Mindful Minutes by

ASCA Standards

hburke37 — 2024-09-10 14:58:24 UTC

School counselors provide culturally sustaining instruction, appraisal, and advisement, and counseling to help all students demonstrate:

B SMS-7 effective coping skills

B SMS-10 ability to manage transitions and adapt to change (ASCA, 2021).

Publicity

hburke37 — 2024-09-10 15:00:31 UTC

Teachers will be emailed and asked for referrals for the group. The group will be advertised on the monthly teacher newsletter.

Screening

hburke37 — 2024-09-10 17:11:08 UTC

From the list of names suggested, the counselor will screen students individually. The counselor will begin by explaining the group topic, meeting times, and expectations. The counselor will screen students using the following questions from Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators (2015):

"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."

Based on the answers that the student gives, the counselor can decide if the group is the best fit for the student based on the alignment between the goals of the student and the group.

Students who are selected for the group will receive an invitation to participate from

the counselor. Students who are selected to be a part of the group will be offered other counseling services.

Informed Consent

hburke37 — 2024-09-10 17:13:35 UTC

The campus policy involving informed consent says that a guardian's written consent must be given for a student to participate in individual or group counseling. The counselor will ask for assent when working with a student and inform the student of the limits of confidentiality.

Guidelines

hburke37 — 2024-09-10 17:35:05 UTC

1) Attend the group every week

2) Keep confidentiality- breaking confidentially will result in removal from the group.

3) What is said in the group stays in the group

Limits to confidentiality

○ Someone is hurting a participant

○ A group member is hurting someone

○ A group member is thinking about hurting himself or herself

4) Group members practice good listening skills

During the first session, group members will be asked to assist in creating rules for the group. Previously stated rules are determined by the counselor and non- negotiable.

Stages of Group

hburke37 — 2024-09-10 19:22:40 UTC

Stage One- During the beginning stage of the group it is important to establish trust between group members (MPSCE, 2015). Creating a safe environment by establishing, but not guaranteeing, confidentiality and promoting a supportive atmosphere is important for setting up a supportive group. This group will create connection in the beginning phase by completing ice breaker/get-to-know-you activities. The counselor will work to engage each group member in discussion.

Stage Two- The counselor will model respect and active listening skills for each member. During this stage the group members are dedicated to the process and goals of therapy (MPSCE, 2015). Interventions will be used each session and group members will report on their use and success of interventions during the week.

Stage 3- The group will close by reviewing what we have learned in past sessions and discussing how we can carry these coping skills with us in the future. Students will be given the opportunity to share the most important things they have learned during the group. Students will be reminded of the importance of confidentiality, even after the group ends. The counselor will follow up with group members when having group members complete the post-assessment.

Leadership

hburke37 — 2024-09-10 19:37:33 UTC

I would use a combination of participative and authoritative leadership styles (Cherry, 2023) when conducting this group. This group is for high school students in a school setting, so it will be beneficial to give them ownership of the group by having them help create group guidelines and seeking their input when possible. However, this group is a psychoeducational group in a school setting, so some amount of authoritarian leadership could be expected.

Therapeutic Factors

hburke37 — 2024-09-10 19:50:28 UTC

Several therapeutic factors could be experienced by group participants.

Instillation of Hope (Yalom, 1995) is likely to be experienced by participants because they will be learning practical skills for coping with anxiety.

Universality (Yalom, 1995) is also likely to be experienced due to this group being homogenous. Students may find comfort in the fact that they are not the only ones who struggle with handling anxiety.

Imparting of Information (Yalom, 1995) will occur when the counselor teaches the students how our thoughts, bodies, and emotions are connected.

Catharsis (Yalom, 1995)- Students may experience catharsis if they choose to share personal struggles with peers.

Group Description

hburke37 — 2024-09-11 13:40:34 UTC

This group is a a 6-week, closed, psychoeducational group for high school students who experience anxiety. It will meet once a week during the students' tutorial period. Students will have the opportunity to learn mindfulness exercises that they can use to cope with anxiety.

References

hburke37 — 2024-09-11 13:47:06 UTC

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

American Counseling Association. (2014). Code of Ethics. Counseling.org

Cherry, K. (2023, June 27). How to lead: Six 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.
SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

Public Education, 2 TEC § 33 (2024).

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

Legal and Ethical Requirements

hburke37 — 2024-09-11 13:50:40 UTC

The Texas Education Code states that counselors have to gain parental consent for certain services which have been predetermined by the district. My district does not require consent for participation in guidance lessons or to speak to a counselor sporadically, but it does require consent for a student to participate in group work or to regularly meet with a school counselor.

Sec. 33.003. PARENTAL CONSENT. The board of trustees of each school district shall adopt guidelines to ensure that written consent is obtained from the parent, legal guardian, or person entitled to enroll the student under Section 25.001(j) for the student to participate in those activities for which the district requires parental consent (2TEC § 33.003).

Legal and Ethical Requirements

hburke37 — 2024-09-11 13:51:00 UTC

According to the American Counseling Association (2014),

"A.9.a.Counselors screen prospective group counseling/therapy participants. To the extent possible, counselors select members whose needs and goals are compatible with the goals of the group, who will not impede the group process, and whose well-being will not be jeopardized by the group experience. "

As a school counselor, there may be times when I think that a student will benefit from participating in a group, but the group may not benefit from that person being a member. Taking the time to screen students and being willing to offer alternative services is an ethical way to ensure that all students are served in nonharmful ways.