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My group will focus on school-age students who have been diagnosed with ADHD.  As such, we’ll call ourselves the Accountabuddies.  Our group will focus on students aged 3rd grade-6th grade.  The goal of the group will be to accept their ADHD diagnosis as part of what makes them unique and to learn to manage some of the more prominent behaviors to ones that can hinder their success in the classroom.

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The following ASCA Mindset Standards will be addressed in this group setting:

M 1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being

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

The following ASCA Behavior Standards will be addressed in this group setting:

B-LS 3. Time-management, organizational and study skills

B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions

B-SMS 6. Ability to identify and overcome barriers

B-SMS 7. Effective coping 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 8. Advocacy skills for self and others and ability to assert self, when necessary

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To advertise for this group, parents of students will be sent a link with information about the group. The schools standard method of information dissemination will be used (i.e. Remind app, Class Dojo, etc.). Parents who have a child with ADHD and who are interested in their child participating can complete a Google form showing that interest.

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Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

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Participants will be selected based on the use of forms of interest sent home to parents.  Parents of children who have been diagnosed with ADHD may read information about the group’s design and purpose and submit a form of interest if they would like their child to be considered for participation.

Potential participants will then visit with the school counselor about the group to ensure that they are also interested in participating in the group. The goals of the group and potential benefits will be discussed as well as the expectation of confidentiality and privacy for both the student and the group participants as a whole.

For students who are identified as potential candidates for the group session, their teachers will be asked by the counselor to submit a School Success Inventory for Teachers in regards to the student’s behavior in class.  These screening forms will also be reviewed by the school counselor to ensure the student’s in class behaviors are going to be effectively addressed in this group setting.

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After the 10 participants have been selected, an informed consent form will be sent to the parent/guardian of each child for completion prior to the first group session date.

Additionally, the participants themselves will go over the informed consent form during the first meeting of the group and it must be completed in that session for continued participation.

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Guidelines and Ground Rules will be discussed in the first session of this group. Students will be asked to identify what these guidelines look like and sound like. Discussion of additional rules and guidelines at the request and agreement of participants will also occur in the first session. Those can be added to this document as well. All discussion of guidelines and rules will need to occur prior to signing of informed consent.

The following are the guidelines that will be presented:

*Confidentiality is a non-negotiable.

*Everyone has a chance to share if they want to, but only one person is speaking at a time.

*Speak with and treat others with respect at all times.

*Participation will always be encouraged, but participants do have the right to pass on discussing a topic if needed.

*Remaining open-minded is essential to success of the group as a whole. We do not pass judgement here.

*Rules and guidelines can be added to as needed as the group grows together.

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Stage 1: In this stage, a focus is given to establishing trust. Trust amongst the participants must be established. Any preconceived notions of one participant by others in the group must be discussed and neutralized before trust can be established. A discussion of commonalities among members may lead to finding synergy more quickly. Ultimately, the leader of this group must work to ensure that participants understand the purpose of their being in the group and that the groups success will depend on the participants fostering one another's growth and trusting one another.

Stage 2: This stage will rely heavily on discussion of their struggles, role play of various ways to overcome the struggle, and learning to identify non-verbal cues in one another that signify a need for an Accountabuddy to lend a hand. Trust building exercises will continue and the leader will continue to work towards participants understanding that one participants growth is growth for them all.

Stage 3: The group will conclude with participants demonstrating they are ready to take their skills out into the school setting. Role play and trust building activities will continue, as well as open discussion and sharing of fears and hesitations and ways they could feel supported by their cohorts once outside of the group.

Participants will be encouraged to continue communicating with one another both in and out of school and continuing to help one another and be accountable to one another for their learning. A follow up group session will be established where participants can discuss their progress and perhaps plan future meetings as their needs in the school setting change over time.

Follow ups with teachers will occur at least bi-weekly to assess student progress in the classroom and discuss if the Accountabuddy program is finding success in the classroom as well.

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This particular group would function best with a Participative or Democratic Leadership Style.

Because the success of this group will rely heavily on participants actually participating in the process, a democratic leader can establish the expectation and then step back and watch and encourage that participation. When participation begins to lag, this leader can step up a reiterate the expectations as needed to continue to push the group toward catharsis.

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From Lesson 1 of this program, it is believed that a sense of Universality should emerge. The participants will begin to see that they share the same struggles as their peers in regards to struggling with the symptoms of ADHD and that there are opportunities for them to share their struggles and learn from others along the way.

It is also believed that participation in this group could lead to altruism as participants who normally see only their own negative behaviors have an opportunity to share their struggles and help and learn from others. This could further provide for an installation of hope of the group members find a group who they can rely on to help them through particularly hard days.

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According to the Association for Specialists in Group Work, group counselors are required to screen potential candidates, obtain informed consent, ensure consent for minors is properly obtained, and defined confidentiality expectations for the group.

With this in mind, a school counselor is within guidelines to screen participants for this group, obtain the proper form of consent and to ensure particiaptns are aware of confidentiality expectations and limitations as outlined in this group proposal.

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Title 2, Subtitle F, Chapter 33, Subchapter A, Section 33.005, subsection a states:

"A school counselor shall work with the school faculty and staff, students, parents, and the community to plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program that conforms to the most recent edition of the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs developed by the Texas Counseling Association."

Therefore, the planning and implementation of this proposed group therapy is acceptable under the Texas Education Code.

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2 Texas Education Code § 33

Subchapter A. School Counselors and Counseling Programs, Sec. 33.005, Subsection a.

American School Counselor Association (2021). ASCA Student Standards; Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success. Alexandria, VA: Author.

Cuthbert, M.I. (1987).  Developmental guidance for school success skills.  [Doctoral Dissertation, University of Florida].  https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00011208/00001/images.

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.

Thomas, R. V., & Pender, D. A. (2008). Association for specialists in group work: Best practice guidelines 2007 revisions. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33(2), 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933920801971184.

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