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Facilitated by:

Sierra Schnell

Shanda Strong

Katie Shiner

Lonnie Zeh

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Cedar Point Elementary School is in a suburban area in the state of Texas. The student population is 650, and the school serves K-6. 55% of the school performed at or above grade level in math, and 60% scored at or above grade level in reading. The school's minority enrollment is 10%. The teacher-to-student ratio is 26:1. Many Cedar Point Elementary students come from upper-middle-class families. The school has strong parent involvement with several parents who volunteer there.

Cedar Point Elementary has many strengths. However, some areas need some attention. There are many students performing below grade level. A teacher-to-student ratio of 26:1 may create problems in classroom management. Teachers have expressed a concern that behavior has become more of an issue, particularly in the upper grades. Due to the small number of minority students, ensuring that the education environment is inclusive and responsive is essential.

Many teachers have indicated that poor behavior in school is becoming more of an issue. Therefore, we propose teaching a small group class on emotion regulation.

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Needs assessments are imperative to determining the biggest areas in which students need additional support (Merlin-Knoblich, 2022). Needs assessments can be given to stakeholders, like teachers, parents, and even people in the community. For our project, our target audience will be teachers. This will provide us with important information to determine the direction for our small group.

For our needs assessment here are 3 questions that will be included:

What is a common concern among students that you are noticing in your classroom?

Are students able to manage their emotions effectively when they are met with conflict?

How many discipline referrals are you making a semester?

What age group are your discipline referrals for?

The results of this needs assessment showed that teachers were experiencing a heightened amount of discipline referrals for 4th-5th grade students, particularly male students. These students have been having a hard time managing conflict and have been acting out in class. This shows that a group on emotion regulation for 4th-grade males will be needed to address these concerns.

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The seesaw effect: building children’s resilience by emotional regulation | Jacqui Barfoot | TEDxUQ (TEDx Talks, 2022)

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Our group topic is psychoeducation on emotion regulation for 4th-grade male students. Developing emotion regulation skills is imperative in middle childhood. Interestingly, researchers found that emotion regulation has been linked with morality, a key developmental task in this developmental stage (Wilke & Goagoses, 2023).

Furthermore, they found that children with higher emotion regulation skills have greater empathy and less callous-emotional traits. This shows that there is a great need to teach students about emotion regulation so that they can develop greater empathy toward others and grow to think about the consequences of their actions before making poor decisions.

In another study, researchers looked at the effect of emotion regulation and temperament on anxiety and depression symptoms in middle childhood (Uhl et al., 2019). They found that children with lower levels of emotion regulation had greater symptoms of depression. Therefore, addressing emotion regulation will help students decrease depression symptoms, as they will be better equipped to cope with what they are feeling.

Lastly, in a TEDx Talks video, Dr. Jacqui Barfoot discussed the importance of emotional regulation in building resiliency in children (TEDX Talks, 2022). Jacqui utilizes a seesaw as a visual aid to discuss how “when feelings are up, thinking goes down.” Further, she emphasizes the importance of putting words to how the child is feeling. Therefore, this shows the need for a group like ours, which helps students bring awareness to their feelings so that their thinking can go up (i.e., the feelings seesaw).

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The seesaw effect: building children’s resilience by emotional regulation | Jacqui Barfoot | TEDxUQ

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According to Dahir & Shea (2022), students in elementary school that struggle with behavioral issues has been linked to higher drop out rates, this group's goals and objectives will increase students ability to identify, process, and manage their emotions.

SMART Goals/ Objectives:

Behavior standards outlined by the ASCA (2021)

Students will be able to identify and verbalize their emotions (B-SMS 6)

Students will increase ability to problem solve (B-LS 2)

Students will use new coping skills both in and outside their learning environment (B-SMS 7)

Students will increase their awareness of others (B-SS 10)

How the above SMART Goals & Objectives will measure:

Participating student's parent/ guardian survey comparison from the beginning of group to the end of group

*Google doc data comparison from January 2024 to March 2024

Student's will be given a verbal survey on their first and last day of group - this data will measure the students understanding of their ability to process (Corey et al., 2018)

Written communication from teaching staff when group has completed and monthly follow ups until school gets out

*Data will be collected in March, April, May, & June 2024

Decreased discipline referrals for 4th grade male students from March-June 2024 (Hatch et al., 2022)

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According to the American School Counselor Association (2020b), group counseling in school environments can help students by reducing negative individual thoughts and feelings, while increasing peer interactions and supports. These Groups have been linked to academic improvements and reduced behavioral interventions (Vincent, 2017).

Group makeup:

8 students (Muir, 2023)

(to allow each student time to share & pairing up)

Gender: Male

Grade: 4th graders

(2023-2024 school year)

Closed session

(in order to gather initial data to support expansion of pilot group)

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Total duration of group:

8 weeks

Start date: January 16th- March 5th

Weekly Schedule:

Tuesdays (weekly)

There are several holidays on Monday and this will allow for consistency each week (Hatch et al., 2022)

Time:

10:30-11am

This time was determine based on the age group of students as research has shown their attention span is around 20-30 minute (Kesherim, 2023)

Location:

Counseling area (next to library)

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Administration:

Review discipline data and attendance in partnership with administration to identify possible group participants (Hatch et al., 2022)

Teachers:

Work with teachers to gain insight into identified students

Work collaboratively to identify and agree upon a day and time for the 8 week group so that the students have consistency and are not missing out on any in classroom activities (Hatch et al., 2022)

Parent/ Guardian:

Call parents to share about group expectation and goals to ensure they are supportive (Corey et al., 2018)

Complete questionnaire by phone (see google form) as these results will be collected again from parents after 8 weeks of group to show effectiveness

https://forms.gle/swiRPm8zCqHVoEyW6

Email parents detailed information on dates and times of groups, confidentiality overview, and examples of group session topics with sample videos that will be intergraded into lessons (Steen et al., 2022).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTq2JrBNgqk

(Peace Love Learn, 2022)

https://lindsaybraman.com/emotion-sensation-feeling-wheel/

(Braman, 2023)

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Our target population for the class is 4th grade boys from any ethnic background. Studies have shown that behavior problems contribute to low academic performance (Kermer et al., 2016). Furthermore, boys' behavior often has a more significant negative effect than the same behaviors in girls (Owens, 2016).

We hope to mitigate problems in the 5th and 6th grades by focusing our attention on 4th grade students. We will recruit candidates through referrals from teachers and behavior referrals. We hope to decrease poor behavior in the classroom, which will increase both classroom management and academic performance.

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Member selection, identification and screening will take place to decide which students qualify to participate in the group class. Screeners include surveys and forms received from teachers where they determine which students fit the behavior criteria to participate in the group based on behavior concerns and academic issues (School Counseling Document – Toolkit). Topics included in screening members are behavior issues, office referrals, and low academic performance.

Ensuring that individual goals are compatible with the group's objectives is essential. We must also ensure equity in the screening, being careful not to exclude students based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, values, worldview, etc. (ASGW, 2021).

Through the screening process, we will address items such as informed consent, the purpose of the group, goals, confidentiality, and participation in the group. We will review student and other relevant data during the referral process (ASCA, 2020a).

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10) Member Selection, Identification, and Screening

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10) Member Selection, Identification, and Screening

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The criteria for selection first consists of referrals from teachers. We are looking for students with behavioral and academic concerns who would benefit from a group that teaches emotional regulation/ management. We would then have a questionnaire/ survey for the teachers and students to narrow down potential candidates. Lastly, we would look at factors like how many office referrals each student has had this quarter due to emotional outbursts that have been disruptive to learning and past test scores.

The questionnaire/ survey given would be the ERQ – CA. According to The Emotional Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents, the ERQ–CA is a valid age-appropriate measure for investigating emotional regulation during the childhood and adolescence developmental periods (Gullone & Taffe, 2012). This questionnaire would give us data on how well the child (who is being considered for our group) is currently regulating their emotions. Thus, we could narrow down those who would benefit most from the group. We would also follow up at the end of the group with the same questionnaire to check on progress made.

Our pilot group will then be narrowed down to the eight fourth-grade boys who would benefit most from our group.

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We plan on implementing a solution focused and person-centered theoretical framework to help guide our approaches implemented through the group process. Both person-centered and solution focused theoretical orientations are brief counseling strategies which are ideal when working in a school setting (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016).

Solution-focused techniques/ theory focuses on solutions and the techniques used are future oriented and goal directed (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016).

Person-centered techniques/ theory focuses on relationship building, genuineness, acceptance, and empathetic understanding (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016).

Our goals for our students are to create a safe environment and a place for our students to learn how to recognize their emotions, process and regulate their emotions, learn to communicate what they are feeling, not disrupt learning, and to connect with peers in a healthy way. Using these theoretical orientations will assist us in reaching those goals.

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When working with small groups like this there are some ethical considerations we need to be mindful of. The ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counseling has devoted an entire section to group work (Section A.7).

According to section A.7. we need to be: culturally responsive, provide equitable access to all group members and asses their needs, inform parents/ guardians of student participation in the group and the purpose of the group, use ethical data/ measurements, establish well-defined expectations, and determine adjustments that need to be made in the future to improve the group (ASCA, 2022).

We also need to keep confidentiality. According to ASCA, When working with children in small groups, we need to “Inform students of the purposes, goals, techniques, rules, and procedures under which they may receive counseling. Disclosure includes informed consent and clarification of the limits of confidentiality (ASCA, 2022).” This should be done at the beginning of the first group meeting.

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According to Hatch et al. (2022), the efficacy of the group will be measured by looking at outcome data. For example, we will examine the number of discipline referrals pre-group and post-group. This will allow us to see if learning about emotion regulation strategies helped 4th-grade male students with their behavior problems. Additionally, looking at this number of referrals over time will be important.

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When gathering feedback from our students, it will be important to keep in mind their developmental level of being in the 4th grade. Therefore, we will create a straightforward set of questions that will be given to the students. These questions will also include pictures with a happy face, an in-between face, and a sad face as a visual aid. Furthermore, these questions will be based on student mindsets and behaviors (ASCA, 2021).

Examples of questions that will be asked:

I can name different kinds of emotions

I can use two different skills to help me calm down when I am upset

I know an adult who I can go to when I feel angry

I can think of different solutions to a problem

I can tell when someone else is upset

I feel comfortable talking about how I am feeling

I have a place in the school or classroom that makes me feel safe and calm

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American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2022). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. Retrieved from https://schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf

American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2020a). The School Counselor and Group Counseling. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Group-Counseling

American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2020b). The School Counselor and Group Counseling. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Group-Counseling

American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2021). ASCA Student Standards Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College-, Career- and Life-Readiness Standards for Every Student. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Association for Specialists in Group Work. (2021). ASGW guiding principles for group work. https://asgw.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ASGW-Guiding-Principles-May-2021.pdf

Braman, L. (2023) Emotion Sensation Feeling Wheel Handout. Untold Media Inc.

https://lindsaybraman.com/emotion-sensation-feeling-wheel/

Callow, A. (n.d.) School Counselor Office Door [photograph]. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/school-counselor-office-decor--82753711876364988/

Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. (2016). Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories and Interventions, 6th ed. American Counseling Association. Baker.

Corey, M. S., Corey, G., & Corey, C . (2018). Groups: Process and practice (10th ed.). Brooks/Cole.

Dahir, C. & Shea, M. (2022). Utilizing Group Facilitation Skills to Enhance the Multitiered Systems of Support (MTSS). In S.I. Springer, L.J. Moss & C.J. Schimmel,  A School Counselor's Guide to Small Groups: Coordination, Leadership and Assessment (2nd ed. 37-46). Cognella.

Gullone, E., & Taffe, J. (2012). The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ–CA): A psychometric evaluation. Psychological Assessment, 24(2), 409–417. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025777

Hatch, T., Kruger, A. & Pablo, N. (2022). Using Data to Inform and Advocate for Small Group Counseling Practice In S.I. Springer, L.J. Moss & C.J. Schimmel,  A School Counselor's Guide to Small Groups: Coordination, Leadership and Assessment (2nd ed. 28-36). Cognella.

Kesherim, R. (2023, October).  Average Human Attention Span: By Age, Genter & Race.  Supportive Care ABA. https://www.supportivecareaba.com/statistics/average-attention-span

Kremer, K. P., Flower, A., Huang, J., & Vaughn, M. G. (2016). Behavior problems and children’s academic achievement: A test of growth-curve models with gender and racial differences. Children and Youth Services Review, 67, 95–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.06.003

Muir, T. (2023, May 5). What's the Perfect Sized Student Group? TrevorMuir. https://www.trevormuir.com/blog/optimal-student-group-size

Owens, J. (2016). Early Childhood Behavior Problems and the Gender Gap in Educational Attainment in the United States. Sociology of Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038040716650926

Peace Love Learn. (2022). Emotional Intelligence: Name it to Tame It [video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTq2JrBNgqk

Sam The LCSW. (2023). Emotional Regulation Levels [Clip Art]. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sam-The-Lcsw

Steen, S., Melfie, J., Carro, A., Zhu, L. & Genovese, E. (2022). Introduction:  Group Leadership Considerations for Effective Facilitation in Schools. In S.I. Springer, L.J. Moss & C.J. Schimmel,  A School Counselor's Guide to Small Groups: Coordination, Leadership and Assessment (2nd ed. pp. 1-9). Cognella.

TEDX Talks. (2022, December 16). The seesaw effect: Building children’s resilience by emotional regulation [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/GVg6hnH9UnE?si=f1W7JRhKaSMD8AJt

Uhl, K., Halpern, L. F., Tam, C., Fox, J. K., & Ryan, J. L. (2019). Relations of emotion regulation, negative and positive affect to anxiety and depression in middle childhood. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(1), 2988-2999. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01474-w

Vincent, K. (2017, October 17). It's small steps, but that leads to bigger changes': evaluation of a nuture group intervention. Emotional & Behavioral Difficulties, Vol. 11 (4), 303-316. DOI: 10.1080/13632752.2017.1290882

Wilke, J., & Goagoses, N. (2023). Morality in middle childhood: The role of callous-unemotional traits and emotion regulation skills. BMC Psychology, 11(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01328-7

Whiteisthecolor. (2015, July 7). Group of children seated in a semi circle stock illustration, ID: 480118258 [image]. Istockphoto. com. Getty Image. https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/group-of-children-seated-in-semi-circle-gm480118258-68708947