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Fifth grade students will learn in small groups how to identify the sizes of problems, learn conflict resolution strategies, application of the problem solving process, and how to restore relationships through restorative practices.

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

B-LS 2. Creative approach to learning, tasks and problem solving

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

B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills

(American Counseling Association, 2021)

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Information initially will sent out informing staff of the small group formation in the monthly counseling newsletters. The referral form will be emailed to teachers for them to recommend individual students. Email reminders and a slide in the morning announcements will be included to remind teachers to fill out referral forms and to notify students who may be interested in being screened for the group.

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Participants will be notified and screened for the group on an individual basis. It is recommended that the group screening process provide a description of the group, its goals, and skills learned (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015). In addition, during individual screenings, it will be made explicitly clear that while beneficial, participation is entirely voluntary and that participants or parents/guardians can opt of services at any time. The screening will include open ended questions about the participants current problem solving abilities, their interest in learning with a small group of students who have similar challenges, and what they hope to gain from participating in the small group

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Active consent through a written permission slip will be required for participation. Active consent requires parents to sign and return the permission form before students can participate (Hatch,2019). This is required by my school district to ensure parents are informed of the group and are granting permission for small group counseling services.

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24-25 Small Group Counseling Permission Form 

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I plan to utilize the ground rules resource during the initial session to establish group norms and expectations (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015). I appreciate that the resource asks participants to describe what each rule looks and sounds like to provide a clear example for all. The expectation for confidentiality and respect will be a rule predetermined by me. The group can help determine rules for how they would like to communicate and share and overall personal treatment agreements.

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Stage 1- I will work to build relationships and trust at during the initial session by implementing an ice breaker activity to allow students to get to know each other on a personal level outside of topic content. Each session will include short personal activity in order to help maintain positive relationships. The importance of confidentiality will be discussed individually before groups begin and heavily during the initial sessions. Students will also be informed of the consequences of not maintaining group confidentiality. Students will be reminded of confidentiality expectations at the start of each session. Students will be given one warning if confidentiality is not maintained and released from the group if compliance is not kept after the first warning.

Stage 2-I plan to keep group members working cohesively by encouraging interaction and planning activities for sessions that require collaboration and active communication with one another. Students will be provided with a short exit ticket before leaving sessions to gauge acquisition of skills and to report any ongoing difficulties they may be experiencing.

Stage 3- At the start of the small group sessions, participants will be informed of how many total sessions will take place. At the end of each session, they will be reminded of how many sessions remain. During the final session, in addition to their post assessment students will have the opportunity to share any ongoing needs they may have. Bi-weekly checks of up to 10 minutes will occur for the group for the remainder of the semester to allow them to report on progress and generalization of skills. During check-ins students will be reminded that confidentiality must still be maintained even after groups has ended in order to protect themselves and all group members.

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I feel that I would use a situational leadership style with this small group. Situational leadership requires leaders to adapt their leadership approach depending on the task and needs of the group (Cherry, 2023). Situational leadership involves telling, selling, participating, and delegating. The goal as a facilitator would be to progress from telling during the initial sessions to delegating as sessions conclude. As the group begins, participants may require explicit direction for skill acquisition and communicating with one another. Towards the end of sessions as participants retain skills and build camaraderie with one another, I could take on a participating and delegating style to allow for greater student autonomy.

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Therapeutic factors that will most likely be visible during this small group include development of socializing techniques, direct advice, and interpersonal learning (Yalom, 1995). As students acquire conflict resolution skills their development of socializing techniques should improve. Student will be receiving direct advice from the counselor on problem solving skills and maybe be able to discuss how they handle problems and offer suggestions to peers as they progress through the group. As students role play through scenarios, they may experience interpersonal learning as they discover various was of communicating.

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Standard A.7.f of the American School Counselor Association Ethical standards states school counselors should use data to inform group topics, establish well-defined expectations and measure the outcomes of group participation (ASCA, 2022). This standard ensures that the topic sessions planned are data driven and that I should use pre and post survey assessments to determine student learning outcomes.

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Standard A.F.h American School Counselor ethical standard states that school counselors should "communicate the aspiration of confidentiality as a group norm, while recognizing and working from the protective posture that confidentiality for students in small groups cannot be guaranteed" (ASCA, 2022). I will need to proactively work to protect confidentiality during group sessions and monitor outside while understanding that students cannot be monitored at all times. During pre-screening and the initial session in particular, it will need to be made explicitly clear what confidentiality is what is expected in maintaining it.

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American School Counseling Association. (2021). ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. ASCA. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

American School Counseling Association. (2022). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. ASCA. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf

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

Hatch, T., Kruger, A., Pablo, N., & Triplett, W. (2020). Hatching tier two and three

interventions in your elementary school counseling program. Corwin Press, Inc.

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.

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