# data[].attributes.body
Respect and Success Skills is a group for seventh grade students who have been identified by teachers and administrators as at-risk of missing class time due to redirections and disciplinary actions. It will utilize peer social interactions, cognitive behavioral skills education, and a strengths-based analysis of students’ current and future abilities (as recommended in Conyers [2005]).

# data[].attributes.body
In this group, students will master the following American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Mindsets and Behaviors (ASCA, 2025):

M 2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment

M 4. Self-confidence in ability to succeed

B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions

B-SMS 2. Self-discipline and self-control

B-SS 9. Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment

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

# data[].attributes.body
The availability of this small group will be publicized as follows:

personal communications with school administrators

flyers given to seventh grade teachers

personal invitations given to students and their parents

# data[].attributes.body
Pre-group screening interviews will be conducted individually with each prospective participant. These prospective participants are chosen based on disciplinary notes and actions in the first three weeks of school (taken from our school database program).

Based on best practices from Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators (2015), in each interview, I will tell the students about the purpose of the group, what we may talk about and practice in the group, when and where it may occur and how often, and how many participants I expect. I will tell them what I expect they can gain from the group as well as the possible consequences of being in a small group and sharing with others. I will describe the confidentiality expectations, including the information that I will have to tell other adults if I believe a student will come to harm based on something that was said in a group session.

Each student will have the opportunity to say whether or not they would be interested. I will hand them a permission form describing the group that can go home to their guardians. I will tell them that there is no pressure for them to join the group, but that I will consider them interested in joining and participating if they bring back this signed parent permission form within a week.

# data[].attributes.body
Counseling Services in Leander Independent School District provides a form for parent permission when a student participates in small group counseling. There is no written policy that students must sign informed consent; however, as a best practice, our counseling team talks with students first in a pre-screening and informational interview and determines whether or not the student is willing to participate. Also as best practice, students will sign an agreement in the first counseling session that they agree to follow group norms and rules.

# data[].attributes.body
Following are some of the Respect and Success Skills Small Group Ground Rules, based on the Small Group Counseling Guidelines Poster from Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators (2015a):

1. We will not talk about what happens in the small group outside of the small group - unless we believe someone is going to come to serious harm.

2. We will not interrupt other members of the group.

3. Everyone will participate to the best of their ability.

4. All communication must be respectful, including nonverbal communication and laughing or other noises.

These are general small group counseling rules that I will explain as the group facilitator. I will ask group members if there are any other guidelines or rules we need to think about adding. I will also ask them for some ideas of what to do if a group guideline or rule is being broken. After this discussion, we will make a finalized list of guidelines and post it in our meeting room. Members of the group will sign it.

# data[].attributes.body
Stage 1 (Storming/Norming) (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015b):

In the first meeting of the group, we will go over the norms for the group involving participation, respect, and confidentiality. We will utilize a question game to go around and each answer a non-threatening, icebreaker question or two to get acclimated to each other and group sharing. At least one of the questions will allow group members to share what they believe is one of their strengths. I will also build trust by repeatedly affirming (and correcting as necessary) the rules and guidelines of the group.

There will be reminders of the confidentiality guideline at the beginning of each group session. This will include a reminder that confidentiality is not guaranteed and members may choose to protect what they are willing to share.

Stage 2 (Working):

In this stage, members will roleplay and assess each other's acting of behaviors. They will also propose, plan, and complete a small project to add to the positive atmosphere of the school. My hope is that the choice of projects as well as the trust implied in having them do something to impact the school environment will keep them engaged and interacting productively. Each member will update the group on the progress of their small project. This will not be a group project unless an adult can be available to supervise group work taking place on the school grounds.

Each session will also close with members going around and sharing what they have learned from this session's sharings.

Stage 3 (Closure):

In the second to last meeting, I will bring up the ending date of our group. I will also propose a follow-up meeting about a month after that ending date (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015b). Then we will go around and choose an emotion face from a chart that best depicts how we feel about that ending.

I will remind members that confidentiality still applies even when the group is over.

In the last meeting, members will write a note about what they learned and whether or not they recommend it to other students. If they choose to allow me to keep it and show it to others, I will use it to help publicize future small groups that utilize this plan and format. They will also write a note of affirmation to each member of the group to give to them (one or two sentences in length).

# data[].attributes.body
For this group, I will use a combination leadership style. I will position myself as the authority and one potential enforcer of our group norms (although I will teach the members how to give feedback on others' behavior as well). However, I will also participate in all the sharing go-rounds in order to model the sharing and help the participants feel that they are not being graded or judged on their comments.

In short, I will start off with an authoritarian stance in terms of behavior that I expect and enforce in the group. I will then move between authoritarian and participative styles to facilitate the members' comfort and creativity in coming up with beneficial projects (Cherry, 2023).

# data[].attributes.body
The idea of this group is to use peers to help students practice productive and helpful school behaviors. I want the tone to be encouraging and inspiring rather than corrective.

Yalom's factor of universality (1995) will be at play in terms of students realizing they can learn from each other because they have similar feelings and experiences. I also want to harness their altruism in doing something that will benefit the school as a whole. Development of socializing techniques is important to this group, since they are chosen based on past behaviors that were unproductive and inappropriate in a school setting. I hope that as time goes on, they will be able to use imitative behavior to imitate group members who are doing a good job showing productive behaviors (Yalom, 1995).

# data[].attributes.body
ASCA's ethical principle A.7. states that school counselors offer "small-group counseling services based on individual student, school and community needs; student data; a referral process; and/or other relevant data" (ASCA, n.d.) and make sure parents are informed of the purpose of the group and the participation of their child.

Following this principle ensures that I as a professional school counselor use a thoughtful, intentional, and data-based process to plan small group interventions. This in turn ensures that the group is relevant to its participants and that guardians, with informed consent, support the intervention, which can make a difference in the outcome for students. It also ensures I am following the latest state law on parental rights (S.B. 12).

# data[].attributes.body
Section 33.005 of the Texas Education Code mandates that school counselors implement comprehensive school counseling programs that include responsive services "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" (2 Tex. Edu. Code § 33.005).

This part of the code legitimizes an intervention such as this small group that is designed to help students get the most out of their academic time. If any stakeholder were to question the use of this small counseling group, I could point to this section to show that I am following legal standards as well as ethical standards to provide professional counseling services to students.

# data[].attributes.body
American School Counselor Association. (n.d.). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Cherry, K. (2023). How to lead: 6 leadership styles and frameworks. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

Conyers, R. (2005). The effects of group counseling compared with individual counseling in the reduction of at-risk behaviors using grade point average, discipline referrals, and attendance among sixth grade black males (Publication No. 3361383) [Doctoral dissertation, South Carolina State University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global

Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015a). Professional school counselor small group counseling guide: A professional school counselor’s guide to planning, implementing & evaluating school-based counseling groups.

Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015b). Missouri comprehensive guidance & counseling programs: Linking school success to life success.

S.B. 12, 89th Texas Legislature, Reg. Sess. (Tex. 2025). https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB12/id/3249608

School Counselors and Counseling Programs, 2 Tex. Edu. Code § 33.005.

Yalom, I. D. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.) Basic Books.