitment, admissions, financial aid, and take a campus tour.

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A survey will be conducted to determine who qualifies for the group sessions. The survey will be given to all juniors and seniors in high school that asks if they are first-generation students along with a few questions about their plans post-high school. Once this is determined, those students who qualify will receive a letter in the mail explaining the purpose of the group and the curriculum. Along with the letter, the parents will receive a consent form to sign if they agree to the program. Once, the form is signed and returned to the counselor, students will be placed in groups as scheduling allows.

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Once students get their letters in the mail and have their parent or guardian sign, the counselor will make follow up calls to ensure the signature was not forged and the parents or guardians understood the process. Participants will sign consent forms on the first day of their group session as well.

The letter attached will include the group's purpose, the leader and member's rights and obligations, the leader's professional background, thoughts, and beliefs, and a description of the sessions, such as length, number of sessions and group members, and the goals of the group sessions.

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Ground rules are extremely important to any small group session. They must be established and followed consistently during each session.

Ground Rules are as follows:

1. Respect each other's values, believes, and future goals at all times.

2. Be transparent and express your thoughts and feelings truthfully and respectfully.

3. Respect the rules of confidentiality.

4. Stay open to suggestions, remembering they are only suggestions!

5. Sharing is optional. No pressure will ever be applied to talk about something that makes a member uncomfortable.

Although ground rules are important, they are also flexible. Once the group sessions begin and group norms are established, more ground rules may be added. The six-week period lends the opportunity for a change in views and a desire for more respect between members.

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The prevalent leadership style will be of a democratic nature as it is very effective within a small group. A democratic style will allow members to have input with positive support and constructive feedback (Cherry, 2023). The leader will have the ultimate say in decisions, but members are encouraged to be creative and offer their ideas (Cherry, 2023). Everyone is an important part of the team and creates an excellent rapport amongst team members.

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Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment

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Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment

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Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment can be observed through the first-generation college group sessions in the following ways:

Instillation of Hope - As the group settles into their "norms," they will begin to find faith and confidence in their group members and leader that these group sessions are very beneficial (Yalom, 1995).

Universality - Participants will learn that they are not alone in the first-generation college process. They will find that others have the same problems and struggles in the process at times as well the same successes and accomplishments (Yalom, 1995).

Corrective Recapitulation of Primary Family Group - Students will be able to clarify any distortion about higher education that may have come from their family and/or environment by learning the positive and/or truthful aspects of the college process (Yalom, 1995).

Direct Advice - Students will learn how to handle difficult situations pertaining to the college process, familial conflict and/or beliefs, and differences in cultures amongst the group members (Yalom, 1995).

Interpersonal Learning - Students will receive feedback from the leader and other members so they can learn how to relate to each other through new and opportunistic experiences (Yalom, 1995).

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2 Tex. Edu. Code §33.007

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center

American School Counselor Association. (2019). ASCA school counselor professional standards and competencies. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a8d59c2c-51de-4ec3-a565-a3235f3b93c3/SC-Competencies.pdf

Cherry, Kendra. (June 2023). How to lead: 6 Leadership styles and frameworks. Very Well Mind. https://verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312?scrlybrkr=17c3684b

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.

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

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According to Education Code Section 33.007(a) counseling regarding post-secondary education, the job of the counselor is to advise students and their parents and guardians with information about post-secondary education. In section 33.007(b)(1) the importance of post-secondary education is supposed to be emphasized to all students and parents along with (b)(4) which is financial aid eligibility, and finally (b)(10) that speaks of the availability of vouchers and tuition or fee waivers. These are only a few of the educational codes that apply to all high-school students regardless of generational college status.

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Counselors must be held accountable for all actions taken within the school setting. Although there are many, I have selected a few ethical codes that apply to this particular set of group participants.

American Counseling Association Code of Ethics

A.2.a - Informed consent in the counseling relationship is extremely important. Counselors must review the rights with all members before beginning the official sessions. Once the sessions begin, clients still have to option to refuse counseling services at any time.

A.9.a - Group work screening is required in order to select members of a group who have like-minded thought processes and/or goals for better processes. The members' well-being will not be compromised by the group experiences, therefore, finding those members with similar goals and behaviors is extremely important.