Organization for Success by Kirsten Sartin

Action Plan

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-04 17:25:31 UTC

Organization for Success is for freshman in high school. Students will work on learning study habits, organization, goal setting, and time management to increase academic success and lower levels of stress.

ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-04 21:40:30 UTC

Through this group, students will master the following standards for mindset (ASCA, n.d.):

M 3. Positive attitude toward work and learning
M 4. Self-confidence in their ability to succeed
M 5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes

Students will also master the following standards for behavioral learning strategies (ASCA, n.d.):

B-LS 3. Time-management, organizational, and study skills

Publicity

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-04 22:54:19 UTC

A mass email will be sent out to teachers of freshman students asking them to recommend students for the group. I will also make flyers to put in their mailbox as an additional reminder to reach out with their recommendations. I will follow up with teachers biweekly through email asking for their input.

Screening Process

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-04 22:59:57 UTC

Any student recommended for the group will have their attendance, grades, and behavior referrals checked. If they qualify according to good attendance, borderline grades, and non-violent behaviors, I will meet with each student individually. I would share the purpose of the group, along with the expectations. I would ask if they would be interested in this particular group, or if they have any reservations. If they have no concerns, then I will reach out to their parents for their consent.

Parental Consent

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-04 23:01:37 UTC

An email will be sent out to the parents of students who qualify asking them to fill out a consent form if they would allow their child to participate in the group. If I do not hear back from a parent within a week, I will reach out by phone. Through conversation, I will explain the group purpose and ask if it is something they would be interested in their student participating in. If so, I would require them to fill out the form offering to resend it by email, or sending home a paper copy.

The attached form is an example of a consent form that would be sent home (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

Guidelines and Ground Rules

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-04 23:21:35 UTC

This document is a conversation starter about what the rules mean and how it would look within our group.

The non-negotiables include:

Confidentiality: Anything said in the group does not leave the group.
Respect: This includes the tone and language we use with one another as well as allowing each member to have their time to share and not dominate the conversation.
Be open-minded: The activities we will do and the conversations held will be beneficial if you are willing to open your mind to new information.

The first meeting will provide an opportunity to produce any other guidelines the group wishes to implement. They will be discussed and agreed upon as a whole.

The attached form is an example of a Guidelines/Ground rules form that could be used to facilitate converstation (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

References

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-05 23:01:14 UTC

19 Tex. Admin. Code §239.15

American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document

-library/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics.pdf?sfvrsn=55ab73d0_1

ASCA. (n.d.). ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. In ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for

Student Success. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/mindsets-behaviors.pdf

Cherry, Kendra. (2024, June 20). How transformational leadership can inspire others. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what

-is-transformational-leadership-2795313

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.

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

Group Dynamics

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-05 23:06:23 UTC

Stage 1: During the first session, non-negotiables will be discussed, and students will be a part of setting any other ground rules for the group. We will use some of our time during each session to get to know each other and build stronger relationships between students as well as the students and the leader. While our topic of focus is organization, there is always a chance students will open up about personal concerns during our sessions. Since this is a possibility, we will establish an expectation that anything said during our time together will not be repeated outside of our meeting.

Stage 2: Students will have the opportunity to create their own organizational system, daily and weekly to-do lists, and goals among other things. Students can collaborate during this time and share what they find helpful, or what is not working for them. They can ask for support from peers and the leader in completing their tasks.

Stage 3: Students will have time to share any goals, strategies, or other findings they are proud of with the group. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled with each student individually for a few weeks after the end of our group sessions to check if students are utilizing their new skills or need any support with implementing the skills. I will also reach out to the student's teachers and parents around this time to see if they are seeing an improvement in their level of academic success and time management.

Leadership Style

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-05 23:08:54 UTC

I believe the transformational leadership style would be most appropriate. Transformational leaders inspire and motivate their students to reach their full potential while being an active, positive participant who takes ownership of their learning (Cherry, 2024). The goal of the group is to increase academic success and reduce stress by acquiring skills in organization, time management, and study habits. The leader would be motivating students to keep a positive attitude and improve their skills through practice.

Therapeutic Factors

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-05 23:09:30 UTC

Several of Yalom's Therapeutic Factors apply to this group:

There will be universality between members considering they are all in the group to improve their level of organization and time management (Yalom, 1995).
Students will give and receive direct advice from both peers and the leader (Yalom, 1995).
These students are most likely experiencing a level of stress due to a lack of organization and time management. Instillation of Hope means students will have faith the skills they are learning from the group sessions can and will be effective (Yalom, 1995).

Legal Requirements

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-05 23:09:59 UTC

Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code states a school counselor must know and understand how culture can have an impact on both individuals and groups (TAC § 239.15). It also states small group counseling must be approached with appropriate counseling theories and techinques as described in The Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs (TAC § 239.15).

Ethical Requirements

kmoore74_1 — 2025-02-05 23:10:05 UTC

Section B.4.a of the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics states, "in group work, counselors clearly explain the importance and parameters of confidentiality for the specific group (American Counseling Association, 2014). There is no mention of confidentiality only being needed for sensitive subjects. Therefore, this supports the need for confidentiality within Organization for Success as well.