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The Fantastic Friends group will be open to 5th Grade students looking to build social skills that will help them gain and maintain friendships. As our fifth-grade students transition to middle school, we want to ensure they are equipped to manage the complexities of friendships by learning how to analyze the skills needed to make and keep friends while maintaining their own standards (Texas Education Agency, 2018).

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B-SS 1

Effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills (American School Counselors Association, 2021)

B-SS 2

Positive, respectful, and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them (American School Counselors Association, 2021)

B-SS 6

Effective collaboration and cooperation skills (American School Counselors Association, 2021)

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Students will be selected based on teacher recommendations and data.

The group description and introduction will be shared in a staff newsletter along with a copy of the teacher survey on how to refer students.

A follow-up e-mail will be sent to all staff and the counselor will place teacher surveys in mailboxes of teachers with students she believe would benefit.

Copies of the recommendation survey will also be available in the teachers lounge.

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Those whose surveys show they need intervention will then also have their office referrals and counselor check-ins assessed to determine if they are showing signs in different areas of needing intervention on top of the teacher recommendations.

The counselor will meet with each student individually to explain the goal of the group and expectations as well as information on how long and how often they will meet.

Students who show an interest after this individual meeting will then be given an invitation as well as a consent form for their parent/guardian to fill out.

Participant readiness will be determined if they choose to accept the invitation from the counselor.

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Once students have expressed an interest in participating in the group, they will receive a consent form for their parents to fill out and return.

Students must return this form to be a part of the small counseling group

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Ground Rules

1. Be present

Participate, Show up, share

2. Be Respectful

Listen, take turns, respect others and the counselor

3. Confidential

Do not call out other people by name, Keep what we say in the group

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Stage 1: Storming/Norming: Psychological safety and connections are two keys to building trust. This is a time when student in the group find their place, and are learning to trust each other. (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

Fantastic friends group will be introduced to their ground rules. These will be reviewed every time the group meets

We will discuss what confidentiality means and how we expect it but it cannot be guaranteed. What does this mean to you?

Ice breaker games: these can make me anxious at times so I will choose activities where we can ease into getting to know each other.

Group goals & things we hope to learn

Stage 2 Performing: In this stage, students in the group value themselves and others. They believe the group is making a difference (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

Continue to review ground rules

Tell students the goal of that day's session

redirect conversations and intervene to give others a chance to share as needed.

Daily recap on what we learned and students can share any successes

Exit tickets where students share what is going well, what they want to learn about the topic that we haven't covered, and What doesn't work.

Stage 3 Mourning: Students in the group reflect as well as make future plans for their independent growth (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

Ground rules

Confidentiality: Even though group is ending that doesn't mean our confidentiality ends

Creating friendship bracelets to remind us of our goals and what we have learned

Celebrate successes

Create a plan for asking for help if they feel like they are struggling

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Participative/Democratic Leader

I think for my group I would want to use the participative/democratic leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members (Cherry, 2023).

I think this would be effective because I want to offer my guidance by determining that day's lesson and guiding the conversation. However, allowing the students a chance to speak and share is vital to the groups' success. Each member needs to feel that what they are sharing is valuable and that others can learn from them. However, I want the opportunity to steer the conversation and move on when it may become unproductive.

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Universality: Is the demonstration that we are not alone in our misery or our "problems" (Yalom, 1995).

Being around students with similar struggles will show the group they are not alone.

Altruism: the opportunity to rise out of oneself and help somebody else; the feeling of usefulness (Yalom, 1995).

I believe that children want to be helpful and useful. The idea that they can share strategies and tips to help their friends going through something similar could be very powerful for small groups.

Development of socializing techniques: social learning or development of interpersonal skills (Yalom, 1995).

Students will learn skills that will help them improve their friendships, learn how to build trust, and how to set boundaries which are all important socialization techniques.

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ASCA Professional standards & Competencies

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ASCA Professional standards & Competencies

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Behaviors

Direct & Indirect Student Services

B-SS 3

Provide short-term counseling in small-group and individual settings (ASCA, 2019).

My ethical requirement to provide small group counseling is met when I use the data I have obtained to provide appropriate small group counseling to students on my campus. The American School Counseling Association requires that school counselors conduct small group and individual counseling to students in their caseload. This group is preparing students for transition into middle school as well as providing them strategies to use when needed.

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The School counselor should design a program to include a responsive services component. That will intervene on behalf of any student whose immediate personal concerns or problems put the student's continued educational, career, personal, or social development at risk TX Educ Code § 33.005 (2023).

Creating a school counseling group that helps students maintain good relationships with their peers, learn conflict resolution skills, and set healthy boundaries fulfills the Texas Education Code requirement to intervene when there are concerns that will negatively impact their personal and social development.

15% of elementary school children experience serious difficulties in establishing positive peer relationships, missing out on these positive developmental experiences and facing exposure to rejection, social exclusion, and victimization (Bierman et al., 2022). The small group Fantastic Friends will give the students tools they can use to avoid feeling secluded or rejected.

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References

American School Counselor Association (2019). ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies. Alexandria, VA: Author.

American School Counselors Association. (2021). ASCA mindsets & behaviors for student success - american school counselor association (ASCA). Www.schoolcounselor.org. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Standards/ASCA-Mindsets-Behaviors-for-Student-Success

Bierman, K. L., Welsh, J. A., Hall, C. M., Jacobson, L. N., Lee, D. L., & Jones, D. E. (2022). Efficacy of the Fast Track Friendship Group Program for Peer-rejected Children: A Randomized-Controlled Trial. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 23(6), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2022.2051523

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

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.

TX Educ Code § 33.005 (2023)

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

Texas Education Agency. (2018). The Texas model for comprehensive school counseling programs. (5th ed.). Texas Counseling Association. https://tea.texas.gov/academics/learning-support-and-programs/school-guidance-and-counseling/pub2018texas-model5th-edition.pdf

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‘Group counseling padlet ’ in APA 7th ed. style, on MyBib