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When thinking about the size of our group, Sink et al. (2011) says to consider the "students’ grade and maturity levels, the group’s focus, the potential intergroup dynamics when mixing students with varying personalities and interpersonal skills." Given that our group members are upper elementary students who are struggling to manage their impulsive responses to irrational thought, we believe the group size should be 5-6 students. Having a limit of 6 students still stays within the suggested group size for upper elementary given by Sink et al. (2011). As our topic is bullying, we are preparing for possible behavioral challenges, therefore, keeping the group small and closed will help us accommodate the students personal/social and learning needs (Sink et al., 2011). Also, because our group is primarily focused on " self-improvement and personal exploration" (Sink et al., 2011) we want to keep the group closed.

References

Sink, C. A., Edwards, C., & Eppler, C. (2011). School Based Group Counseling. Cengage Limited. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781285011677

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To gather information from the students we will conduct written student post-counseling surveys as well as one-on-one interviews with the students about their experience(s) in group counseling.
The written survey will be 10-15 short questions and below I will offer a few as example:
- What did you like about the group sessions?
- Did you feel safe and comfortable in the group sessions?
- What could we do better next time in a group session?
- Did you expect these sessions to help?
- On a scale of 1-10, did this session help?
- Have you used a coping strategy outside of the group sessions?
- Did you feel supported by these groups?
- What would you change about the groups
- Do you recognize when you are feeling strong emotions?
- How do you feel in school since we finished these groups?

References:
Final Client Satisfaction Survey and Feedback Form. (n.d.). https://www.nathancobb.com/final-client-satisfaction-survey.html

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Adhering to the standards on behavior and mindsets set by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), we came up with three goals we hope our group members will be able to achieve. Overall, we want the student to have a positive mindset shift to support development of their whole self, social-emotional well being, and a healthy mental balance (ASCA, 2022). We will focus on changing specific behaviors to help them achieve the positive mindset shift.

Goal 1: Curb impulsive behavior.
This goal is supported by ASCA's behavior standard    B-SMS 2. Self-discipline and self-control.
Impulsive behavior can carry over into adulthood resulting in the individual engaging in risky behavior which can result in trouble with the law (Gökkaya, 2017)

Goal 2: Become aware of their behavior and how it affects others.
This goal is supported by ASCA's behavior standard B-SS 4. Empathy, B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions, B-SS 9. Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment

Goal 3: Helping the student reframe their negative thoughts to positive thoughts; developing positive alternatives.
This goal is supported by ASCA's behavior standard B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills, Effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills, B-SMS 6. Ability to identify and overcome barriers, B-SMS 2. Self-discipline and self-control

References
ASCA student standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for student success. ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success - American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2023, from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Standards/ASCA-Mindsets-Behaviors-for-Student-Success

Gökkaya Füsun. (2017). Peer bullying in schools: A cognitive behavioral intervention program. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.5772/66701

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When looking and analyzing the efficacy of our group counseling session, we will use two main resources to identify the success.
First, we will use pre and post counseling surveys, these will be distributed to the students in our sessions and their pirmary classroom teacher. This will allow for anecdotal data and supplying the student with a voice. This will promote introspective thought on what they have learned and how they are applying their new skills.
For quantative data to test the efficacy, we will look at discipline data and reports for these students pre and post counseling sessions. We are hoping to see a direct correlation to more counseling sessions resulting in less write-ups, referrals, and disciplinary action per each student. This will be numerical evidence to show support for our interventions and choice of CBT.

References:
R. (2023, January 30). Group Counseling Data: Measuring Success - The Responsive Counselor. The Responsive Counselor. https://theresponsivecounselor.com/2019/10/group-counseling-data-measuring-success.html

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As always, when working in a counselor-client relationship, it is important to abide by any and all ACA code of ethics to ensure you are conducting yourself and the group in an appropriate and respectful manner. To begin the process, we must abide by A.2 of code of ethics which details the informed consent process. When working with elementary aged popualtion, it is important to use language that is age appropriate for their understanding. In addition, it is imperative to get written and verbal consent from guardians, as well as the client(student). We, the counselor and group, will need to address and agree to rules of confidentiality. With a population this age and cognitive level, it will have to be a major focal point that "what is said in here, stays in here."
With confidentiality and working to break down systemic barriers and biases, we will need to abide by A.7.b: Confidentiality and Advocacy. This code speaks to obtaining and containing confidentiality and consent for the group sessions. We will be working to counter implicit biases and racial barriers that come with our specific population, a majority white, middle-class community.
When working with this age, in this community, the counselor must create a sensitivity to eurocentric ideology and how it can/will be portrayed as racism. The focus of the group will be to combat these thoughts and behaviors as we continue to build rapport and have a better understanding that our thoughts, actions, and behaviors have impacts on those around us and ourselves.

References:
American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. Retrieved from https://schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-

Sink, C. A., Edwards, C., & Eppler, C. (2012). School based group counseling. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Tyson, L. E., Pérusse, R., Whitledge, J., Coy, D. R., Akos, P., & Moore, I. L. (2004). Screening of Members: "Everyone is Welcome"Links to an external site..  In Tyson, L. E., Pérusse, R., Whitledge, J., Coy, D. R., Akos, P., & Moore, I. L. Editors (Ed.), Critical Incidents in Group Counseling (pp. 9-14). American Counseling Association.

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The theory we would like to suggest and focus on as a group would be Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, or CBT. Using the cognitive-based theory lens when working with our population will allow us to challenge negative self-talk and thoughts in the children head-on. With elementary aged students, it is not uncommon for this age population to lack abstract thought, so using a blunt language and approach to challenge what we deem “negative behaviors” may result in more connection and understanding. CBT focuses on the connection between actions and social-emotional impact on themselves and others. This theory creates an organic bridge to connect how our actions impact those around us, as well as our own person. As we look to group counsel bullies in an elementary school setting, we as a group can begin analyzing and understanding the why to these unpreferred behaviors and actions.

References:
Sink, C. A., Edwards, C., & Eppler, C. (2012). School based group counseling. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

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To help narrow our group members, we will assess potential candidates using discipline data, teacher narrative interviews, and a student questionnaire. Our group members will be limited to only 4th and 5th graders in our school. Teacher narratives and the student questionnaire will assist us in narrowing down the candidates to those only developmentally, socially, and academically available for challenging his/her irrational thoughts to result in behavioral change (Sink et al., 2012).

References

Sink, C. A., Edwards, C., & Eppler, C. (2012). School based group counseling. Belmont,

CA: Brooks/Cole.

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As we continue with our group screening process, it is important to consider how that student will interact and benefit from group counseling sessions.
In our screening process, specifically teacher narratives, we will ask specific questions towards how each student does in small group settings. If a student continuously is unsuccessful in small groups, or may be a trigger for him, we would look to not include said student within our group counseling sessions. As we look to create a successful group counseling session, it is imperative that each student is capable of being successful working and collaborating together.
The student questionnaire will have a set of specific questions regarding students' willingness to participate in small group sessions during the hours of the school day. In addition to willingness, screening questions for student questionnaire will also look to test their self-awareness. As this group counseling session will look to challenge the students directly to see how their actions have impacts on themselves and those around them.

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Our team met to create a plan and focus for our group before pitching our idea to administration. Our small group will meet in the cafeteria for 30 minutes once a week. The students will be pulled at different times each week to avoid missing the same content area each week. In our initial meeting, we determined how we will select our members, communication with parents and teachers, location of our meetings, and discussed a clear rationale and focus for our small group.

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The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) recognizes that school counselors are responsible for addressing any behavior that takes away from a positive school culture (American School Counseling Association, n.d.). In that role, addressing bullying behaviors is essential to establishing and maintaining a safe school environment. Our group will use referrals from administration as an initial screening process to identify students for our group in response. Our rationale is that administration will be some of the first to be aware of socially or physically aggressive behaviors in a school setting. After analyzing referrals from administration, our team will meet with affected teachers to gather feedback about alarming behaviors or interactions. From there, we will target students exhibiting bullying behaviors. These behaviors could include, but are not limited to, verbal aggression, physical aggression, and the use of social media to assert dominance inside a social group (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020).

References
American School Counselor Association. (n.d.). The school counselor and bullying/harassment prevention and the promotion of safe schools. The School Counselor and Bullying/Harassment Prevention and the Promotion of Safe Schools - American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Retrieved March 19, 2023, from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-the-Promotion-of-Safe-Sch

Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2020). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education

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Bullet 1 (<- delete later...this just to help remember which bullets have been addressed)

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Bullet 1 (<- delete later...this just to help remember which bullets have been addressed)

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Elementary School
School Size: 300 students; roughly 17 students per class in upper elementary
Student Population: 20% minority comprised of Black and Hispanic students
Group Topic: Bullying
Approach: We chose to address the topic of bullying using a Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) approach. CBT aims to reorient the individual's cognitive structure and behavior (Muslim et al., 2019).
According to Worrywisekids.org, CBT has a lasting effect on children; children have about a 70-80% response rate with CBT, and the benefits are maintained over time. In our group, we want to help children learn how to challenge their irrational thoughts and motivate them to create more positive and rational thought patterns, as well as teaching them coping strategies. This change will better the outcome of students having positive emotional and behavioral responses to situations.

References

FAQs: WorryWiseKids.org | Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Medications. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.worrywisekids.org/index.php?q=node%2F22

Muslim, M., Neviyarni, N., & Karneli, Y. (2019). Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy in improving students’ understanding of bullying. Journal of Educational and Learning Studies, 2(2), 94. https://doi.org/10.32698/0732

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It is essential for all stakeholders to be communicated with to accomplish the common goal of student success. In the case of school counseling, stakeholders include teachers, parents, and administration (Dougherty, 2014)  Prior to contacting parents, our counseling team will meet with administrations to gather names of students who are identified as at-risk for presenting “bullying behavior.” Since small group counseling sessions fit seamlessly into a schools Response to Intervention plan, this group will help to not only identify, but also target physically or verbally aggressive behavior as an intervention to support a school-wide goal of increasing school climate (Sink et al., 2012)

Our team will draft a letter to parents explaining the goal of the group. This letter will include an in-depth explanation of when, where, why, and how of the counseling group. The letter will also request for parental permission for each student to participate in our group. Parents will also be invited to schedule a phone conference with the counseling team prior to granting permission for students to join if any additional questions do arise.

References

Dougherty, A. M. (2014). Psychological consultation and collaboration in school and community settings (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Sink, C. A., Edwards, C., & Eppler, C. (2012). School based group counseling. Belmont,

CA: Brooks/Cole.

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We want to conduct a needs assessment, narrowing on the personal and social struggles of our 4th and 5th grade students. Focusing on bullying, we want to know how many and what types of students are engaging in bullying. Sink et al. (2011), mentions the importance of collecting data from different members of the school, not only from the focus population. As a result, we will have a survey for the 4th and 5th grade students, survey for teachers and other staff in the school building, and then survey for parents. "Keep each statement/item brief, unambiguous in meaning, and reflecting only one idea or theme" (Sink et al., 2011), our questions for each group of the assessed will be direct, needing a simple response, and will be focused on how our topic of bullying relates to them.

The needs assessment results will show that the students who are engaging in bullying behavior are primarily boys who are underachieving academically. These results will help us narrow the characteristics and provide us with an idea of possible general struggles of members of the group.

References

Sink, C. A., Edwards, C., & Eppler, C. (2011). School Based Group Counseling. Cengage Limited. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781285011677

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Impact of Diversity on School Group Planning 

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Impact of Diversity on School Group Planning 

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Considering diversity is essential for any role within a school setting. Consideration takes race, ethnicity, and different cultural experiences into account. School counselors must not ignore the cultural and ethnic differences children experience. In fact, competent counselors actively acknowledge diversity when selecting group members (Sink et al., 2012). Counselors must weigh the benefits when including students who could potentially cause harm due to racist or biased beliefs (Sink et al., 2012). In our group, we will acknowledge that embracing diversity allows for the betterment of all members. There is research that explains children who come into contact with students from diverse or multicultural backgrounds have reduced feelings of prejudice, leading to lower levels of discrimination overall (Birtel et al., 2020). This research was conducted by using meaningful interactions such as small group counseling (Birtel et al., 2020). In our group, we will target bullying behaviors of students while considering diverse backgrounds of all students included in our group.

References
Birtel, M. D., Reimer, N. K., Wölfer, R., & Hewstone, M. (2020). Change in school ethnic diversity and intergroup relations: The transition from segregated elementary to mixed secondary school for majority and minority students. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(1), 160–176. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2609

Sink, C. A., Edwards, C., & Eppler, C. (2012). School based group counseling. Belmont,

CA: Brooks/Cole.

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Our group will target 4th and 5th grade students in an elementary school.

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According to Broderick & Blewitt (2020), bullying is categorized as aggressive behavior -physical or verbal- that targets specific victims over time. Our group is targeting 4th and 5th graders with the goal of addressing bullying behaviors. One notable aspect of middle childhood is the formation of social connections to peers in the school and home setting (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020). This developmental stage is also marked by the formation of self-esteem, or the evaluation of one’s attributes (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020). In combination, self-esteem has a powerful role in how peers interact with one another. Along with the increased awareness of self, children in middle childhood also start to value how peers view them, which can allow aggressive behavior from children with a negative self-concept (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020). This aggressive behavior is typically highlighted with intimidation, coercion, or social exclusion. The aggressive behavior can be detrimental in a social setting such as school, and is normally aimed at establishing a social hierarchy. Those children who present aggressive behavior are often searching for social power (Pan et al., 2023). Since middle childhood is marked by the creation of social dominance via bullying behavior, it is important to identify, address, challenge, and correct the aggressive behavior of bullies in our school. Something our team will be mindful of is the influence of social media on student behavior. There has been an increase in the use of social media in this age group which could have an influence on observable behavior.

References

Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2020). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education

Pan, B., Garandeau, C. F., Li, T., Ji, L., Salmivalli, C., & Zhang, W. (2023). The dynamic associations between social dominance goals and bullying from middle to late childhood: The moderating role of classroom bystander behaviors. Journal of Educational Psychology, 115(2), 349–362. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000776.supp (Supplemental)

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Victoria Nwangwu: School Culture, Needs Assessment, Goals and Objectives, and Parameters of Group

Olivia Stachowski: Group Rationale, Meeting Logistics, Target and Communication, Criteria for Selection, and Member Selection, Identification, and Screening

Jon-Nicholas Muller: Theoretical Orientation, Ethical Considerations, Efficacy of Group, and Student Feedback

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Bullying is the creation of a social hierarchy via aggressive social behavior. 

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Ethics in Group Counseling - Revised - YouTube

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Twinkl Teaching Resources - United States

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What is Bullying? for Kids | How to Stop Bullying | National Bullying Prevention Month | Twinkl USA