# data[].attributes.body
The name of the targeted small group whose needs will be addressed is called “W.E.L.L.”, or “Winning as an English Language Learner”. This group will be a focused support group for English Language Learners. The design of this small group will be to provide strategies around self-advocacy, study skills, emotional, and behavioral supports for students whose native language is not English.

# data[].attributes.body
Students from the W.E.L.L. small group will achieve the following mindsets and behaviors:

Mindsets:
M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.
M2. Self confidence in ability to succeed.
M3. Sense of belonging in the school environment.
M6. Positive attitude toward work and learning

Behaviors:
B-LS 7. Identify long- and short-term academic, career and social/emotional goals
B-SMS 6. Demonstrate ability to overcome barriers to learning
B-SMS 10. Demonstrate ability to manage transitions and responsibilities.
B-SS 2. Create positive and supportive relationships with other students.
B-SS 3. Create relationships with adults that support success.
B-SS 4. Demonstrate empathy
B-SS 6. Use effective collaboration and cooperation skills.
B-SS 8. Demonstrate advocacy skills and ability to work effectively in diverse teams.

# data[].attributes.body
Information will be disseminated in a way that communicates to students the purpose and intent of the group, while still protecting the integrity and privacy of students taking part.

Audiences:
- Administrators and Counselors: Both parties will be part of the collaborative planning process, so they will have the information needed prior to the establishment of the group.

- Teachers: Teachers will be given flyers, along with virtual surveys (via Google Forms) to nominate students for participation, offer feedback on the structure of the group and timing of meetings.

- Students: Students will receive personal invitations to take part in the group, for a number of reasons that would require the assembling team to not publicize the event through flyers and publication on the school website:

1. The students taking part in the meeting are ones who have under-achieved on EOC exams.
2. There are many fears and stigmas that tend to be attached to the ELL community, thus making confidentiality crucial.

- Parents: Parents of students who are selected will have personal contact made by a counselor, with an interpreter, if needed. The counselor will inform the parents of the intended purpose of the group, and notify them of the informed consent form that will be coming home with their student. Informed consent forms must be signed and dated by all participants prior to the beginning of the small group work.

# data[].attributes.body
Students will be informed of the group, it's goals and vision, through the TAP-in method. Meetings will be held on an individual basis with students who are pre-identified as those who may benefit from the services being offered at the small group meetings.

The TAP-in process has the counselor work through three overarching processes with students in individual interviews, keeping in mind every student interviewed may not be a good fit for the mission of the small group (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015). The counselor will "tell (T)" students about the group by describing the group and what will be gained from being part of the group (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015). Crucially important is the task of informing students of the expectations of the group every time they meet, particularly as it pertains to confidentiality (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

The "A" stands for the questions to be asked of the student regarding their interest and commitment to the group. The counselor should ask questions that confirm the student understands the importance of what will be happening in the W.E.L.L. group, how it is important that information shared be confidential in the group, and whether the student is interested in taking part (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015). Finally, after interviews have been conducted, the "pick" (P) occurs, where the counselor selects students to take part in the small group (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015). Ultimately, students selected will be those who can commit to vulnerability among the group, those who feel comfortable with other group members, and those who can commit to confidentiality among the rest of the group (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

# data[].attributes.body
According to the Conroe ISD Student Handbook, parents have the right to receive notice of and deny permission for their child to participate in "school activities involving the collection, disclosure or use of personal information collected from a child" in connection with a survey, analysis or evaluation (Conroe ISD, 2019, p. 39). As such, it will be crucial for counselors to receive consent from parents prior to beginning the W.E.L.L. program with students.

The attached document will be utilized with parents in securing consent for participation.

# data[].attributes.body
Establishing rules among the group will be important for students to norm how they will interact with each other, and the leader of the group (counselor). This format works nicely, as it allows input from students to create their interpretation of what things like "respect", which can be open to interpretation, actually look and sound like to various individuals. Confidentiality is listed first in order to communicate the seriousness of keeping what is said during meetings confidential among the group.

The first ten ground rules will be non-negotiable, despite students being able to offer an interpretation of what they look and sound like. Spots 11 and 12 are included to allow students the space to come up with their own desired ground rules for the group. This will allow some agency among students to define the terms of how the W.E.L.L. group will operate among each other.

# data[].attributes.body
In stage one, the counselor's role is to serve as the trust-builder. One of the most important norms to establish is one of vulnerability. English Language Learners must push themselves to be open and vulnerable on a regular basis as a means of advocating for their increased needs in the classroom. Without a forum to practice this, little success will be found. I will seek to establish this first norm by serving as an example. I will be vulnerable about my own weaknesses and fears. I'll create space for a circle discussion in which students can all listen to each other as they share their fears and perceived weaknesses. I'll continue by working through the "ground rules" with them, explaining to students the limits to my own confidentiality, and the importance of confidentiality among all of them. More housekeeping in the first sessions need to occur as well, such as discussing voluntary participation, establishing the expectation for practice and homework outside of sessions, and establishing the importance of connection with peers.

After trust is built, stage two involves keeping cohesion among the group. I will accomplish this by pushing students to work together to accomplish goals. An environment of value must be cultivated among students. The counselor must continue to reinforce expectations and serve as an example. Referring back to the pre-and-post assessments from the original small group plan will allow the counselor to further address the needs of the group along the way, and reinforce expectations. The counselor must continue to reinforce confidentiality and ground rules, check-in with group members, and introduce the purpose of each session.

For stage 3, the post-assessment will inform me of how students feel toward closure, and the frequency of follow-ups that are needed with students. The counselor should reinforce, with some finality, the importance of confidentiality, and provide practical tools for students in W.E.L.L. to use (study skills, self-advocacy, etc.). Schedule follow-ups with students in 4-6 weeks to ensure that there is a checkpoint to establish the effectiveness of the group. Perhaps most importantly, plan some sort of "closing ceremony" or good by for the group. Creating certificates to hand to students as a "graduation" from the group can create a sense of closure for students.

# data[].attributes.body
Considering the heavy lifting students will be doing in terms of vulnerability, giving students some agency  in the form of participative leadership seems like a worthwhile method to explore. As a democratic leader, the counselor will offer guidance on activities, while participating in the activities along with students. It's crucial for a counselor to serve as a model for students. While an autocratic style may offer students more structure, the work of leading a small group is difficult, and getting students to fruitfully contribute their thoughts and feelings can be challenging work. Encouraging participation by modeling what it can and should look like will increase trust among group members toward the counselor leading the group. The participation style of leadership also works for the W.E.L.L. group because it still allows for enough structure and guidance so as to keep students on track. There are a multitude of topics covered in addressing the needs of ELLs, and in order to hit on all skills, while allowing time for practice, having a framework to guide, as opposed to a more Lassez-Faire style, will allow the group to keep moving toward collective goals more easily.

# data[].attributes.body
During the W.E.L.L. group, I can see the development of socializing techniques playing out the most. A large part of the W.E.L.L. group's mission is to provide students with the social capital to know how to self-advocate, which is a tenant of developing socializing techniques (Yalom, 1995). I can also see imitative behavior being a trait that plays out during sessions, as well. ELL students can vary greatly in skill level, even among students who are all lower on the academic spectrum. Students who struggle more socially may try to imitate the behavior of students who understand the language a bit better and can navigate the social expectations of not only the group, but the classroom, better (Yalom, 1995).

# data[].attributes.body
The first legal requirement pertaining to group counseling comes directly from the Texas Education Code, section 33.004. In this section, parental involvement is outlined, namely as it relates to a parent's right to provide written consent of a student's participation in any sort of guidance program laid out by a professional school counselor (Texas Education Code § 33.004). Parents have a legal right to information regarding the style of the program, topics to be covered, and the role their child will play. Furthermore, parents have the right to request access to any of their child's records relating to progress and results within a group or individual counseling setting (Texas Education Code § 33.004).

# data[].attributes.body
The second requirement to consider for the W.E.L.L. group is found in the  ACA code of Ethics. Section A covers the counseling relationship, and in subsection A.9, Group Work, there are considerations laid out for both screening patients and protecting clients (ACA, 2014). It is crucial for counselors to ensure the ELL students selected can adhere to the group expectations and whose needs and goals are compatible with the rest of the group (ACA, 2014, A.9.a). While each individual learner may be different, many of their needs overlap, namely their need for protection and privacy. By properly screening to ensure the group is of a manageable size, with the right student population selected, the effectiveness of the strategies being taught will be greater. Additionally, in subsection b of the group work ethics codes, it is stated that a counselor must protect their patients from physical, emotional, or psychological trauma (ACA, 2014, A.9.b). By selecting a group made of students who have similar needs and expectations for the group, there is a better chance that the students therein will be safe from harm.

# data[].attributes.body
American Counseling Association. (2014). Code of ethics.  Alexandria, VA: Author. Retrieved

from https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

Conroe Independent School District (2019). Elementary and intermediate student handbook.

Retrieved from https://www.conroeisd.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/FINAL-Elementary-Handbook-19-20.pdf

Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015). Professional school

counselor small group counseling guide: A professional school counselor’s guide to

planning, implementing, and evaluating school-based counseling groups. Retrieved from

https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/guid-respon-serv-small-group-counseling-guide-2015.pdf

Tex. Educ. Code § 33.005-33.007,

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.33.htm#33.005

Yalom ID. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.). New York: Basic

Books.