https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9 Michael Evans - EDSC 6302 en-us 2022-04-21 02:11:56 UTC 2022-04-22 02:05:51 UTC hello@padlet.com mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151355801 The Champions are a group of fifth grade students at Buena Vista Elementary, most of which are 10 and 11 years old. As the school year nears the final six weeks, the group consists of students who still struggle with intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. These students were selected by the school counselor based on teacher survey input, as well as other paraprofessional input. The school counselor teaches intrapersonal and interpersonal skills during the regular school counseling lesson throughout the year; however, these students could benefit from more direct, and explicit, small group counseling sessions. ]]> 2022-04-21 02:57:56 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151355801 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151368590 The ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors that the students will master upon completing this group are the following:

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

 B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills.

 B-SS 1. Effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills.

 B-SS 5. Ethical decision-making and social responsibility.

 B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills.


]]> 2022-04-21 03:09:36 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151368590 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151390551 In order to publicize the group, the counselor with send out weekly informational emails beginning in the middle of the 5th six weeks. The emails will have the counselor contact information and a sample of the pre-assessment for the teachers to see. In this way, teachers can have an idea of students who may rate low on the pre-assessment and, therefore, would be good candidates for the small group counseling. This weekly email will also include a Google Form link for teachers to refer students to small group counseling. The counselor will include administrators and the parent liaison in the informational email, in case they also have potential candidates in mind. 
During the monthly staff meeting, the counselor will give a short five minute presentation about The Champions group, who it will consist of, the skills to be taught, and the Google Form link to use as a referral to the group. 
The counselor will also create positive flyers that will be posted in the hallways, cafeteria, and office in an effort to build a positive view of the group. There will be instructions for the students to see their homeroom teacher if they wish to be considered for the group.
During the regular school counseling classroom lessons, the counselor will bring the group up to students in order to promote The Champions. ]]> 2022-04-21 03:29:55 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151390551 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151396286 The interview and screening process to determine groups will utilize the teacher referrals, as well as the following TAP steps:  
Tell students about the group. 
Ask students about their level of interest/commitment to expectations of group. 
Pick participants. 

Students will be informed about the groups during the regular counseling sessions in class. They will also be notified via flyers posted around campus. Students will be informed about the lessons in the groups, the weekly meetings, what will be expected, and rules and guidelines for behavior and confidentiality.
Students will be asked about their interest and commitment to the group. The counselor is screening for high levels of motivation to be a part of the group, and to genuinely improve upon interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.
The counselor will then select students based on their evident interest and motivation to join The Champions. 

Those who are referred by teachers and administrators will be seen as priority candidates because the educator has seen an academic or social need for the counseling intervention. Once, those students have been referred by the teacher using the Google Form link, the counselor will meet with those students one-on-one in order to gauge their level of interest and potential progress in the group. 

Teacher referrals will be grouped first based on level of need. Those will be followed by the remaining students who volunteer to join, and are accepted by the counselor following the TAP screening.]]> 2022-04-21 03:36:07 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151396286 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151413638 Parental consent forms were signed at the start of the school year on campus. However, to encourage whole-family buy in and support of the small group counseling process, the attached form will be sent home for parents to sign. Parents will also be notified via email and a pdf flyer will be attached. For parents without email, a physical copy of the notice and flyer will be sent home with students. The counselor will be meeting with students one-on-one when they are selected for the group to give a brief overview of what is expected. During this time, the counselor will also be specifically asking for student assent. ]]> 2022-04-21 03:54:44 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151413638 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151421977 The following ground rules are non-negotiable to the group and will apply from day one:

1. Treat others, and yourself, with respect.
2. What is discussed in the group stays in the group.
3. You do not have to share, but you must participate. 
4. Group members will do their best to be on time.

Additional rules and procedures will be discussed and added to the group during the first meeting. Students will then use the Participant Guidelines/Ground Rules document to brainstorm examples of the rules under the columns "Looks Like" and "Sounds Like." Once complete, this document will be folded and added to student journals as a reference page.]]> 2022-04-21 04:05:06 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151421977 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151469145 The Champions small group is made up of 5th graders who struggle with social skills, which is affecting their relationships with others and their academics. The counselor will strive to maintain homogenous grouping so that every member will be around the same level and cohesion among the group will form more quickly. Group sizes will stay between 6-10 students. The group norms/expectations will be explicit; there will be freedom for students to express themselves during the lessons, however there will still be clear guidelines and rules established during stage 1. 

Stage 1: 
In stage 1 students will be getting acquainted with each other, setting norms, and building trust among the group. Group relationships will begin being formed during the first meeting and lesson. Students will be introducing themselves to the group and the counselor will be introducing himself to the group as well. During this state, the group will become familiar with the non-negotiable rules for participating in the group. They will then work together to help and establish more agreed upon rules for the group. This will help all members feel a sense of ownership, and provide for a greater adherence to the group expectations. In stage 1 confidentiality will be addressed within the group. Students will be informed that information discussed within the group is expected to stay in the group; this will create an emphasis on the trust between one another. Anyone who breaks that trust will most likely be removed from the group and, either moved to another group, or no longer allowed to participate in the small group counseling sessions. In stage 1 it will be stressed that students are all each others "keepers." They are all there for the same purpose and should feel a sense of unity with one another that goes beyond their regular homeroom setting. However, students will also be told that, while we are putting trust in one another in the group, there is always a risk that a member may divulge private information. So students will be reminded that they always have the option of not sharing information they feel uncomfortable doing so.

Stage 2:
During stage 2 students will be working together to accomplish individual and group goals. Most lessons in the group will fall into stage 2 as this is the "doing" stage where bonds are further reinforced and progress is made. In order to maintain engagement and "buy in" to the group, the lessons will alternate activities that will practice social skills so that meetings will not stagnate with the students. There will be a mix of artistic expression/drawing, writing, flash cards, read aloud, and role-playing to keep students engaged and promote fresh feeling in each meeting. During this stage, activities will be implemented to have students interact with one another and the group, so that they get a change to practice the skills learned and further the bonds being made. 

Stage 3:
This stage will be working toward the closure of the group. Upon the last lesson, the counselor will guide students in a group discussion to voice what they found most meaningful in the group. For some it may have been the skills learned, the chance to practice skills without fear from the general classroom population, or even the bond formed within the small group. The school counselor will be aware that for many this can be a sad moment when the group closes. Students will then be asked to free write in their journals how they plan to implement the skills they have learned when the group no longer meets. The counselor will ask, "Are these skills we worked on together in this group applicable when you leave 5th grade and move on to middle school?" This should stimulate the understanding that these are lasting skills the students will carry throughout their school careers. 
Students will then be asked to sign the same pledge of confidentiality from that moment moving forward. This will ensure they understand that just because the group meetings are over, they are still bound by trust to keep information confidential.
There will be a brief follow up meeting with The Champions group during the last day of school. This will be an opportunity to share how they have been impacted by the group and the skills practiced. Because there won't be a follow up during the summer, the school counselor will collaborate with the 6th grade counselor to set up a meeting at the start of the following school year via Zoom. This will add to the cohesive feeling of the group with hopes of each student maintaining the progress they have made. ]]> 2022-04-21 05:00:54 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151469145 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151470447 The Champions group will utilize Participative Leadership, also called Democratic Leadership. The members of this small group will mostly be younger students, ages 10 to 11. Students of this age still need to have an authoritative leader to guide the group and help to establish the norms and procedures. But this style of leadership will still allow for members to express themselves, provide input, and interact with one another. All the while, the school counselor will still have maintain the authority to guide the group counseling sessions as they see fit. This small group will be focusing heavily on imploring members to participate in various ways, and Participative Leadership will allow that to happen without compromising the structure needed for younger students. ]]> 2022-04-21 05:02:12 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151470447 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151472351 Throughout the three stages of The Champions small group counseling sessions, there will most likely be a few of Yalom's Therapeutic Factors observed. First and foremost is  Instillation of Hope, belief that the counseling group can and will be effective. The counselor will be making every attempt from the start of the group meetings to ensure complete buy-in. If the students can completely believe in the group meetings, then this Instillation of Hope could be a significant driving force to maintain the momentum of the group. Next would be Universality, or the understanding that we are not alone in our misery or issues. Because of the dynamics in the groups selected, the goal will be to place students on similar levels and with similar deficits in the group together. The goal in doing this would be to promote Universality almost immediately. This factor would also help to strengthen the bonds within the group. The development of socializing techniques will be a very large focus among the lessons in the group. To begin with, the students will be selected based on those who have suffering social skills. These skills are the main goals for the group and are what the SLOs are based on.  Direct Advice will also be observed, as the students will be receiving and giving suggestions for strategies to help them in handling problems they face. Finally,  Interpersonal learning will be another of Yalom's factors which will be observed. Students will be receiving feedback from others and practicing with new ways of responding and relating to scenarios around them.]]> 2022-04-21 05:04:17 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151472351 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151473846 The Texas Administrative Code (TAC) provides all of the legal framework that needs to be adhered to for all Comprehensive School Counseling Programs. In reviewing these, TAC 239.15(c)(3) is the most notable code that is being adhered to with the formation of The Champions small group counseling. It states that the school counselor will "counsel individuals and small groups using appropriate counseling theories and techniques in response to students' needs." This code is being executed by the formation of this group. ]]> 2022-04-21 05:06:08 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151473846 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151474933 The Texas Administrative Code 239.15(c)(6) is a TAC that is being adhered to in the formation of this small group counseling. The TAC states that the school counselor will "demonstrate proficiency in teaching small and large groups by actively engaging students in the learning process." This is being carried out by the lessons that The Champions will be participating in every week. The students will be actively engaged in different ways at every meeting. This will ensure that participants are taking an active role in the learning and growing process. ]]> 2022-04-21 05:07:22 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151474933 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151475963  ASCA. (2021). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success.  https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452- 4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf 

Cherry, K. (2022). What is democratic leadership?. Very Well Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-democratic-leadership2795315 

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. https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/guid-respon-serv-smallgroup-counseling-guide-2015.pdf 

19 Tex. Admin. Code §239.15 
 
Thomas, V. & Pender, D. (2008). Association for specialists in group work: Best practice guidelines 2007 revisions. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33(2), 111-117. http://doi: 10.1080/01933920801971184 ]]> 2022-04-21 05:08:24 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2151475963 mevans227 https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2152944565 2022-04-22 02:05:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mevans227/9amfevkj7euv69p9/wish/2152944565