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Be Aware: Of Your Surroundings, Of Your Voice, Of Your Options. Dating and sexual violence prevention program that empowers young women to take the next step towards their future with healthy boundaries, a strong voice, and their heads and standards held high. This group is designed to prepare 17-18-year-old girls to enter into the next chapter of their lives with the knowledge of "red flag" behaviors, the ability to advocate for themselves and others, and the resources available for dating and/or sexual violence victims.

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Upon completion of the group, these young women will show mastery of the following ASCA mindsets and behaviors:

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 4. Self-confidence in ability to succeed

M 5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes

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

B-SMS 9. Personal safety 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 5. Ethical decision-making and social responsibility

B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills

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

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

(Alexandria, 2019, p. 2)

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I will advertise the development of the group through flyers strategically placed throughout the school. I plan to physically post them in the teacher's workroom, lounge, and offices. Flyers will also be posted in girl's restrooms and locker rooms. I also plan to electronically post them via a Remind platform advert and email correspondence. I want the group to have the greatest chance of being seen through every avenue of visibility.

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Pre-screening meetings will be addressed through a variety of methods. I plan to disseminate recommendation forms to all campus teachers and administrators. Input from the adults who work with and see them daily presents an opportunity to garner information from reliable sources. A grade-level meeting will be scheduled to address the entire senior class. In this meeting, I will introduce the group. This will be a broad description of the group and its purpose and goals. I also plan to meet with the senior girls as a group to announce the development of the program. Input surveys will be given out to the girls to ascertain the level of interest, desire, and willingness to participate. Depending on the data analysis of the grade-level interest surveys, individual meetings will then be scheduled with the girls who showed the most interest and those recommended by campus personnel. These meetings will allow me to go into greater detail about the specifics of the group. These individual meetings will allow me the chance to elaborate and offer insight into the inner workings of the group including the schedule, expectations, and goals, making sure they are aware that participation is voluntary and that confidentiality must be maintained. It will also offer the individuals the opportunity to ask any questions they may have (2015, p.21-23).

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According to ASCA standards, informed consent must be obtained before participation in counseling activities. While some senior students may be of legal age, our campus policy still strongly encourages informed consent to be obtained from parents of adult students prior to participation in such activities. With this in mind, once the group has been selected, parents will be notified, and informed consent will be obtained. Informed consent will also be obtained from the participants through individual meetings and explanations of the expectations and limitations of confidentiality as appropriate to the situation (Alexandria, 2019, p.5).

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With the delicate nature of this group, I feel that the transformational leadership style is the approach I would endeavor to employ. This topic is something I am incredibly impassioned by. I aim to inspire growth and development in my participants by building trust, stimulating intellect, and offering individual and group consideration to the benefit of everyone involved. This leadership style suits the topic, goals, and purpose of the group because it requires personal investment and inspiration which can only be attained through a commitment to the cause (Cherry, 2023).

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This group is dedicated to delicate subject matters and will need to be handled accordingly. Trust and cohesion will be paramount to the success of the group.

Stage 1 for the group will be dedicated to forming a strong connection within the group. This stage is where the foundation is set. The effectiveness of the group is heavily reliant upon the development of a cohesive unit which is built in stage 1. To grow, we will need to establish a sturdy foundation. This will be achieved through creating unique norms and routines specific to the grouping of different personalities of the group. For true growth to be accomplished, we will need to be able to rely on each other because growth is uncomfortable. Therefore, bonding will be imperative in this early stage. I will incorporate icebreakers to break tension and invite connection. Icebreakers are a good way to build relationships because they are casual and often help to lower walls through relaxed and low-pressure interactions. Having a routine will build trust and comfort because they will know what to expect, even as topics change. The general rules will be explicit; however, the norms and routines, while initially scheduled and preconceived, will be fluid and adaptive as the group grows and develops our own distinct sense of collective identity (2015, p. 7).

After cohesion is established, the stage is set for the heavy lifting of the group. Stage 2 will focus on making progress towards the individual and collective goals of the group. For this to take place, there must be a mutual "buy-in" of the group's purpose and potential outcome. As the facilitator of this purpose and outcome, it will be crucial for me to build upon the foundation developed in stage 1 and continue the formation of effective growth through encouraging honest and open communication, thought-provoking and relevant activities, and meaningful and connected reflections. Sessions will be well-thought-out and outlined with specific, pre-determined topics that tie into prior group discussions. This cumulative approach will allow the participants of the group to form a strong, personal connection to the information being presented and truly process, not only the information but the meaning and impact of it as well. Each session will offer time for the students to write in their personal reflection journals about what was discussed. Directly following, there will be a joint reflection period where participants can share what they wrote. This enables a time for personal reflection that encourages self-awareness, fosters emotional processing, and enhances meaning by personally connecting to the information while also promoting collaborative efforts that cultivate empathy and enhanced understanding through shared thoughts from different perspectives. This will also offer personal progress tracking and enhanced intra and interpersonal communication (2015, p. 7-8).

The final stage consists of closure and planning for the future. Even though stage 3 is potentially bittersweet in its inevitable conclusion, it is imperative to the validity and success of the group. Part of the purpose of the group is to foster strong and independent young women who will advocate and stand up for themselves and others. The very reason for the establishment of this group was to empower these young women to establish and maintain healthy boundaries, and the conclusion of the program will act as a demonstration of that feat. Reminders of confidentiality being maintained will be consistently addressed. The group will plan how to continue to incorporate what was learned throughout the program. Throughout the program, bonds will have been formed; however, I do not want to invite codependence, as that was part of the cycle we were trying to break. We will review all the topics and take a post-assessment to validate the effectiveness of the program. I will schedule a follow-up session within 6 weeks of the closing of the group. This will provide members with a sense of accountability to remain steadfast in their implementation of the strategies and techniques provided within the group as well as offering encouragement to continue. While we will no longer be meeting regularly, I will encourage the girls to find a support system to aid them in their continued growth and development. After all empowered women empower women (2015, p. 7-8).

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The potential factors of group therapy that could potentially be experienced in the Be Aware! program are as follows:

Instillation of Hope: This therapeutic factor is essential to the effectiveness of a group. If the members do not fully commit to the program, there is a low chance of the goals and objectives being achieved. It is through hope that motivation blossoms, and motivation inspires progress.

Universality: There is strength in numbers. Growth often takes place outside of our comfort zones. With this in mind, offering the idea that the students are not alone in their struggles offers a collective confidence in their abilities to overcome these trials and tribulations that can be applied to individual situations as they arise.

Imparting of information: While group therapy is largely oriented around group discussions and interactions, these actions stem from information that I will be disseminating to the group at the beginning of each session. This group is dedicated to educating young women on every level of healthy relationships including how to establish and maintain healthy boundaries, red flag behaviors, at-risk populations, behaviors, and environments and how to lower or avoid them, and the resources available. Discussions and interactions cannot take place within the group without the direction of specific information.

Altruism: Bystander responsibility and advocating for others will be addressed in the group, offering participants the preparation and means to help others in need when appropriate.

Corrective recapitulation of primary family group: A specific population at risk of dating and/or sexual violence are individuals who have experienced domestic or sexual violence in their home, whether personally or simply witnessed. Through this program, individuals will be allowed to break the cycle of violence and abuse.

Development of socializing techniques: Participants of the group will be generating different communication techniques as part of the curriculum to build healthy boundaries and advocate for themselves and others. They will also be modeling these techniques through role play and group discussions allowing for the development of such strategies.

Imitative behavior: Teenagers are very adaptive to those they spend time with. Within the group, it would be a natural inclination for them to imitate the behaviors of those around them. Spending time together and interacting on such a vulnerable level would invite opportunities for adaptive imitation of actions that seem favorable to the goals made by those involved.

Catharsis: A lot of the sharing in this group will be deeply personal and sensitive. Different activities will offer a variety of methods for cathartic expression. The methods will vary from activity to activity but can be seen in reflection journaling, group discussions, role-play, etc.

Existential factors: An existential awareness of being responsible for yourself is something that will be evident throughout the cumulation of the program. Students will become aware of the cause-and-effect relationship of self-sabotage as compared to self-care and self-reliance.

Direct Advice: While direct advice is something that should be used sparingly, as it is more beneficial to invoke self-realization, there will be times when advice will be unavoidable. This will be used as is situationally appropriate.

Interpersonal learning: One of the most beneficial aspects of group counseling is that it is often much more palatable to learn from peers who are in similar circumstances than from an authority figure, especially where teenagers are concerned. Just as peer tutoring is successful in academic pursuits, it is also instrumental in group counseling environments. Within this program, students will be interacting and communicating through group discussions, partner discussions, and role-play activities fostering active participation in learning through interaction with others (Yalom, 1995).

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The rules for Be Aware! will be:

1. Confidentiality: The purpose of this group is to provide a safe space conducive to sharing, healing, learning, and growing. To achieve this, there must be trust in each other. Our meetings will be like Las Vegas, what happens here, stays here.

2. Respect: We will respect each other and ourselves. This includes our voices, our feelings, and our time.

3. Empathy: In this group, we will form a sisterhood of understanding and compassion. Each meeting will be approached with an open heart and mind. Check your judgment at the door.

4. Be present: This group endeavors to stimulate awareness and change. In order to accomplish this, we will need to use our time wisely. Show up and turn up. To see results, you have to put in the work.

5. Conflict Management: This is a group of girls.....There are going to be disagreements. When conflicts arise, we will address them in an open, calm, and respectful manner. Differences of opinion are inevitable. How we handle them is up to us.

If other rules need to be incorporated, we will address them as needed.

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Section A.2 of the ACA Code of Ethics delineates the responsibility of a counselor to obtain informed consent prior to involvement and participation in counseling. As the facilitator of the Be Aware! group counseling program, it will be my ethical responsibility to obtain informed consent from the participating students and their parents. This will entail me explaining the parameters and limitations of the group and confidentiality in appropriate and understandable terms. I will explicitly address voluntary participation, the purpose and goals of the group, confidentiality, the conditions in which confidentiality may be breached, the benefits and risks associated with the program, and my professional qualifications and credentials accredited with such supervision. I will be held ethically responsible to provide this explanation to involved parties by verbal and written means (2014, p. 4).

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In the ASCA Professional Standards and Competencies, under Direct and Indirect Student Services, B-SS 3 requires that school counselors provide short-term counseling to student populations in need according to relevant data gathered. This mandates my responsibility as a school counselor to provide intervention in response to needs manifested through accumulated data. The development of the Be Aware! group counseling program fulfills this responsibility as it was created out of necessity within our campus needs assessment. From this needs assessment, a relevant and vital topic was identified. As a school counselor, I am under an ethical obligation to provide and meet the needs of students who require intervention. With a specific at-risk population discernible, the establishment of the program meets the ethical requirements of providing short-term group counseling and intervention as appropriated by data relevant to the cause (Alexandria, 2019, p.5).

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Alexandria, VA. American School Counselor Association (2019). ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies.

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2014-code-of-ethics-finaladdress.pdf

Cherry, K. (2023, February 24). How do transformational leaders inspire and motivate followers?. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-transformational-leadership-2795313

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

(2015). Part 2: Review of School Based Small Group Counseling [Review of Part 2: Review of School Based Small Group Counseling]. In MISSOURI COMPREHENSIVE GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PROGRAM RESPONSIVE SERVICES: SMALL GROUP COUNSELING MODULE. (p. 7-8, 21-23).