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The topic that my group counseling session(s) will address is academic challenges in high school-age students (ages 14 – 18). This specific group of students are not necessarily on the verge of dropping out or completely disengaged with school, rather, this is an early intervention to keep them from reaching that point, and to realize their academic potential and career prospects. This is a group of students that while they are struggling in school, they have communicated that they want or need help through a needs assessment referral form.

The group counseling will work to help students set reachable goals in their educational journey and aim to assist them in realizing their full academic potential, motivate them to do better in school, and consider what their next step is after they complete high school, whether that is pursuing higher education, joining the military, or working in a trade. With these group counseling sessions, it will aim to help students reach their full potential and aspire to take the next step after high school.

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During group counseling sessions, the following mindsets and behaviors will be mastered:

M 3: Positive attitude toward work and learning

M 4: Self-confidence in ability to succeed

B-LS 4: Self-motivation and self- direction for learning

B-LS 7: Long- and short-term academic, career and social/emotional goals

B-SMS 5: Perseverance to achieve longand short-term goals

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Publicity and Advertising the Group Sessions

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Publicity and Advertising the Group Sessions

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To promote the group counseling sessions, I would create and disseminate flyers around common areas and school boards throughout the high school. The flyers would include a QR code for students to scan and will take them to an inquiry form. I would also ensure that teachers would receive information via their school newsletter/announcement/resources email so teachers can reach out or make referrals for students who could benefit from the counseling sessions.

If approved by the school officials, I would try and see if I can get a blurb about the group counseling sessions in a series of daily school announcements video or script.

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I would review the list of referrals that teachers submitted to me and do an initial screening of their forms to see if they would be a good match for an individual assessment. I would follow a similar procedure for students who may have filled out the inquiry form that is linked (via QR code). I would begin the screening by describing the group counseling program, goals/outcomes, expectations, and why they are being considered for the group. I would then ask additional questions to gauge their interest and willingness to share their school struggles within a group setting.

The students' needs that most closely fit the group counseling structure and goals would be prioritized for selection as well as students who are more extroverted (Malhotra et al., 2022).

After candidates have been screened and selected for the group counseling, I would follow the necessary steps to gather parental consent and begin scheduling the planned group sessions.

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Once the preferred students have been selected for group counseling, I would follow the necessary steps to gather informed consent from the students and consent from their parents or guardians. The parental consent forms will be sent home with the students along with an explanation of the group counseling sessions. The signed parental consent document will be sent over to me electronically and I will provide the school administration a copy for their records as well.

Prior to starting the first group counseling session, I will give the students a consent form for them to sign as well. During this time, I would also outline the risks and benefits of the group counseling, go over patient confidentiality and limits, and emergency procedures.

Reference:

Texas Education Agency. (2025). Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education Informed Consent for Services. Austin; Texas Education Agency.

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Stage 1:

In order to build trust between the different group members, I would first establish the ground rules of the counseling sessions. I would establish that everyone is to remain respectful of each other, and what is said in the sessions stays here, and that confidentiality is important. I would ensure the group members that this is a supportive group, and that we are here to help uplift each other and that I am here to help them become more confident in the classroom, develop better study habits, and overcome classroom challenges.

These norms would be established by sharing experiences within the group sessions and encouraging participation among the students. Should a student become disrespectful or disruptive, corrective measures will be taken to get them back on track. I would inform the students that confidentiality is expected, but cannot be guaranteed due to the nature of the group, but to respect each other's privacy and not share sensitive details outside of the group and to be mindful of what they share in here. Lastly, I would establish that there will be outside homework after the sessions, but these are not grades, rather they are to support their development and growth during the sessions.

Stage 2:

To keep the students working cohesively and productively, I would build in engaging activities during the group counseling sessions such as ice breakers, identifying negative emotions/feelings about school, engaging in positive thought replacement, among other activities.

I would encourage participation among students and kick off discussions with a identifying the small feelings or emotions they might feel when doing school work and gradually get them to open up more to each other, and positively reinforce participation by thanking them for sharing their stories. To ensure that every student gets the chance to speak, I would ask for somebody to volunteer to go first, and encourage the other group members to offer words of support after somebody shares their experience. To keep students from talking too much or 'taking over' the group, I would redirect the conversation back to myself and moderate the group into another direction or shift to another student so they can share their experience. This will help ensure that everybody gets an equal chance to speak without cutting somebody off or discouraging them from sharing.

To gauge progress among the group members, I would first assess how students are sharing their experiences or if they are actively participating in the sessions. I would ask the group questions like "How are we feeling?" to get a general sense of how the group is doing, and follow up with students individually if I feel they are closing themself off from the rest of the group. I would reiterate that participation in the group sessions are voluntary, and if they do not feel comfortable continuing the sessions, they can ask to be removed from future sessions.

Stage 3:

As the group counseling sessions comes to an end, I would gently remind the group that we are approaching the last session, and check in with them to ensure they have the tools necessary to continue with confidence. I would help them develop their individual coping plans for after the sessions end and how they can apply the lessons learned in group counseling in the classroom or their studies. I would encourage the group members to lean of each other for support and stay in contact with one another and utilize a 'buddy system' to help support each other throughout the rest of the school year.

I would close the group session by having the students share something that they have learned in counseling, how they plan to use that in school, and what they are hopeful about or looking forward to in school. I would work to ensure that each student is armed with the tools needed to apply the knowledge and skills learned in group counseling long after the sessions end. During the last session, I would have the students fill out a post-assessment survey to gauge their feelings about how the sessions went for them and if they feel like they learned something from them.

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The following ground rules will be established during the first session and students are expected to abide by these rules. These include:

1. All group members understand and respect confidentiality

2. One person speaks at a time

3. Everyone has the opportunity to participate and share

4. Be respectful in your responses

5. Be respectful towards your group members

6. Be on time to each session

7. Group members are encourages to actively participate

8. Group members have the right to pass on an issue

9. Group members will be encouraged to have

an open mind and accept where other group

members are in their development

10. Group members will have the opportunity to

develop other guidelines

The rules that would be predetermined by me would involve the structure and flow of the group counseling sessions. These would include that all members respect confidentiality, one person speaks at a time, and be respectful towards your peers.

Rules that would be determined by the group would revolve around their comfort/consent in participating in the group discussions. While every member is encouraged to participate, this is all voluntary.

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The best leadership style of this type of group would be democratic with elements of transformational leadership.

Elements of the democratic leadership style will be implemented to encourage participation among all group members and would allow me to act as a facilitator during group discussions. This style is also effective at building cohesion and mutual support among group members (Mourise, 2024).

When looking at leadership styles that can be most effective with the student population that I am working with, the transformational leadership style would work best. This would particularly be effective in inspiring the group members to see their individual potential and can help them feel empowered at school and improve their overall well being (Choi et al., 2016).

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Throughout the group counseling sessions, there will be a few of Yalom's Therapeutic Factors that will likely show up. For example, Installation of Hope will be present throughout most of the sessions as I plan to build trust between myself and the students participating in group counseling. Installation of hope is also crucial for students to develop as this helps them understand that the work they are doing is meaningful and will set them up for success (Fleming, 2023).

Another factor that will be present, especially in the early sessions, is the factor of Universality. The idea that all four of the students participating in the group counseling sessions are 'all in the same boat,' and their struggles are not that different. The shared struggle of academic struggles will hopefully bring the group together and help them connect more effectively (Fleming, 2023) and thus share more of their experiences during the group sessions.

Direct advice will also play a big role in these group counseling sessions, especially during the times when I am giving them advice on how to put positive thought replacement into practice or teaching them how to form better study habits.

As the group sessions move forward, and the students become more empathetic listeners, the students will likely engage in Interpersonal Learning by receiving feedback from myself and their peers, as well as engaging with new ways to relating to others.

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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 (American Psychiatric Association, [APA], 2014).

In my role as a counselor, I would be bound by ethical guidelines to select group members whose needs and goals are compatible with one another. Not doing so would hurt the students in the group sessions and could make for a negative experience or cause further harm. Following this ethical rule when screening potential students is necessary to form a group that would both work good together and help facilitate a healthy dialogue during the sessions (American Psychiatric Association, [APA], 2014).

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A.9.b. Protecting Clients

In a group setting, counselors take reasonable precautions to protect clients from physical, emotional, or psychological trauma (American Psychiatric Association, [APA], 2014).

When working with students who are struggling with academic challenges in school, I may uncover signs of abuse or neglect from their families that would require me to report this to the proper authorities or Child Protective Services (CPS). In my role, as a mandated reporter, I am bound by these ethics to report any instances of suspected abuse (American Psychiatric Association, [APA], 2014).

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American School Counselor Association. (2021). ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. Alexandria, VA; American School Counselor Association.

Malhotra, A., Mars, J. A., & Baker, J. (2022). Group Therapy. In StatPearls. essay, StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved September 11, 2025, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549812/#:~:text=After%20designing%20the%20group%2C%20the,%5D%5B7%5D%5B6%5D.

Texas Education Agency. (2025). Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education Informed Consent for Services. Austin; Texas Education Agency.

Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015, May). PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELOR SMALL GROUP COUNSELING GUIDE. Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators .

Mourise, D. (2024). Key Leadership Styles. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.24583.61601

Choi, S. L., Goh, C. F., Adam, M. B., & Tan, O. K. (2016). Transformational leadership, empowerment, and job satisfaction: The mediating role of employee empowerment. Human Resources for Health, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-016-0171-2

Fleming, C. (2023, September 5). Group therapy techniques Relevant for Group Research Facilitation. Center for Engaged Learning. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/group-therapy-techniques-relevant-for-group-research-facilitation/

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