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Chat Circle is a counseling group for 5th grade students who are having a difficult time regulating their emotions (thoughts and feelings). Members of this group will discuss emotional regulation and communication  to improve their communication skills.

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Administrators and Teachers

Approval from administrators and teachers will be received before beginning.

Teachers will receive the information to help identify and refer students through email.

Parents

Parents will receive information for the referral process through the counselor newsletter.

Parent consent forms will be sent home before students participate in the sessions.

Students

Students referred by teachers or parents will be screened to ensure they are willing to participate.

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Students who have been referred by teachers or parents will participate in an individual pre-group screening interview. During the screening interview I will use the TAP-In process (Morganett, 1990) to help me determine which students to include in this group. (T) tell students all about the group, I will give students all of the details regarding the group sessions. (A) ask students how they feel about participating in this type of group, these type of questions will help determine their interest and commitment to the group work (P) pick the members that I feel will work best for this group.

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Parental Consent and Student Assent

My district policy requires parental consent for participation in the school counseling program.

Parental consent forms will be sent home prior to the group sessions beginning. Parental consent and student assent will be required before student participation in the group. Consent form will provide parents with information regarding the purpose of the group and confidentiality. (Nelson, 2019)

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The Participant Guidelines/Ground Rules for Our Group will be used as a template to help students create the groups ground rules. (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015) Students will work together during the first session to establish the rules and what they should look and sound like during our group sessions.

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Mindset Standards (American School Counseling Association, 2021)

M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being

M2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment

M3. Positive attitude toward work and learning

M4. Self confidence in ability to succeed

M5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes

Behavior Standards (American School Counseling Association, 2021)

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 1. Effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills

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Stage 1- In the initial stage we will focus on building relationships and trust with members of the group. The first lesson will include an icebreaker activity, the development of rules and guidelines, and a discussion that includes the expectations and limitations for confidentiality including consequences for not following these. Providing examples of what information should be kept confidential and what kind of information would need to be reported. Doing this will help establish a safe and supportive environment.

Stage 2-In this stage, group members will continue to work cohesively and productively each session by participating in the discussions and activities for each week. The activities students will participate in will include role playing, partner discussions, whole group discussions. Group member check-in will be conducted through individual and group discussions this will also help gauge the progress of the group members.

Stage 3- The plan for group closure is to have a discussion with students about what they have learned from our group sessions, how they will use what they learned in the future, and how they are feeling about the group ending. Lastly we will discuss the importance of confidentiality even though our session is ending.

(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015)

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The leadership style that would work best for this group would be a participative leadership. Group members will need some guidance which will be given through discussion or modeling. This leadership style will allow me to participate in the activities but also allow members of the group to take ownership of their own learning through their own participation. The buy-in is greater when students are engaged in the learning process. (Cherry, 2023)

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Yalom's Therapeutic Factors (Yalom,1995) that may be seen during the group sessions include:

Instillation of Hope- As members learn techniques for managing their emotions they develop hope that they be successful after completing the counseling sessions.l

Universality- Members will realize that there are others who share some of the same struggles they do.

Direct Advise- Members will learn from the counselors other members advice on specific strategies that have worked for them or how to apply a technique during a difficult situation.

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ACA Code of Ethics A.2D Inability to Give Consent states "When counseling minors, incapacitated adults, or other persons unable to give voluntary consent, counselors seek the assent of clients to services and include them in decision making as a appropriate. Counselors recognize the need to balance the ethical rights of clients to make choices, their capacity to give consent or assent to receive services, and parental or familial legal rights and responsibilities to protect these clients and make decisions on their behalf" (ACA, 2014).

My district policy requires that we receive parental consent before a student participates in the school counseling program. To participate in my Chat Circle group session parents would be required to turn in the signed consent form and students would assent to the services provided in the group sessions.

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ACA Code of Ethics A9.a Group Work Screening states "Counselors screen prospective group participants. To the extent possible, counselors select members who needs and goals are compatible with the goals of the group, who will not impede the group process, and who well-being will not be jeopardized by the group experience" (ACA,2014).

The school counselor should carefully assess and evaluate students before selecting them for a small group counseling session. This will ensure that the students goals align with the purpose of the group, all group members are provided with a safe and effective group environment, and that all members are willing and ready to participate.

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American Counselor Association. (2014). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

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

American School Counselor Association (2022). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Alexandria, VA: Author

Cherry, K. (2023, June 27). How to Lead: 6 Leadership Styles and Frameworks. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

Missouri School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015, May). Professional School Counselors Small Group Counseling Guide: A Professional School Counselors Guide to Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating School-Based Counseling Groups

Morganett, R.S (1990). Skills for Living: Group counseling activities for young adolescents. Chicago: Research Press

Nelson, H. (2019, September 4). Group counseling consent forms Love for the Elementary Counselor

https://lovefortheelementarycounselor.home.blog/2019/09/04/group-counseling-consent-forms/

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