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Self-Esteem Makeover: School Edition - Group Action Plan

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Self-Esteem Makeover: School Edition - Group Action Plan

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This group is designated for 7th grade males who are struggling with self-esteem and self-confidence. The group members, or "The Renovators", would aim to learn ways to deal and address issues with their self-esteem. They will accurately define self-esteem and learn coping skills to build themselves up and overcome challenges with feeling confident about who they are.

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Self-Esteem Makeover - School Edition - Group Action Plan

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Through participation in this group, the students will meet the following Mindset and Behavior Standards:

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
M 4. Self-confidence in ability to succeed
M 5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes

Behavior Standards - Self-Management Skills
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

Behavior Standards - Social Skills
B-SS 8. Advocacy skills for self and others and ability to assert self, when necessary with students who are similar to and different from them
B-SS 9. Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment

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In order to advertise for this group, a flyer will be created and provided to all 7th grade teachers for them to post in their classroom. The flyers will include an explanation of the group, the purpose, the meeting times, and who to contact if students are interested. Flyers will also be posted in the student center on campus, as well as any areas regularly accessed by 7th grade male students. Any areas regularly accessed by parents, such as the front desk area, will have a visibly accessible flyer. Additionally, an email will be sent to all teachers with a digital copy of the flyer for them to post on their online classrooms. The information will also be included in the daily announcements informing students of the group details. Social media will be utilized to advertise the groups for parents to receive information. Televisions installed around the campus will be used to display a copy of the flyer during the school day.

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In order to determine appropriateness for interested students, each student who expressed interest will meet with the counselor individually to discuss the details of the group. The counselor will explain the purpose and goals for the group, as well as some of the processes in participating. Students will provide the counselor with a self-reported rating of willingness to participate in the group (scale of 1-5, with 5 being very willing and 1 being not at all). If the counselor determines there are students who could benefit from additional information or a follow-up meeting, the counselor will meet with them an additional time. Any students who are willing to participate will meet as a group for a "sneak peak" of a group structure (no content discussed in this meeting). The screening process will also help to determine possible issues regarding personalities, behaviors, and level of functionality (determining if students in certain special education services would succeed in the group).

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The campus policy regarding informed consent will be followed. Any students who are interested in participating in the group will be provided with a parental consent form, a flyer for the group, and the group details/purpose for them to take home. Their parent or legal guardian will be required to review and sign the informed consent form to allow for their child to participate in the group. The counselor will contact the parent or guardian via phone or email to initiate contact and explain the purpose of the group more in detail, as well as answer any questions.

Once the parental consent form is received by the counselor, the student will be added to the group list; during the first session, the counselor will have the students provide their assent to participate in the group, so long as they are still interested. The students will review the form with the counselor regarding assent, but the students can discontinue whenever they wish. The assent form will include information about the group, the purpose, what the expect, and the students' options to discontinue at any time.

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In order to set appropriate and manageable ground rules, the counselor will utilize the attached document, which will list guidelines/ground rules for the group members to follow. The counselor will provide this document to each group member during the first session. The counselor will list some unbreakable ground rules that are to be followed by everyone, such as no bullying and no hurting self, others, or property. The students and counselor will then think of and discuss the ground rules the group wishes to follow in each session, such as only one person talking at a time, no making fun of what others say, and showing respect; the "looks like" and "sounds like" sections will be used to notate examples of what each rule means. If the students cannot identify examples, the counselor will provide some. The form will be reviewed once it is filled out and the group members will sign their willingness to follow the ground rules.

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A. 7 - Group Work

Inform parent/guardian(s) of student participation in a small group

This ethical requirement/standard is one of the most important guidelines for counselors to follow as it ensures parents/guardians are informed about services their child receives. The standard helps counselors provide and maintain open communication with parents, especially when the parents are involved and wish to know progress made by the student. The counselors keep the parent informed on any concerns and areas of growth to celebrate, especially since much of the student's functioning is at home; progress will hopefully be utilized at home and not just at school. This standard helps counselors follow legal requirements pertaining to underage youth. This requirement also prompts counselors to verify appropriate custody of the child so as to not conflict with any existing legal documents from divorces, adoption, etc.

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A. 7 Group Work

Screen students for group membership

This standard is critical in creating and facilitating an effective and successful group. By following this standard, the counselor ensures that students are grouped in a manner that will promote growth and not hinderance in meeting personal goals. When counselors are screening for membership, they can recognize any issues of concerns with group makeup (aggressive students placed with permissive students). This standard helps counselors verify appropriateness for participation for the interested students. If multiple students wish to participate in a specific type of group, this standard gives the counselor the guide to place students in functional groups; it also helps to filter out students who may not be a good fit for the group setting. The students who are not ready can be served in the individual setting.

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The identified therapeutic factors which may present themselves during the group are:

Instillation of Hope - the students will develop faith that the group can provide change and improvement for their situation.

Universality - by participating, the students will learn that they are not the only one experiencing low self-esteem; others share their feelings and/or experiences.

Altruism - through the group, students will develop a higher sense of usefulness in helping others; by improving their own self-esteem, they will learn how to help others do the same by sharing about their experiences.

Development of socializing techniques - the students will develop and improve ways to interact socially with their peers; they will learn and sharpen their interpersonal skills as they gain a higher sense of self.

Imitative behavior - the students will look to a group model (someone who exhibits functional behaviors and has a higher level of self-esteem than other members); they will want to mimic effective behaviors.

Existential factors - students will learn to recognize the effectiveness of sharing about themselves with others; they will learn to appreciate the benefit.

Directive advice - students will be provided with skills and strategies in coping with low self-esteem; they will learn ways to work on improving their sense of self.

Interpersonal learning - through group sharing and feedback, students will learn alternate ways of functioning and relate to others in an effective manner.

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For the makeup of this group, it would be beneficial to utilize the Participative Leadership style; as Cherry (2021) states, it is usually the most effective style to use. The main reason it would be effective for this kind of group would be that leaders with this style tend to provide guidance to the group but also participate in the process, allowing for input from the members (Cherry, 2021). By the counselor participating in the process, it provides the members a model, especially if they are struggling with self-esteem. The students may not know how to be assertive and benefit from examples given by the counselor. The students would benefit from experiencing the process of gaining confidence more than being told how to be more confident (learning through doing). By helping the members feel important to the group and more engaged in process, this helps to foster a dedication to the ultimate desired results (Cherry, 2021).

Additionally, The Transformational Leadership style would be useful to employ with this kind of group as the students are looking for motivation to reach their personal and group goals. These type of leaders are usually emotionally intelligent and are committed to helping the group achieving their maximum potential (Cherry, 2021). Taking this approach allows the counselor to promote change and group within the group but also gives the students a health model to follow, which will benefit them in real-world situations, as well as the school setting.

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American School Counselor Association. (n.d.). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. School Counselor. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

American School Counselor Association. (2016). Asca ethical standards for school counselors. School Counselor. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/f041cbd0-7004-47a5-ba01-3a5d657c6743/Ethical-Standards.pdf

Cherry, K. (2021, August 11). What are prominent leadership styles and frameworks you should know? Verywell Mind. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

Missouri Comprehensive Guidance And Counseling Program: Responsive Services . (2015). Professional School Counselor Small Group Counseling Guide. Missouri Career Education. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://missouricareereducation.org/doc/smallgroup/SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

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The group will be comprised of 7th grade males who experience low self-esteem, so there are things to be considered. The counselor will need to be careful in navigating interactions with and within the group.

Stage 1- In order to help students feel more comfortable with the counselor and develop trust, the counselor will be willing to share some information about themselves (self-disclosure to help relate to the students). The counselor will approach each student from a point of unbiased curiosity; the counselor will be non-judgmental in their approach. Some of the group norms will be established at the onset as a way to set the foundations, and some will be discussed and developed as the group starts. The group norms will be discussed with the students so they are informed about the process and expectations. To help ease the students in trusting each other, the group norms will include information about confidentiality. Confidentiality will be discussed with, and explained to, the students at the very beginning of the group. The students will be informed on how their information will be protected but will also learn the limitations to confidentiality, such as self-harm, abuse/neglect, or legal requirements; students will be provided with example situations on when it is required for confidentiality to be broken.

Stage 2- To help ensure the group is progressing effectively and working towards reaching the learning outcomes, the counselor will complete regular check-ins with the group to discuss their understanding of the content. The counselor will also provide the students the opportunity to give regular feedback on their perception of the group's progress with the outcomes. The check-ins will become a regular procedure for the group to help the students identify their progress step-by-step.

Stage 3- The counselor will begin discussing group closure during the middle sessions (session 3 for a 6 week group) so the students start to think and prepare for closure. The counselor will mention and discuss closure for each session leading up to the final one; the group will also prepare plans for a celebration to complete during the final session. This kind of structure will provide the counselor to best prepare the students who may feel uncomfortable with closure; the students will be able to express any concerns prior to the final session. The students will be informed on the follow-up plan so there is a sense of comfort for students who may be struggling with closure. The counselor will revisit the topic of confidentiality but post-group closure so students understand the importance of protecting each other's information which was shared during the sessions. Confidentiality will be emphasized regularly, so students will hopefully understand and accept maintaining confidentiality after group closure.