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The Mighty Bears are a small group of third and fourth graders who have received two or more discipline referrals for explosive outbursts and/or physical confrontation in their academic setting. These students struggle with teamwork, collaboration, academic confidence, and are low performing students based on their social and emotional deficits. The focus of this small group will be on improved social skills, communication, and teamwork. Due to the frequency of their classroom disruptions, this group will meet once a week for 30 minutes each time during their flex time so as to not miss any more classroom instruction.

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The following ASCA Mindset and Behavior Standards will be addressed and met through the Mighty Bears Group...

Mindset Standards
M 1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being
M 2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment
M 3. Positive attitude toward work and learning

Behavior Standards
B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and
actions
B-SMS 2. Self-discipline and self-control
B-SMS 6. Ability to identify and overcome
barriers
B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills

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To advertise for The Mighty Bears Group, a thorough explanation of the group will be presented at a faculty meeting so that teachers can nominate students who would benefit from the group. A follow-up email will be sent with an informative flyer. The informative flyers will also be put in teachers' mailboxes as well as posted in the teacher's workroom, lounge, and office.
Discipline and office referrals will also be reviewed to determine students who will benefit from The Mighty Bears Group.

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(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015)

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Students were chosen based on the campus discipline referrals, teacher input, and At-Risk data. The students who are selected for this group struggle with collaborating and interacting with others. Their behavioral outbursts and social and emotional skills negatively impact themselves and their peers.

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(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015)

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After group members have been selected (no more than five) a consent form will be sent home to the parents along with an informative letter from the counselor explaining the purpose, goals, and benefits of the group. A consent form will also be given to the participants before the first session.

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During The Mighty Bears group sessions, a few different factors from Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment could potentially be seen.
Instillation of Hope- Students might demonstrate Instillation of Hope when they are learning techniques to control their emotions and outbursts.
Development of Socializing Techniques- Students might demonstrate the Development of Socializing Techniques when they are collaborating and socializing with peers.
Imitative behavior- Students might demonstrate Imitative Behavior when they are role-playing different skills and techniques for socializing as well as controlling their emotions.
Direct Advice- Students might demonstrate Direct Advice when they are discussing and working through the different strategies and techniques when handling problems.
Interpersonal learning- Students might demonstrate Interpersonal Learning when participation in group discussions and experimenting with new ways to relate to others.
(Yalom, 1995)

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Transformational leadership inspires change and helps each group member succeed (Cherry, 2020). A transformational leader in a small group can be very valuable because they focus on creating relationships, promoting individual growth, collaborating with others, having others feel valued, as well as having the ability to establish trust.

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According to F.9.a. Evaluation of Students in the ACA Code of Ethics,

Before and during the training program, counselor educators clearly explain to students the levels of competency expected, the methods of evaluating classroom performance, and when to expect evaluations of students' clinical performance. Students receive ongoing feedback regarding their performance throughout the training program.
(American Counseling Association, 2014)

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

American School Counselor Association. (2021). Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. American School Counselor Association https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Cherry, K. (2020). How do transformational leaders inspire and motivate followers? Verywell

Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-transformational-leadership-2795313

Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015). Professional School Counselor Small Group Counseling Guide: A Professional School Counselor’s Guide to Planning, Implementing & Evaluating School-Based Counseling Groups https://www.missouricareereducation.org/doc/smallgroup/SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

Texas Administrative Code, 19. Tex. Admin. Code § 239.15 (2017). https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPagesl=T&app=9&p_dir=N&p_rloc=187036&p_tloc=&p_ploc=1&pg=23&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=7&ch=239&rl=15

Texas Education Agency. (2018). The Texas model for comprehensive school counseling programs (5th ed.). Texas

Counseling Association. https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Pub_2018_Texas-Model_5th-Edition.pdf.

Yalom, I. (1995). Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy (5th ed.). Basic Books.

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(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015),(Google, n.d.)

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There will be four set ground rules established for the group.
1. What we say stays here
2. One person talks at a time
3. Everyone listens
4. We participate
Group members will have the opportunity to develop additional rules and guidelines during the first session.

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Students in this group have struggled with verbal or physical outbursts in their academic setting resulting in more than one discipline referral. Based on their social and emotional deficiencies, these students have difficulties with collaboration, teamwork, and low academic confidence. Due to these difficulties, these students tend to be low-performing students. The purpose of this small group is to improve social skills, communication skills, and teamwork skills.
Stage 1 Getting acquainted/setting norms/building trust: The facilitator will work to introduce students and build trust among the group. Students will get acquainted and learn that this group setting is a safe haven in which they can share their thoughts, feelings and be vulnerable without judgment or repercussion. Norms will be established together, to ensure buy-in for all participants. Group confidentiality will be a fundamental component and removal from the group could be a consequence of breaking the circle of trust.
Stage 2 Working together to accomplish individual and group goals: As students gain trust and confidence in themselves, they will continue to build a rapport with the group and the facilitator. The group leader will continue to encourage transparency and authenticity of thoughts and feelings. This should truly be a safe place in which students can express their frustrations and work towards positive solutions to their social-emotional outbursts. To gauge progress, the group facilitator will do a quick check with each individual at the beginning of each session and ask them to disclose the number of outbursts that have occurred since the last meeting. Progress will be recorded on a visual chart posted in the room.
Stage 3 Ending the Group: The group will conclude with a celebration in which members share their current thoughts and feelings regarding coping and feeling comfortable in an academic setting. Students will share which tools and/or support system learned from the group that they feel has been most beneficial to them. Students will be encouraged to check in with the group facilitator and each other to encourage continued success. Hopefully, the now close-knit group will have gained the trust of one another. As a reminder, we will discuss what is said here, stays here confidentiality rule. This rule will remain true, regardless of the group status. To ensure students do not feel abandoned, the group facilitator will follow up with students bi-weekly over the next month (or longer if necessary). Teachers will also receive bi-weekly emails to receive feedback regarding student social-emotional growth.

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The Texas Education Code (TEC §33.003-33.007) outlines the duties of a school counselor as well as the components of the school counseling program. TEC §33.005 states, that the school counselor plans, implements and evaluates a comprehensive guidance program with the help of staff, students, parents, and members of the community. As part of the program design, the school counselor will integrate a responsive services component to intervene when immediate personal concerns endanger the student's educational, career, personal, or social growth.

(TEA, 2018)