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This group is specifically intended for adolescents of active service members whose barriers to school success include challenges related to such life events as military deployments.

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Mental Strength Support Group Action Plan

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What Mindsets and Behaviors You Will Master

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What Mindsets and Behaviors You Will Master

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Upon completion of this group you will master the following Mindset Standards:

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

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.

Upon completion of this group you will master the following Behavior Standards:

Learning Strategies:
B-LS 4. Self-motivation and self-direction for learning.

B-LS 10. Participation in enrichment and extracurricular activities.

Self-Management Skills:
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.

Social 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 10. Cultural awareness, sensitivity and responsiveness.

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A key for success would include both the leader and school faculty to publicize the group as a positive and valuable experience.

Group information in the form of flyers will be given to teachers, administrators, counselors, and other faculty during the first administrative week prior to the start of school for students. An email with any additional information along with the flyer will also be emailed to all teachers, administrators, counselors, and other faculty prior to the start of school.

Information for this group will be disseminated to parents at ‘meet the teacher’ events held prior to school sessions.

Group advertisements will be on district/organizational websites as appropriate.

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Pre-group interviews/screenings will be conducted individually utilizing the “TAP-in” assessment process.

Tell about the Group.
Ask the student about his or her interest and commitment.
Pick members.

To gage participants readiness to participate, willingness, and interest each will be asked several questions regarding individual expectations such as:

- Would you be willing to attend group one day a week for the extent of the group?
- Are you volunteering for this group?
- Will you participate in weekly discussions and exercises?
- Are you interested in learning ways of coping and dealing with stressful situations?

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Each student will provide an implied consent if one has not already been accepted at the beginning of the school year as required by the school district. Within Abilene Independent School District an Implied Consent form is given to each student/parent in a welcome packet and required to be returned signed with consent or opt-out option selected.

The implied consent form must be signed by a parent or guardian and acknowledged by the student to voluntarily confirm his/her willingness to participate in counseling.

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As part of the first session, the group will be asked to establish a list of rules that are important to them.

Rules that need to be included but that are not limited to are:
1. Confidentiality is the key to Trust
2. Respect for all group members
3. No insults
4. Be on time and participate
5. Be tolerant and openminded
6. Listen to eachother
7. Respect moments of silence
8. Enjoy the experience
9. Give everyone the opportunity to share

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• Stage 1- How do you plan to build relationships and trust between group members and yourself?  How will group norms be established? How will you address limits of confidentially within the group and establish that confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, even though it is an expectation (i.e., limits to confidentiality, Are others responsible for keeping my secrets?, etc.)?

I plan on building relationships and trust between both group members and my self from the start with session 1 with an established lesson plan and set activities such as trust building exercises to encourage students to feel comfortable sharing with the group. Through the set activities each member should see how each individual brings a different characteristic to the group or in some cases the same characteristic as themselves. Group rules and confidentiality will also be established within session 1 to set group norm.

• Stage 2- How do you plan to keep your members working cohesively and productively as you progress through each session towards your learning outcomes? How will you check in with group members to gauge progress throughout the group?

I plan on maintaining the democratic learning style to encourage group participation and ensuring group rules are followed to ensure respectful and open communication is allowed. I will also be asking review questions to ensure the students are understanding the material. Maintaining individual participation to group should ensure progress throughout the group.

• Stage 3- What is your plan for group closure? Will you monitor/explore how group members are feeling about the group ending?  This stage can be difficult in that you must close the group successfully with members leaving confident in what they learned without the feeling of abandonment. (This is why a follow up plan is so important!) Include how you will reinforce that confidentiality must continue as the group ends.

My plan for group closure will include a post-group assessment that would allow for feedback from students. I will also complete a follow-up session after 4 weeks and include a final post-group assessment to identify any change in feelings or inputs. I would also remind in both session six and the follow-up session the importance of trust and confidentiality between their peers.

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Leaders will mostly follow a participative leadership (democratic) style.

Participative (democratic) leadership is the most effective leadership style and provides a higher quality in contributions by children versus a more authoritarian approach.

Democratic leaders tend to encourage more participation from group members while still maintaining the ‘final say’ in decision-making.

At the adolescent stage, a group that is both structured and option-oriented can be beneficial. Gladding (2012) writes that adolescents tend to prefer a group that is, “understanding, yet firm; facilitative, yet controlling; and active, yet trusting” (p. 268).

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Therapeutic factors that could potentially be presented in group sessions would be:
- Universality
- Development of Socializing Techniques
- Direct advice
- Interpersonal learning

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According to the American School Counselor Association, the ethical standards provided are to serve as a guide for all ethical practices, provide support and direction for self-assessments, peer consultations, and performance appraisals, and inform all educational stakeholders of the expected values and behaviors of the school counseling profession.

Responsibility to Students would be an example of an ethical requirement that would support me in my role as a counselor in conducting group counseling sessions in that it would ensure that I keep the student as my main focus in supporting student development. It would also include assist me in maintaining trust with students regarding conversations during sessions due to the coverage of confidentiality.

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Additionally, a second ethical requirement that would support my role as a counselor in conducting group counseling sessions would be Responsibility to Parents/Guardians, School, and Self.

Under this umbrella it reminds counselors to recognize, honor, and respect the importance of parents and guardians in a school setting and to collaborate as appropriate. It also discusses the responsibility to the school in exercising leadership to create systemic change to create a safe and supportive environment and equitable outcomes for all students. It holds counselors accountable for their school’s program should they feel some lack in safety for the students or self or unsafe environment.

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

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

Cherry, K. (2023). How to Lead: 6 Leadership Styles and Frameworks. VeryWellMind. http://VeryWellMind.com

Gladding, S. T. (2012). Groups: A counseling specialty. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

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. Retrieved from https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/guid-respon-serv-small-group-counseling-guide-2015.pdf

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