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Worrier Warriors is a 3rd - 5th grade counseling small group for students who are identified by their teacher as exhibiting worry and/or anxiety and need more support than Tier 1 counseling interventions can provide. These students do not have to be diagnosed with anxiety to participate in the small group. Students will be guided by the school counselor in gaining a deeper understanding of worry and anxiety, how anxiety affects their bodies, and also learn skills to be able to manage worry and anxiety using a variety of coping strategies.

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The ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors

The following mindsets and behavior standards will be reviewed during Worry Warriors small group sessions:

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

Learning Strategies:

B-LS 1. Critical thinking skills to make informed decisions

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

Self-Management Skills:

B-SMS 5. Perseverance to achieve long and short-term goals

B-SMS 6. Ability to identify and overcome barriers

Social Skills:

B-SS 1. Effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills

B-SS 2. Positive, respectful and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them

B-SS 3. Positive relationships with adults to support success

B-SS 4. Empathy

B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills

B-SS 7. Leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse groups

B-SS 8. Advocacy skills for self and others and ability to assert self, when necessary

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The publicity plan for Worry Warriors is to communicate with classroom teachers.

The school counselor will present to administrators and teachers at the August monthly faculty meeting. The presentation will information about the school's Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 counseling supports. Small group guidance lessons are part of Tier 2 intervention.

After the presentation, the school counselor will email out the link to the Small Group Needs Assessment Google Form to all teachers.

The link to the Google Form will also be available in the weekly staff newsletter sent electronically to faculty and staff each Monday and linked in the HUB (a Google Drive where teachers can find and access all important school information, resources, and documents).

Teachers will recommend/refer students to be part of (Tier 2) small group counseling opportunities on specific topics (growth mindset, anxiety & worry, family issues, empathy & resilience, learner skills, and healthy friendships (boys and girls separate). Teachers can also recommend small group topics if they find that they need Tier 2 counseling intervention for a topic not listed.

As part of the school's comprehensive school counseling program, students can request to meet with the school counselor individually for mental health help. This is done via a separate Google Form that is linked to each teacher's home page on the school's online learning platform. The school counselor will use this data to recommend students to these groups as well.

Once students are recommended/referred, the school counselor will Students will be pulled individually and the school counselor will pull students individually to explain the purpose, benefits, and goals of joining the small group.

The school counselor will then send out personal invitations to parents through email. The invitation will include information about the purpose, benefits, and goals of the group for their child. The invitation will also include a permission slip for informed consent.

If parents and/or students do not want to participate, they can choose to deny the invitation.

After groups start, at the end of each week, the school counselor will send an email to parents that details what was discussed at that week's session and explains the strategies that were used in the session with guidance on how to use the new strategies with their child.

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Identification process -

Students who are struggling with worry/anxiety will be identified by:

Beginning the fourth week of school, teachers will refer/recommend students for small group guidance lessons based on their observations of students.

Teachers will fill out a Small Group Needs Assessment Google Form referring/recommending students to small groups.

The school counselor will be able to recommend students to join small group counseling as they meet with students individually and document the frequency a student requests to visit the counselor for individual guidance. If the student visits the counselor multiple times with for the same issue, that student will be invited to join a small group by the school counselor.

Assessing Readiness -

Once students are identified by referral/recommendation from the classroom teacher or by invitation from the school counselor, they will be given a Worry & Anxiety Self Assessment.

Students will complete the self-assessment individually.

Students who score high on the self-assessment (worry a lot) will be invited to join a pre-group screener discussion.

The school counselor will use the T-A-P questions as a pre-group screener.

T - Tell about the group

A - Ask the student about his or her interest and commitment

P - Pick members (Missouri Comprehensive Guidance & Counseling Programs, 2015).

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Per school board policy, parental consent is required for students under age 18 to participate in small group counseling in Hays CISD.

The campus policy of Tobias Elementary School requires informed consent for students participating in small-group counseling.

Students will be asked if they would be interested in joining the group before informed consent is sent home so that parents can have a conversation with their child.

Attached is a form the current school counselor uses.

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The school counselor will utilize the Participation Guidelines/Ground Rules for Our Group as a guide to determine appropriate group rules.

During the first lesson, the school counselor will facilitate as the students work together to set rules.

The school counselor will use the guide to suggest rules to be added if one of the examples is not brought up.

Confidentiality is very important and is expected. Rules and procedures concerning confidentiality will be predetermined and discussed with students.

All other rules will be determined by students with the school counselor's added support.

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This small group is designed for 3rd-5th grade students who are struggling with worry/anxiety. By participating in this small group, students will gain a deeper understanding of worry and anxiety and how anxiety affects their bodies. Students will also learn skills to be able to manage worry and anxiety using a variety of coping strategies.

Stage 1: Getting Acquainted/Setting Norms/Building Trust

Stage 1 will focus on building relationships and trust.

At the beginning of the first lesson, the school counselor will lead an icebreaker activity that will allow students to introduce themselves and share about themselves.

The school counselor and students will work collaboratively to create group rules.

To create a safe space where students can trust one another, the school counselor will explain confidentiality and limited confidentiality. This will allow group members to be vulnerable and talk about their feelings.

The school counselor will explain that students are expected to keep confidentiality and that if a student breaks confidentiality, that student will be asked to leave the group.

Stage 2: Working Together to Accomplish Individual and Group Goals

Stage 2 will focus on students working together to accomplish group goals and individual goals.

The school counselor will begin each session by reviewing confidentiality.

The school counselor will check in with each student before beginning the lesson.

Students will work together in each session to accomplish lesson objectives.

Students will use a talking stick to increase participation and decrease blurting out.

To gain insight into how each student is progressing, the school counselor will ask students to individually share what they have learned at the end of each lesson.

The school counselor will check in with classroom teachers weekly for the duration of the small group to discuss teacher observations in and out of the classroom.

Stage 3: Ending the Group

Stage 3 will focus on reflection and closure.

The school counselor will reinforce the importance of confidentiality.

The school counselor will review the group objectives and the skills learned through participation.

Students will demonstrate understanding by completing the post-assessment.

Students will share any feelings they have about the group ending.

Students will leave the group with a folder, a "toolbox" of coping skills and strategies, that can be referred back to any time there is a need.

The school counselor will follow up with classroom teachers and group members two weeks following the last session to check on student progress.

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Authoritarian (Autocratic) Leadership

In order the achieve the goal of students gaining an understanding of anxiety and learning and using coping strategies, the leadership style most beneficial for students in this small group is an authoritarian leadership style.

The school counselor is the most knowledgeable member of the group and will educate students on anxiety and how anxiety affects their bodies, and will teach students coping skills and other strategies that can be used to alleviate symptoms of anxiety.

The school counselor has limited time to conduct group sessions. The counselor will plan and implement lessons based on the goals they set for each counseling group.

As the school counselor facilitates sessions, they provide clear expectations and direction.

Although the school counselor is the decision maker for the group, students will have a say in the creation of group rules and will make decisions when playing games and engaging in activities.

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Yalom's Therapeutic Factors:

As students progress through the lessons, they will learn about anxiety and how it affects the brain and body, they will learn beneficial coping strategies and skills to deal with anxiety when it occurs, and they will practice coping skills with one another. Potential therapeutic factors that may be seen in students participating in the group are:

Instillation of Hope - As students see one another making progress, they will begin to believe that there is hope that they will learn strategies that will allow them to deal with anxiety and reduce its negative effects. This will help students develop goals, reduce negative emotions, and improve coping abilities.

Universality - By participating in group lessons and working alongside other students who are also experiencing anxiety, students will see that they are not alone and that they have others around them who can support them.

Imparting of Information - As the school counselor teaches students about anxiety, its causes, and its effects on their bodies, students will gain knowledge specific to their situation. In the end, students will leave the group with knowledge of anxiety and a "toolkit" of useful strategies and skills that can be used to combat anxiety.

Altruism - As students share and communicate about their own experiences with anxiety, they can help one another and gain self-confidence.

Development of Socializing Techniques - As students participate in group lessons, they will begin to learn and use social skills to connect with others. These social skills will be used in and out of lessons.

Interpersonal Learning - By sharing and communicating their struggles with anxiety, students will receive support and respectful feedback from other group members.

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Texas Education Code

According to the Texas Education Code, school counselors work with all stakeholders to plan, implement, and evaluate the school’s comprehensive school counseling program (2 TEC §33.005). A Comprehensive school counseling program must include a guidance curriculum, responsive services, individual planning, and system support (2 TEC §33.005).

As the school counselor works through the lessons with students, they are implementing part of their school's comprehensive school counseling program.

As the school counselor assesses students' learning, they are evaluating the guidance piece of the school's comprehensive school counseling program.

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The Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs

The guidance responsibility domain of the Texas Model, states that school counselors are to provide guidance to assist all students in developing and applying skills for educational, career, social, and emotional growth (TCA, 2018).

This small group is a Tier 2 intervention specific to students struggling with anxiety and in need of more support than Tier 1 guidance lessons can provide.

As the school counselor plans and implements group lessons, students will be developing and applying coping skills and strategies to manage anxiety and grow socially and emotionally.