# data[].attributes.body
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

American School Counselor Association. (2014). ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

American School Counselor Association. (2020). The school counselor and group counseling. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/StandardsPositions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Group-Counseling#:~:text=Best%20practice%20will%20include%20parental,issues%20impeding%20achievement%20or%20success

Cherry, K. (2023, June 27). How to lead: 6 leadership styles and frameworks. Very Well Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. (n.d.). Group therapy. http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Group-therapy.html#b

Corsicana Independent School District (2023). Parental consent form

Missouri Comprehensive Guidance And Counseling Program: Responsive Services. (2015). Professional school counselor small group counseling guide. https://www.missouricareereducation.org/doc/smallgroup/SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

Yalom, I. (1995) Yalom's curative factors of group treatment.

The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy.

# data[].attributes.headline
What mindsets and behaviors will students master?

# data[].attributes.subject
What mindsets and behaviors will students master?

# data[].attributes.body
Mindsets
(M.2) Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment
(M.4) Self-confidence in ability to succeed

Behaviors
(B-LS 5) Media and technology skills to

enhance learning
(B-SMS 3) Independent work
(B-SMS 6) Ability to identify and overcome

barriers
(B-SMS 7) Effective coping skills

(B-SMS 10) Ability to manage transitions

and adapt to change
(B-SS 1) Effective oral and written

communication skills and

listening skills

(ASCA, 2014)

# data[].attributes.headline
How will parents be notified and provide consent?

# data[].attributes.subject
How will parents be notified and provide consent?

# data[].attributes.body
Once students have been selected, parental consent will be sent home. Our district requires consent before a student can particiapte in any session. A template is already in place for group counseling partental consent (see attached). This template will be used and revised to give information on this specific group's information.

After the first session, when students understand rules, expectations, goals, and routines, a student assent will be provided. This allows the student, should they feel uncomfortable with the group, to dismiss themselves. This is not required by our district.

# data[].attributes.headline
What are the group expectations and rules?

# data[].attributes.subject
What are the group expectations and rules?

# data[].attributes.body
The rules listed above will be disussed with the group in-depth during the first session. Due to the population of this group, there will be time to discuss what certain word meanings, as well as how these rules can be demonstrated. The group will be invited to add rules they feel would be benefical to this group, as well.
Confidentiality will be stressed to the group. If a student is caught sharing another group members discussions, removal from the group is possible. This will be explained to the group in the first session and reminded at the closure of each lesson.

# data[].attributes.headline
How will student dynamics adjust through each stage of the group session process?

# data[].attributes.subject
How will student dynamics adjust through each stage of the group session process?

# data[].attributes.body
Stage 1: Getting Aquainted
Group members will share about themselves and learn about others in the group. This will provide a sense of belonging and help for each member to find commonality with the other members of the group. For many members, feeling as though they are an outsider may feel normal while at school. By creating a safe space with others sharing their journey, trust can be formed and these feelings of misplacement can start to reside. Group members will review and establish group rules set by both the facilitator and themelves. The importance of protecting the stories within the group will be discussed and promoted, while consequences for breaking confidentiality will be established, as well.

Stage 2: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
To ensure purposeful and meaningful sessions, norms will be established from the beginning. Routines will be followed to create consistency and dependability. The members will feel safer in the group simply because they know what to expect.  Likewise, sessions will be planned and materials ready so that sessions run smoothly and goals of each session can be met. All members will be encouraged to share and join discussions openly, as long as it is beneficial and not putting down another member in some way. In this instance, the facilitator will step in to redirect conversation. Similarly, members will not be allowed to do overshare, as it is important for each member to feel they have a voice and can contribute to their own, and the group's success.

Stage 3: Closure
To ensure members feel confident at the closure of the group, a few steps can be followed. One, members will be given an outline of the group's meeting dates and topics and made sure to understand the duration of the group's meeting. This will ensure members do not feel suprised or misled in anyway to the duration of the group. At the closure, group members will reflect on what they learned, what they take with them, and what to do and whom to turn to when they feel familiar struggles. Just because the group not longer meets, does not mean the group no longer exist. We will all continue to grow, learn, and support each other along the way. They will also be given post-assessment survey's the gauge the success of the group for the facilitor's review.

# data[].attributes.body
A.2.a. Informed Consent
Clients have the freedom to choose whether to enter into or remain in a counseling relationship and need adequate information about the counseling process and the counselor. Counselors have an obligation to review in writing and verbally with clients the rights and responsibilities of both counselors and clients. Informed consent is an ongoing part of the counseling process, and counselors appropriately document discussions of informed consent throughout the counseling relationship.  (ASCA, 2014)

Infomed consent is required for all groups. Through consent, parents will be notified of the group purpose, topics, goals, and expectations. This provides a clear understanding so parents can feel confident and comfortable with their child's participation.

# data[].attributes.headline
What therapuetic factors could possibly be seen in this group?

# data[].attributes.subject
What therapuetic factors could possibly be seen in this group?

# data[].attributes.body
Universality: Demonstration that we are not alone in our misery or our "problems". Feeling alone in this journey of acculturation will be a commonality among group members. While in the group, members will gain a sense of belonging and feeling less alone in their struggles and journey.

Decelopment of Socializing Techiques: Social learning or development of interpersonal skills. Coming to a new country, facing language barriers, and adapting to a new culture is difficult. In this group, members will learn more about socializing and being successful in this new environment, while not losing who they are or the culture they came from, either.

Direct Advice: Receiving and giving suggestions for strategies for handling problems. Members will face similar problems. However, there will be members who have already learned to cope with some struggles through experience. While the facilitator offers support and resources, members will also be able to give and receive suggestive strategies for handling their problems to and from one another.

# data[].attributes.headline
What will be the leadership style of the facilitator?

# data[].attributes.subject
What will be the leadership style of the facilitator?

# data[].attributes.body
This group will be facilitated with a Participative Leadership (Democratic) style. According to Cherry (2023), "leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members (p. 5)." While I hope to pre-plan lessons and topics, I believe allowing student input and creating a space where students can be a part of the problem-solving journey, as well as openly discuss session topics with other group members, will create the most successful environment for these students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Leadership styles are classifications of how a person behaves while directing, motivating, guiding, and managing groups of people. There are many leadership styles. Some of the most widely discussed include: authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic), delegative (laissez-faire), transformational, transactional, and situational.

Great leaders can inspire political movements and social change. They can also motivate others to perform, create, and innovate. As you start to consider some of the people who you think of as great leaders, you can immediately see that there are often vast differences in how each person leads.

Fortunately, researchers have developed different theories and frameworks that allow us to better identify and understand these different leadership styles.

Lewin's Leadership Styles

In 1939, a group of researchers led by psychologist Kurt Lewin set out to identify different styles of leadership.﻿﻿ While further research has identified more distinct types of leadership, this early study was very influential and established three major leadership styles that have provided a springboard for more defined leadership theories.

In Lewin's study, schoolchildren were assigned to one of three groups with an authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire leader. The children were then led in an arts and crafts project while researchers observed the behavior of children in response to the different styles of leadership. The researchers found that democratic leadership tended to be the most effective at inspiring followers to perform well.

Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic)

Authoritarian leaders, also known as autocratic leaders, provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. This style of leadership is strongly focused on both command by the leader and control of the followers. There is also a clear division between the leader and the members. Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently, with little or no input from the rest of the group.

Researchers found that decision-making was less creative under authoritarian leadership.﻿﻿ Lewin also concluded that it is harder to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this method is usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial.

Mental Health in the Workplace Webinar

Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group. The autocratic approach can be a good one when the situation calls for rapid decisions and decisive actions. However, it tends to create dysfunctional and even hostile environments, often pitting followers against the domineering leader.

Participative Leadership (Democratic)

Lewin's study found that participative leadership, also known as democratic leadership, is typically the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. In Lewin's study, children in this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a higher quality.

Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say in the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. Democratic leaders tend to make followers feel like they are an important part of the team, which helps foster commitment to the goals of the group.

Delegative Leadership (Laissez-Faire)

Lewin found that children under delegative leadership, also known as laissez-faire leadership, were the least productive of all three groups. The children in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation, and were unable to work independently.

Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave the decision-making up to group members. While this style can be useful in situations involving highly qualified experts, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation.

Lewin noted that laissez-faire leadership tended to result in groups that lacked direction and members who blamed each other for mistakes, refused to accept personal responsibility, made less progress, and produced less work.

Observations About Lewin's Leadership Styles

In their book, The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications, Bass and Bass note that authoritarian leadership is often presented solely in negative, often disapproving, terms. Authoritarian leaders are often described as controlling and close-minded, yet this overlooks the potential positives of stressing rules, expecting obedience, and taking responsibility.

While authoritarian leadership certainly is not the best choice for every situation, it can be effective and beneficial in cases where followers need a great deal of direction and where rules and standards must be followed to the letter. Another often overlooked benefit of the authoritarian style is the ability to maintain a sense of order.

Bass and Bass note that democratic leadership tends to be centered on the followers and is an effective approach when trying to maintain relationships with others. People who work under such leaders tend to get along well, support one another, and consult other members of the group when making decisions.

Additional Leadership Styles and Models

In addition to the three styles identified by Lewin and his colleagues, researchers have described numerous other characteristic patterns of leadership. A few of the best-known include:

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is often identified as the single most effective style. This style was first described during the late 1970s and later expanded upon by researcher Bernard M. Bass. Transformational leaders are able to motivate and inspire followers and to direct positive changes in groups.

These leaders tend to be emotionally intelligent, energetic, and passionate. They are not only committed to helping the organization achieve its goals, but also to helping group members fulfill their potential.

Research shows that this style of leadership results in higher performance and more improved group satisfaction than other leadership styles. One study also found that transformational leadership led to improved well-being among group members.

Transactional Leadership

The transactional leadership style views the leader-follower relationship as a transaction. By accepting a position as a member of the group, the individual has agreed to obey the leader. In most situations, this involves the employer-employee relationship, and the transaction focuses on the follower completing required tasks in exchange for monetary compensation.

One of the main advantages of this leadership style is that it creates clearly defined roles. People know what they are required to do and what they will be receiving in exchange. This style allows leaders to offer a great deal of supervision and direction, if needed.

Group members may also be motivated to perform well to receive rewards. One of the biggest downsides is that the transactional style tends to stifle creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Situational Leadership

Situational theories of leadership stress the significant influence of the environment and the situation on leadership. Hersey and Blanchard's leadership stylesis one of the best-known situational theories. First published in 1969, this model describes four primary styles of leadership, including:

1. Telling: Telling people what to do

2. Selling: Convincing followers to buy into their ideas and messages

3. Participating: Allowing group members to take a more active role in the decision-making process

4. Delegating: Taking a hands-off approach to leadership and allowing group members to make the majority of decisions

Later, Blanchard expanded upon the original Hersey and Blanchard model to emphasize how the developmental and skill level of learners influences the style that should be used by leaders. Blanchard's SLII leadership styles model also described four different leading styles:

1. Directing: Giving orders and expecting obedience, but offering little guidance and assistance

2. Coaching: Giving lots of orders, but also lots of support

3. Supporting: Offering plenty of help, but very little direction

4. Delegating: Offering little direction or support

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It seems like there are as many different styles of leadership as there are leaders. Discover some of the most common leadership style frameworks.

# data[].attributes.body
To gather potential participants, teachers, staff, and parents will first be asked to nominate students. This will be advertised and distributed through teachers' email and posted as a Google Form on the school’s webpage, as well as Class Dojo. Once nominations have been submitted, individual interviews will be conducted to ensure this group will be beneficial to potential participants. Those who will benefit from the group, based on the interview, will then be invited to join through written invitation.

The interview process will follow the TAP process of screening as outlined in the Missouri Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program (2015). This process is outlined below.

Tell about the Group:
□ Describe the group:

Group topic

Meetings: day, time, length of each session, total number of sessions

Expectations of participants: attend every meeting unless there is an illness or an emergency

Reason student is being considered for membership in group .

Participation in the group is voluntary/involuntary.

□ Tell student what he or she will gain from being in the group

Goals/outcomes

Meet new people and get to know others better

Work on individual as well as group goals.

Learn new skills

Being in a group can be fun.

□ Tell the student about the expectations of members of a small group.

Attend the group every week

He or she is expected to maintain confidentiality about what occurs in the group.

Everything said in the group stays in the group.

Facilitator keeps information confidential unless:

Someone (outside the group) is hurting a participant

A group member is hurting someone

A group member is thinking about hurting himself or herself

Facilitator will make sure everyone gets a chance to talk

He or she is expected to participate.

Listening is a part of participation

Members help others in the group

Members respect and value each other’s situation.

Ask the student about his or her interest and commitment
□ Ask student to explain his or her understanding of what you have said about the group
□ Ask student what questions he or she has about any part of the group process
□ Ask student if he or she is interested in the group, and why or why not
□ Ask if student is seeing another counselor, inside or outside school
□ Ask if student is willing to adhere to expectations/ground rules (e.g. attendance, confidentiality,
cooperative participation, sharing information about thoughts and feelings related to topic).
□ Ask student what his or her goals for growth are (or might be).
□ Ask student to rate his or her interest in participating in the group on a scale of 1-10.
Pick members
□ Is the student willing to participate in the primary tasks of the group?
□ What is the student’s reason for wanting to be in the group?
□ Hypothesize whether student will be satisfied with:

The group focus and being able to meet personal needs or goals

Other members in the group

The process of working in a group and an overall enjoyment of group work

□ Will student be able to apply/transfer group experiences to other life areas/relationships?
□ Has student experienced a recent crisis or situation that would block participation in this group?
□ During interview, was student able to interact with you on a personal level?
□ Are student’s expectations aligned with stated group outcomes/other members’ expectations?
□ On a scale of 1-10, how motivated is student to participate fully in the group experience?

# data[].attributes.body
Intially, information will be shared to students, parents, and teachers through email, social media, and Class Dojo. This communication will provide information on the group topic and goals, and provide a chance for participants to be nominated.
Once interviews have conlcuded, and participants have been chosen, group members, member's family, and teachers of participants will receive weekly newsletters with an overview of topics, tools, and resources discussed in the session. This will be beneficial for both members, parents, and teachers to refer to at home and throughout the week. This way, if situations arise where these resources can be useful, teachers and parents also know and understand the resources and tools and can contribute to the success of the student by reminding them to utilize them. These newsletters will be written in both English and Spanish. They will be provided as a hard copy, and digitally by email.

# data[].attributes.body
This closed group will consist of students who recently (within the last calendar year) transitioned from Mexico to America. Ages for this group with range from third to fourth grade (8-10 years old). The issue we will address in this group is acculturation stress these students face when leaving their native country and culture and entering a brand new one.

# data[].attributes.body
A.2.c. Developmental and Cultural Sensitivity
Counselors communicate information in ways that are both developmentally and culturally appropriate. Counselors use clear and understandable language when discussing issues related to informed consent. When clients have diffculty understanding the language that counselors use, counselors provide necessary services (e.g., arranging for a qualifed interpreter or translator) to ensure comprehension by clients. In collaboration with clients, counselors consider cultural implications of informed consent procedures and, where possible, counselors adjust their practices accordingly.  (ASCA, 2014)

Due to the nature of this group, cultural sensitivitiy is vital. When commuicating with parents and students alike, it is important to use native language and explain any unknown vocabulary. Similarly, when developing lessons for session, it is important the counselor provides a translator (as needed) and does not plan activites, use materials, or encourage actions that could be offensive or insensitive to the culture of the participants.