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The Self Managers: Self-managers small groups are targeted groups of learners that will meet with the counselor once per week to work on their stress management and academic anxiety. These meetings are held during our built in iSTEM club time for each grade level. Each grade level’s club time is staggered allowing the counselor to target the needs of learners at each grade level and provide the needed mental health services for those learners.

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Mindset Standards Addressed
M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being
M2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment
M3. Positive attitude toward work and learning
M4. Self-confidence in ability to succeed
Behavior Standards Addressed
B-LS3. Time-management, organizational, and study skills
B-LS4. Self-motivation and self-direction for learning
B-LS7. Long- and short-term academic, career and social/emotional goals
B-SMS6. Ability to identify and overcome barriers
B-SMS7. Effective coping skills
B-SS8. Advocacy skills for self and others and ability to assert self, when necessary

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At Frontier STEM Academy (FSA), learners have time built into their schedules called iSTEM. This time is for clubs or other activities that learners get to choose. They meet every other day for 45 minutes. The learners sign up through a program called "FlexTime manager" and can change what club they sign up for each time they have iSTEM. Several learners have expressed interest in having a stress management course or club during iSTEM. The plan is to create an iSTEM course for each grade level with a thorough description and limit the enrollment to 15 learners. Learners will self-enroll in the course. If enrollment is low, flyers will be designed in Canva and posted around campus to promote the group (something like the image above).

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Students will self-enroll in this small group. However, the counselor will screen the participants before holding the first small group meeting. The counselor will meet with and interview each student who enrolls in the small group iSTEM. These interviews will ensure that each group member:

understands the purpose of the group and believes they will benefit from the sessions

agrees to accept the group norms and respect confidentiality

understands informed consent and the limitations of confidentiality of the school counselor

If students decide they do not wish to participate, the counselor will unenroll them from the iSTEM club. If there are unfilled spots, the counselor will reach out to designers (teachers) for recommendations and interview any learners who may benefit from the group until all spots are filled.

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Due to the material covered in these sessions and because students are self-enrolling in the sessions, general parental consent given at the beginning of the school year would be sufficient for participation in this small group activity. Informed consent will be discussed with the learners during the pre-screening interview so they are aware of what these sessions are. However, out of an abundance of caution, informed consent forms can be sent home with any learner who expresses concern that their parents may be worried about their participation in the group.

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The establishment of group rules is a common practice at FSA. The learners are accustomed to group work and are well practiced at creating group rules. We will use the provided participant guidelines/ground rules document to establish our ground rules. Group rules will require the following:
1. All group members understand and respect confidentiality.
2. One person speaks at a time.
3. Everyone has an opportnity to partcipate and share.
4. Use only respectful words and responses.
5. All group members will treat each other with respect.
6. Make an effort to be on time.
7. All group members are encouraged to actively participate.
8. Group members have the right to pass on an issue.
9. Group members will be encouraged to have an open mind and accept where other group members are in their development.

We have a phrase that we typically add to our group norms at FSA. It is, "What is said here, stays here. What is learned here, leaves here."

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This small group will consist of learners in the same grade level experiencing high levels of academic stress. Many of our learners (over 50%) are identified as gifted and talented and more than 70% of surveyed students felt stress about school. Our learners know each other well as most have them have been in our STEM academies since 6th grade. They are all high-achievers and we only offer advanced courses.
Stage 1:  During stage one, the group will introduce themselves. Most of these learners have been in the STEM academy with each other since 6th grade so we will not need to spend much time with introductions or building trust. We will also create group norms and explain confidentiality. Learners will move through this stage rapidly. The pre-assessment test will also be administered during this time.
Stage 2: Stage two will be the bulk of the work of this small group. We will work on coping skills including mindfulness strategies to deal with stress and anxiety, organizational skills to deal with time-management to avoid feeling overwhelmed by school work and prevent stress/anxiety, goal setting to chunk tasks, positive self-talk, journaling, bibliotherapy, etc. We will have journal check ins at the beginning of each session to see how learners are applying their skills.
Stage 3: Stage three will be the completion and sharing of our stress management plans. We will hold each other accountable and build each other up. This small group will be one another's support group as they navigate the challenges faced by their academically rigorous schedules. We will also reassess our stress by completing a post-assessment to see how our strategies have improved our overall stress levels. The learners will leave the small group with a plan and new skills to deal with their high stress lives! Members will share their plans with the group and how they plan on using it in the future.

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Participative leadership would be the leadership style I would most likely use with this small group. By being a participative leader, I would provide guidance, examples, and words of encouragement, but the group would be mostly run by the participation of the learners. This type of leadership lends itself to conversation and active involvement of all members. As Kendra Cherry (2022) describes it, "children in this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a higher quality." This small group does not need strict enforcement of rules as seen from an authoritarian leadership style, but does need more direction than from a delegative leader.

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Instillation of Hope: Members of this small group will see that there is hope to manage academic stress and the feelings they have of being overwhelmed. There are skills that can help them manage their stress and anxiety and skills to help manage heavy academic loads. It can get better!
Universality: The learners will see that they are not alone in their struggles. They may think that they are the only ones struggling with the academic load or the only one struggling with stress/anxiety, but by talking about it with their peers and through bibliotherapy, they will see that it is a universal problem.
Direct Advice: Learners will be given direct instruction about many coping mechanisms for managing stress, anxiety, and perfectionism. They will also be taught organizational strategies and goal setting skills to help avoid feelings of stress or being overwhelmed by school.

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The Texas Administrative Code outlines and describes the role and requirements for a professional school counselor. The most applicable standards for this small group are as follows:

C3. Counsel individuals and small groups using appropriate counseling theories and techniques in response to students' needs

C6. Demonstrate proficiency in teaching small and large groups by actively engaging students in the learning process

F2. Use knowledge of group dynamics and productive group interaction

These requirements will be applied in this small group. The counselor will use appropriate counseling techniques to teach learners proper coping strategies to manage their stress and anxiety. By using a participate leadership style, the counselor will engage students in the process. The counselor will ensure that the group dynamics are appropriate through the use of pre-screening.

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The American Counseling Association (ACA) code of ethics provides ethical obligations and considerations for professional counselors. Two standards that apply to this small groups are as follows:
A.9.a. Screening
Counselors screen prospective group counseling/therapy participants. To the extent possible, counselors select members whose needs and goals are compatible with the goals of the group, who will not impede the group process, and whose well-being will not be jeopardized by the group experience.
A.9.b. Protecting Clients
In a group setting, counselors take reasonable precautions to protect clients from physical, emotional, or psychological trauma.

Pre-screening will be done to ensure that the members of the group will benefit from the sessions. Even though the learners are self-identifying, the screening process will ensure that the learners that will participate are best suited to this group. The counselor will also ensure that participants understand confidentiality as it pertains to themselves and their role in protecting the confidentiality of other group members. Though this group is not necessarily covering any topics that are "heavy," it may cause some learners distress and the counselor will need to be aware of this and prepared to deal with any issue that may arise.

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Strategies Used by Intellectually Gifted Students to Cope with Stress 

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Strategies Used by Intellectually Gifted Students to Cope with Stress 

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

American School Counselor Association. (2019). ASCA school counselor professional standards & competencies. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a8d59c2c-51de-4ec3-a565-a3235f3b93c3/SC-Competencies.pdf

Cherry, Kendra. (2022). How to lead: 6 leadership styles and frameworks. Verywellmind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

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. http://www.missouricareereducation.org/doc/smallgroup/SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

Özcan, N. A., Isildar, H. K. (2021). The effect of the mindfulness program on 12th-grade high school students’ perceived stress, mindfulness, and self-efficacy levels. Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Sciences 9(3), 12-24. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1304774

Pyrt, M. (2004). Helping gifted students cope with perfectionism. National Association for Gifted Children. https://easydb.angelo.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login
.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=98922892&site=eds-live&scope=site

19 Tex. Admin. Code §239.15

Shaunessy, E., & Suldo, S. M. (2010). Strategies used by intellectually gifted students to cope with stress during their participation in a high school international baccalaureate program. Gifted Child Quarterly, 54(2), 127-137. https://journals-sagepub-com.easydb.angelo
.edu/doi/10.1177/0016986209355977

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