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Legal and Ethical Requirements for Group Counseling--Texas Education Code

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Legal and Ethical Requirements for Group Counseling--Texas Education Code

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A professional school counselor in the state of Texas has to abide by the legal education codes provided for the security of the counselor's professional and to protect the individuals being served.

The following are some of the statutes or codes pertaining to the role of the counselor in the comprehensive school counseling program.

Sec. 33.005.  COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS.

(a)  A school counselor shall work with the school faculty and staff, students, parents, and the community to plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program that conforms to the most recent edition of the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs developed by the Texas Counseling Association.

(2)  a responsive services component to intervene on behalf of any student whose immediate personal concerns or problems put the student's continued educational, career, personal, or social development at risk (TEC, Section 33.005, Acts 2019).

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EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 33. SERVICE PROGRAMS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

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EDUCATION CODE TITLE 2. PUBLIC EDUCATION SUBTITLE F. CURRICULUM, PROGRAMS, AND SERVICES CHAPTER 33. SERVICE PROGRAMS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES SUBCHAPTER A. SCHOOL COUNSELORS AND COUNSELING PROGRAMS Sec. 33.002. CERTIFIED SCHOOL COUNSELOR. (a) From funds appropriated for the purpose or other funds that may be used for the purpose, the commissioner shall distribute funds for programs under this subchapter.

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Legal and Ethical Requirements for Group Counseling--American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Mindsets and Behaviors

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Legal and Ethical Requirements for Group Counseling--American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Mindsets and Behaviors

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The responsibility of the school counselor is to verify that all legal and ethical requirements are met before the planning stage of small-group counseling due to the fact that we are dealing with minors and with private and confidential issues.

These are some of the professional counseling behaviors that describe the responsibility of the counselor in the intervention of small-group counseling.

B-SS 3. Provide short-term counseling in small-group and individual settings.

a. Use data to identify students in need of counseling intervention
b. Provide support for students, including individual and small-group counseling, during times of transition, heightened stress, critical change or other situations impeding student success.
c. Explain the difference between appropriate short-term counseling and inappropriate long-term therapy.
d. Explain the impact of adverse childhood experiences and trauma, and demonstrate techniques to support students who have experienced trauma.
e. Respond with appropriate intervention strategies to meet the needs of the individual, group or school community before, during and after crisis response (ASCA, 2019)

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As a counselor, we have to reach out to students in various ways to help them make connections among their feelings, behaviors, and interactions with others.  Some of Yalom's therapeutic factors are useful in dealing with young individuals in small-group counseling.  Some of the most useful  factors are the following:

* Interpersonal learning - receiving feedback from others and experimenting with new ways of relating.
* Universality - demonstration that we are not alone in our misery or our "problems".
* Direct Advice - receiving and giving suggestions for strategies for handling problems
(Reference: Yalom, ID., 1995).

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In conducting Small-Group Counseling, Participative Leadership (Democratic) seems to be the most effective in getting results, according to researcher Kurt Lewin's findings.  Participative leaders encourage group members to participate but retain the final say in the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. Democratic leaders tend to make followers feel like they are an important part of the team, which helps foster commitment to the goals of the group (Cherry, K., 2020). I believe this would be ideal for new high school students at the beginning of the high school journey. It should leave a lasting impression of what the rest of their high school years will look like. Justice seems to be served when good and fair leadership is in place.

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Leadership styles are classifications of how a person behaves while directing, motivating, guiding, and managing groups of people. There are many leadership styles. Some of the most widely discussed include: authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic), delegative (laissez-faire), transformational, transactional, and situational.

Great leaders can inspire political movements and social change. They can also motivate others to perform, create, and innovate. As you start to consider some of the people who you think of as great leaders, you can immediately see that there are often vast differences in how each person leads.

Fortunately, researchers have developed different theories and frameworks that allow us to better identify and understand these different leadership styles.

Lewin's Leadership Styles

In 1939, a group of researchers led by psychologist Kurt Lewin set out to identify different styles of leadership.﻿﻿ While further research has identified more distinct types of leadership, this early study was very influential and established three major leadership styles that have provided a springboard for more defined leadership theories.

In Lewin's study, schoolchildren were assigned to one of three groups with an authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire leader. The children were then led in an arts and crafts project while researchers observed the behavior of children in response to the different styles of leadership. The researchers found that democratic leadership tended to be the most effective at inspiring followers to perform well.

Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic)

Authoritarian leaders, also known as autocratic leaders, provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. This style of leadership is strongly focused on both command by the leader and control of the followers. There is also a clear division between the leader and the members. Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently, with little or no input from the rest of the group.

Researchers found that decision-making was less creative under authoritarian leadership.﻿﻿ Lewin also concluded that it is harder to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this method is usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial.

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Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group. The autocratic approach can be a good one when the situation calls for rapid decisions and decisive actions. However, it tends to create dysfunctional and even hostile environments, often pitting followers against the domineering leader.

Participative Leadership (Democratic)

Lewin's study found that participative leadership, also known as democratic leadership, is typically the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. In Lewin's study, children in this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a higher quality.

Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say in the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. Democratic leaders tend to make followers feel like they are an important part of the team, which helps foster commitment to the goals of the group.

Delegative Leadership (Laissez-Faire)

Lewin found that children under delegative leadership, also known as laissez-faire leadership, were the least productive of all three groups. The children in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation, and were unable to work independently.

Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave the decision-making up to group members. While this style can be useful in situations involving highly qualified experts, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation.

Lewin noted that laissez-faire leadership tended to result in groups that lacked direction and members who blamed each other for mistakes, refused to accept personal responsibility, made less progress, and produced less work.

Observations About Lewin's Leadership Styles

In their book, The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications, Bass and Bass note that authoritarian leadership is often presented solely in negative, often disapproving, terms. Authoritarian leaders are often described as controlling and close-minded, yet this overlooks the potential positives of stressing rules, expecting obedience, and taking responsibility.

While authoritarian leadership certainly is not the best choice for every situation, it can be effective and beneficial in cases where followers need a great deal of direction and where rules and standards must be followed to the letter. Another often overlooked benefit of the authoritarian style is the ability to maintain a sense of order.

Bass and Bass note that democratic leadership tends to be centered on the followers and is an effective approach when trying to maintain relationships with others. People who work under such leaders tend to get along well, support one another, and consult other members of the group when making decisions.

Additional Leadership Styles and Models

In addition to the three styles identified by Lewin and his colleagues, researchers have described numerous other characteristic patterns of leadership. A few of the best-known include:

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is often identified as the single most effective style. This style was first described during the late 1970s and later expanded upon by researcher Bernard M. Bass. Transformational leaders are able to motivate and inspire followers and to direct positive changes in groups.

These leaders tend to be emotionally intelligent, energetic, and passionate. They are not only committed to helping the organization achieve its goals, but also to helping group members fulfill their potential.

Research shows that this style of leadership results in higher performance and more improved group satisfaction than other leadership styles. One study also found that transformational leadership led to improved well-being among group members.

Transactional Leadership

The transactional leadership style views the leader-follower relationship as a transaction. By accepting a position as a member of the group, the individual has agreed to obey the leader. In most situations, this involves the employer-employee relationship, and the transaction focuses on the follower completing required tasks in exchange for monetary compensation.

One of the main advantages of this leadership style is that it creates clearly defined roles. People know what they are required to do and what they will be receiving in exchange. This style allows leaders to offer a great deal of supervision and direction, if needed.

Group members may also be motivated to perform well to receive rewards. One of the biggest downsides is that the transactional style tends to stifle creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Situational Leadership

Situational theories of leadership stress the significant influence of the environment and the situation on leadership. Hersey and Blanchard's leadership stylesis one of the best-known situational theories. First published in 1969, this model describes four primary styles of leadership, including:

1. Telling: Telling people what to do

2. Selling: Convincing followers to buy into their ideas and messages

3. Participating: Allowing group members to take a more active role in the decision-making process

4. Delegating: Taking a hands-off approach to leadership and allowing group members to make the majority of decisions

Later, Blanchard expanded upon the original Hersey and Blanchard model to emphasize how the developmental and skill level of learners influences the style that should be used by leaders. Blanchard's SLII leadership styles model also described four different leading styles:

1. Directing: Giving orders and expecting obedience, but offering little guidance and assistance

2. Coaching: Giving lots of orders, but also lots of support

3. Supporting: Offering plenty of help, but very little direction

4. Delegating: Offering little direction or support

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It seems like there are as many different styles of leadership as there are leaders. Discover some of the most common leadership style frameworks.

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                        Group Dynamics:  Three Stages

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                        Group Dynamics:  Three Stages

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Even though all groups and very independent of each other because of the uniqueness of each individual, there are three predictable stages in each group.

Stage 1 Getting acquainted/setting norms/building trust:  This stage is the opening of each session where each individual is recognized and accepted for what they are. In this stage, the discussion takes place regarding exposure of secrets, privacy, confidentiality and the signing of oaths that should be respected and honored for all group members for continued participation.

Stage 2 Working together to accomplish individual and group goals:  This is the stage where we set the ground rules, figure out the problem in a respectful, empathizing way, and find solutions that are good for everyone involved. Continued support will be offered in the group and outside the group through the counselor's support via emails, phone calls or meeting appointments.

Stage 3 Ending the Group: Closure is attained by reflecting on individual and group accomplishments. This is the stage where individuals make a turnaround in behavior and learn to do more self-reflection. Also, it is sometimes a sad occasion for some students due to the bonding that takes place in small-group counseling. Students should be informed that counseling is still available outside their small-group discussion and that confidentiality is very important to solve the problems that got them into trouble in the first place. (Missouri CGCP, p. 7)

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The setting of ground rules in group discussion is useful in making progress in any given discussion. They also provide the respect necessary to conduct business and solve the problems at hand. The following ground rules are suggestions to help generate additional group ground rules.  Group members will delete and/or add items.  It is anticipated that the ground rules will be slightly different for each topic group.  The “Looks Like” and “Sounds Like” columns are included in order to allow group members to express in their own words what each rule means (Missouri Counseling Programs, 2015).  The counselor will also set more ground rules such as:
* Only one person can speak at a time (the person with a special prop provided by the counselor).
* Time limits have to be placed and followed.
* Problem should be addressed and work on solutions as a group.
* Follow-up meetings should be to check on progress and address new problems that should be addressed.
* Group closure should be with a positive statement by each of the students.

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Small-Group Counseling will take place upon receipt of students' signed parental consent to participate in group counseling (Missouri CGCP, p. 26). Informed Consent or Assent has to follow the Code of Ethics of American Counselors Association Manual, 2014.

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                        EMOTION REGULATION

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                        EMOTION REGULATION

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                                                 References

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                                                 References

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Cherry, K., (2020). VeryWellMind:  Leadership Styles and Frameworks You Should Know.
Retrieved from: https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312
Missouri Comprehensive Guidance & Counseling Programs:  Linking School Success to Life
Success,  May 2015
Morganett, R. S. (1990).  Skills for living: Group counseling activities for young adolescents.
Chicago: Research Press
Texas Education Code.  Section 33.005, Comprehensive School Programs, a Responsive
Services Component, Acts 2019.
Yalom ID. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.). New York: Basic
Books.

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* Students will be informed through the daily announcements, their Assistant Principal and through School Communication with Parents.

* The goal of screening is to select individuals who will contribute to a climate that maximizes open interaction between and among group members.

* Another goal is to select individuals who will actively work toward individual and group goals. Not all students will meet selection criteria (Morganett, R., 1990).
* Primarily, counselors will be choosing the students who have been in ISS for the last month.
* Students will be screened as a group and placed into subgroups, depending on their disciplinary referral history and teacher recommentations.

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The Small Group Counseling will be promoted by various social media channels.
* School Flyers
* Weekly School Announcements
* Parent Mass Emails
* School Community Announcements
* School Website Postings
* Faculty Meeting Announcements

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Baylor College of Medicine Academy at James D Ryan MS

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ASCA Mindsets/Behaviors Related to Small-Group Counseling

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ASCA Mindsets/Behaviors Related to Small-Group Counseling

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M 2. Self-confidence in the ability to succeed
M 3. Sense of belonging in the school environment
B-SS 9. Demonstrate social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment
B-SS 3. Create relationships with adults that support success.

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ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success

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This group includes 9th grade students who need help with Emotion Regulation. Based on data produced by the high school documentation, this group has the highest number of students spending more time in In-School Suspension due to the lack of Emotion Regulation.