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This group is designed for middle school students currently experiencing divorce in their families of the aftermath of a divorce. This group is open for any students struggling with family changes and looking to connect to other students facing the same issues.

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The American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics details the duties and responsibilities of a counselor, with the following codes pertaining to group work:

A.9.a Screening Counselors screen prospective group counseling/therapy participants. To the extent possible, counselors select members whose needs and goals are compatible with the goals of the group, who will not impede the group process, and whose well-being will not be jeopardized by the group experience.

A.9.b Protecting Clients In a group setting, counselors take reasonable precautions to protect clients from physical, emotional, or psychological trauma.

It is the responsibility of the counselor to pre-screen students so they will be appropriately assigned to the group. This will help protect other students who will share potentially devastating information about their families. Confidentiality will be explained to the students and they will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement or risk being removed from the group.

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The Texas Administrative Code is a compilation of rules and regulations that professional school counselors must abide by. The following legal requirements support school counselors in their role of conducting group counseling sessions.

C3: Counsel individuals and small groups using appropriate counseling theories and techniques in response to students' needs

C6: Demonstrate proficiency in teaching small and large groups by actively engaging students in the learning process

F2: Use knowledge of group dynamics and productive group interaction

The counselor will obtain legal consent from families for students to participate in the group. In addition, counselor will use appropriate techniques and theories to aid their students. Lastly, the counselor will create a powerful group dynamic that aids students in making personal change and grow individually.

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American Counseling Association.(2014). ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

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

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

19 Tex. Admin. Code §239.15

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

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 Universality - demonstration that we are not alone in our misery or our "problems".
 Catharsis - opportunity for expression of strong affect.
 Existential factors - recognition of the basic features of existence through sharing with others (e.g. ultimate aloneness, ultimate death, ultimate responsibility for our own actions).
 Direct Advice - receiving and giving suggestions for strategies for handling problems.
 Interpersonal learning - receiving feedback from others and experimenting with new ways of relating.

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I plan to lead this group as I would a classroom of students; with strong expectations and structured support. I go into every new situation with students with renewed grace and challenge them to do the same. Lastly, I fiercely protect the group atmosphere and culture by directly addressing misbehavior. As time goes on I will lead students to become advocates for one another.

I believe my leadership style will help to establish a strong group bond that prioritizing all students in the group.

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B-SMS 5. Perseverance to achieve long and short-term goals
B-SS 8. Advocacy skills for self and others and ability to assert self, when necessary
B-SMS 10. Ability to manage transitions and adapt to change

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Stage 1: With the first couple of lessons, we will work to establish the group norms and also do icebreakers so the students can get to know each other in a different setting. Since this group will take place with students who are all very familiar with each other, it will be essential to impress upon them how serious confidentiality is so they see their group members as people who are struggling in a similar way. They will be reminded that they cannot weaponize the information they gain in the groups.
Stage 2:
I believe establishing a time for sharing among the group will work to keep the members moving forward with their work to improve. For each lesson, they will take what they learned and use it throughout the week then come back with some reflective thoughts to share with the group. In addition, I will have the 3 mastery behaviors posted so we can check in to see if they are making progress toward those goals.
Stage 3:
During the last 2 meetings, I want to ensure to mentally prep the students for group closure by reminding them these skills are to keep them moving forward to their goals and build/repair family bonds. I want to have us all end with an activity vowing to continue supporting their group members in life and emphasize the lifelong connection they have made through confidentiality and that it cannot be broken.

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Group expectations will be reviewed during the first lesson and every person in the group will sign that they understand and promise to follow expectations. Participants understand that if the rules are broken, they will be released from the group.

During the first lesson, counselor will discuss the seriousness of breaking someone's trust and how it can ruin the personal progress of all participants.

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Sample parent consent form issued for parents to sign at the beginning of the year registration.

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Any student is able to join and participate in our group.
1. Students will learn of our group via morning announcements, flyers, and parent emails/letters home.
2.  Student readiness will be assessed in a beginning-of-the-year self-assessment survey completed in their homeroom classes. If students indicate they have struggled with a recent family transition or divorce a counselor will follow up with the student individually to be screened.

**As the year progresses, any teacher, parent, or peer can recommend a student for an individual screening if they believe the student will benefit from the group.

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Updates for our group meetings can be found by looking at our ClassTag page or on Paintrockisd.net