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This small group counseling is provided for 6th grade students at Hutto Middle School to increase emotional awareness & self-regulation.

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The ASCA Mindset and Behavior standards for students that will be met through EA Learners are:

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

B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions

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Although this small group will be based on teacher and administration recommendation the counseling team will still post flyers in the foyer area outside of the library for other students who could benefit or show interest in EA learned. The flyer will also be placed within the daily announcement video that will be shown in advisory third period classes. The counselors also have an Instagram page and this flyer can e featured in one of the Instagram posts that highlights small groups in order to reach students.

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Students will be selected by using the 6th grade teacher survey results on emotional awareness. Based on teacher and admin recommendation, these students will be called in to attend a one on one session with their counselor to be introduced to the topic of emotional awareness, emotional regulation, and EA learners small group. The small group will then hold their first meeting where a pre-assessment will be given on emotional awareness and there will be an opportunity for questions about the small group and the topics that will be covered.

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7-10 6th grade students will be selected to participate in EA Learners. Once selected the informational flyer along with this informed consent form will be sent home to parents/guardians. These documents will also be sent via email for easier access. The students participating in EA Learners will also receive a copy of the informed consent form during the first session of the small group.

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The students will receive a copy of the rules and guidelines provided above as well as have the opportunity to discuss the rules listed below. The students will be able to suggest rules they wish to add and have the group abide by as well during the first session.

1. Confidentiality
2. Respect all individuals in the group
3. All opinions and sharing of personal experiences are welcome

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The demographics of this group is sixth grade students who have been identified as individuals struggling with emotional awareness and emotional regulation. The dynamics of this group are unique based on the diverse population.

Stage 1 will include activities and games that get the students familiar with each other. Hutto Middle School has a sixth grade class of over 400 students so although all of the participants will be in the 6th grade, not all of them will share classes with the other participants. The first stage will focus on building trust within the group through discussion of confidentiality and respect. The leader will facilitate conversations that encompass an open and welcoming feel about the small group.
Stage 2 will focus on learning about emotional awareness and regulation. The relationships between the participants and the learner will continue to grow and the students will be continuously encouraged to share their own experiences with emotions through activities and conversations.
Stage 3 will include a post assessment that the students can use as a progress tracker. The students will be able to share and demonstrate their mastery of the techniques and strategies for emotional regulation that they have applied within their classes and home life. The students are encouraged to keep in contact with the participants through the google classroom for EA Learners and to use this platform for further support if they need it.

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The leadership style that best fits this small group is the participation leadership style. This group will be based on student input and encourage sharing amongst the participants. This group aims to be welcoming of all experiences and struggles with emotional regulation and awareness and would benefit best from this style of leadership. The leader of this group will facilitate conversation and activities but encourage the students to lead their own conversations within the sessions.

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There are several of Yalom's Therapeutic factors that are present within EA Learners. Starting with Universality which states "we are not alone in our misery or our problems". The students will be able to connect with peers that share similar struggles with emotions. Students will receive direct advice from the leader of the group and have the opportunity to explore strategies and techniques for emotional regulation. The participants will also receive feedback from their peers and leader in order to grow their interpersonal learning.

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The Texas Education Code outlines the requirements a licensed professional school counselor must follow.

Chapter 33 Section 33.003 states the following about parental consent: The board of trustees of each school district shall adopt guidelines to ensure that written consent is obtained from the parent, legal guardian, or person entitled to enroll the student under Section 25.001(j) for the student to participate in those activities for which the district requires parental consent. The Counselors will abided by this via the consent form required by parents/guardians.

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Linked above is an article written on a study done on the importance of Social-Emotional Learning in the middle grades and the effects on educational success.

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The ACA Code of Ethics outlines the ethical guidelines licensed professional school counselors are to follow.

E.1.b. Discusses client welfare and the ethical responsibility Counselors  have to ensure there is no misuse  of assessment  results  and  interpretations,  and  they  take reasonable steps to prevent others from  misusing  the  information  provided.

The information received from the teacher survey will only be used to collect recommendations on individual students that could benefit from EA Learners and will not be discussed with anyone other than the counseling team and other staff members that have direct information regarding the small group.

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ACA code of Ethics - American Counseling Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

Home - American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Marisa MacDonnell, Kellie McClain, Aishwarya Ganguli & Maurice J. Elias (2021) It’s Not All or Nothing: Exploring the Impact of a Social-Emotional and Character Development Intervention in the Middle Grades, RMLE Online, 44:2, 1-15, DOI: 10.1080/19404476.2020.1868226