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The Bridge of Healing College Support Group

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The Bridge of Healing College Support Group

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The Bridge of Healing is a counseling group that supports college students managing their lives after experiencing grief and loss. This space will allow the participants to create connections, build strong communities, and gain support through their healing process. Together, these individuals will discuss effective coping strategies, share their own experiences, and talk through navigating their personal lives after experiencing great loss.

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By the end of the support group, the students will be in a mindset that embraces grief as a healing process, recognizes humanity, is open to support from others, and encourages resilience and a growth mindset.

The student will harbor healthy coping skills such as journaling, talking to a friend, and utilize creative expression to manage their emotions. They will also be able to clearly identify and communicate their emotions and their emotional triggers.

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healing minds and shaping behaviors reference 

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In order to advertise appropriate participants to join the support group, materials will be distributed through many ways such as emails, postings on the website of the counseling center, putting flyers in locations such as residence halls and student centers, and recommendations from peer mentors or counselors. Students will receive a clear description of the purpose, subject, and level of commitment in the group so that they may make an informed decision before participating.

The willingness of the participants to work with the group will be assessed through a brief pre-group questionnaire that asks about their current grief experience, coping strategies, level of comfort in discussing with a group, and willingness to learn new methods of managing grief.

Screening will occur in a short screening with individual meetings or online check-ins with a counselor. This creates an open and safe space in questioning, establishment of group expectations, and identification of those clients who will require additional support outside of the group process. Pre-screening ensures that all of the members are properly matched to the group, and the setting continues as a healthy and beneficial setting for all of the participants.

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Reaching Out to Students, Families, and Staff

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Reaching Out to Students, Families, and Staff

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An advertisement for the counseling support group will be announced in many different ways so that all students can be accessed as an entirety. Students will receive a notice through email, student center postings, library halls, and residence hall bulletin postings, along with personal references from counselors or peer mentors. Families will be contacted by email to be informed regarding resources for their children. Professors and counselors will be informed at staff meetings to refer and support students as seemed appropriate. The website for the counseling center will have group information and sign-up sheets for students to access. These methods were chosen so all students at Angelo State University will be notified and aware of the resources available to them when dealing with grief and loss.

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Angelo State University’s Counseling Clinics policy on informed consent requires that informed consent is obtained from the participants prior to services through clear agreements that outline the treatment, confidentiality standards, and the right to withdraw at any given time. The clinic follows federal regulations and requires parental consent for participants under 18 to receive counseling services.

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This resource holds valuable rules and standards for a group to abide by such as: equal opportunity to share, respectful communication, confidentiality, and the right to not answer. Thus, when beginning the group, I would introduce pre-determined rules such as not sharing information of other clients outside of the group, respecting the other group members, and only allowing one member to speak at a time. After sharing my rules, I would give my group participants the opportunity to create additional rules of their own. For example, I would let my participants to decide the guidelines surrounding phone usage and note taking during group, creating a check-in and check-out reflection sheet, and if they prefer supportive advice or just active listening. Allowing the students to create their own standards increases group connection and participation because it gives them a small sense of control. When necessary, I would review these ground rules with the group to remind them of their agreement standards.

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The leadership style I plan to hold while leading this support group is a supportive leadership style. This leadership style prioritizing creating a safe and understanding space for the participants to share their feelings and struggles. By using this leadership style, I will be able to actively listen to the students, provide empathy, encourage participation, and kindly guide them towards meeting emotional goals and managing grief.

I believe this leadership style would be the most beneficial for this group because it allows me to be an empathetic and caring leader for students who are emotionally struggling. Many of these students will feel distraught and overwhelmed, so when I am supportive towards them, it will allow them to feel valued, heard, and supported when dealing with their grief. This leadership style promotes healing, empathy, compassion, and individual growth, which allows members to participate openly without the fear of judgement due to their current emotional state.

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In The Bridge of Healing support group, there are a few of Yalom’s group therapy factors that are predicted to be observed. For example, Universality is likely to appear when students realize that they are not alone in their grief and others are experiencing similar emotions after experiencing a loss. Instillation of Hope is also likely when members observe others benefiting from healthy coping methods and they begin to have hope they can benefit from them too. Altruism may appear as the members continue to support each other, which results in them feeling valued and connected. Imparting Information is likely when both students and the counselor share helpful resources, coping methods, and ways to honor their loved one. Finally, Interpersonal Learning will develop overtime as students gain insight into their emotions, learn from one another, and express their grief in healthy ways throughout each group session.

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In order to build a sense of trust in the group, I will prioritize creating a supportive environment where everyone feels seen and accepted. I will encourage openness and model empathy when allowing the members to share introductive information about themselves in the beginning of the session. As a group, we will set group norms, such as allowing everyone to speak, respecting boundaries, and, listening to each other without judgement. I will clearly set the level of confidentiality that is held, which is that members must keep what is shared in this group private. I will explain the ethical and legal limits, such as time where I must break confidentiality when someone seems in danger to themselves or others, or if I am called by the court to testify against them. Discussing this information benefits the students safety and it clearly sets the expectations for the beginning of the group to create a safe and open space for them to share.

In order to encourage the students to work productively, I will create a supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their emotions and feelings over the loss of their loved one. During each session, I will have activities to guide participants towards managing their grief and understanding their emotions, while at the same time, encouraging empathy and urging all members to share. At the beginning of each session, I will dedicate time to discuss current mental states, reflections of the week, and understand each members growth and current emotional state. Throughout the session, I will regularly observe the interactions between members and the levels of participation being shown. This will allow me to be able to clearly identify any challenges, provide guidance when needed, and alter activities to ensure all group members progress throughout the sessions.

For group closure, I will dedicate the last session to discuss and reflect over where the students have learned and grown. This will allow all members to express their thoughts and feelings about the group ending. I will note how each member feels and I will focus on making sure they feel continuously supported and not abandoned. I will share ways to continue implementing the learned coping strategies and provide a follow-up plan for extra support. Lastly, I will remind the students it is very important to continue to maintain confidentiality after the sessions have come to an end.

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When creating and building this support group for managing grief and loss, it is very important to consider legal and ethical requirements. By law, counselors are obligated to protect confidentiality while also explaining its extent, such as when someone is a danger to themselves or others. Informed consent must be obtained so students clearly understand the expectations, purpose, and rights associated with the support group. With this, it is the counselors responsibility to understand the campus policies, state and federal laws, and ethical standards such as those created and implemented by the American Counseling Association, The American School Counseling Association, and the Association for Specialists in Group Work. By following these regulations, counselors ensure that the group is provided a safe and ethical environment where students can process their grief and connect with others experiencing similar emotions.

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I chose two highly important legal and ethical requirements for my group which are confidentiality and informed consent. Confidentiality is important because the students privacy and shared information is sacred and cannot be discussed unless someone is currently in danger or if the law requires it to be broken due to legal issues. Informed consent explains the purpose, expectations, and rules of the group, which is important because the students need to be aware of the activities and basis of the group before they choose to participate. Following these rules and others as discussed in American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (2014), ensures the group remains a safe and respectful space for students.

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Herlihy, B., & Corey, G. F. (2014). ACA ethical standards casebook (7th ed.). American Counseling Association.

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Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2015). Missouri comprehensive guidance and counseling program—Responsive services: Small group counseling module (guid-respon-serv-small-group-counseling-guide-2015). https://dese.mo.gov

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2015). Missouri comprehensive guidance and counseling program—Responsive services: Small group counseling module (pp. 25–43). https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/guid-respon-serv-small-group-counseling-guide-2015.pdf

Rusa, A. S., & Davis, R. (2022). “Interdisciplinary approach of Yalom’s group therapy factors: A theoretical model for including animal presence in social work education and practice.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9(9), 1024355. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.1024355

Tureluren, E., Claes, L., & Andriessen, K. (2022). “Help-seeking behavior in bereaved university and college students: Associations with grief, mental health distress, and personal growth.” Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.963839