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

M 4 - Self-confidence in ability to succeed

B-SMS 7 - Effective coping skills

B-SS 3 - Use effective communication skills

B-SS 6 - Demonstrate empathy

Flyers - I will distribute flyers around the non-profit where I am located and local libraries, containing enough information that both parents and children can understand.

Referral Forms - Giving referral forms to parents, teachers, and other professionals allows them to refer any children who might benefit from the group.

Non-Profit Organization Website - Information about the counseling group will be uploaded onto the website, allowing anyone who checks the website to be made aware of it.

Inform: Once I have gathered potential participants for a pre-group interview, I will inform them about the basic information of the group during the interview. I will share what the group topic is and the age range for the participants. Along with when the group will meet and how long. They will be informed of the expectations of the group and the benefits.

Assess: I will then conduct a brief interview to get an understanding of the potential participants' interest in the group. I will ask questions that cover their interest and motivation in joining the group, their understanding of the group's purpose, and ask about their willingness to participate, respect confidentiality, and follow the group's rules.

Screening: Screening of participants will be done individually. During the screening, I will be assessing their emotional readiness and ability to participate in the small group. Also, assess whether they will benefit from the group and will contribute to the group dynamic positively. Along with screening for any safety risks or concerns that could interfere with the participant's participation.

Selection: The participants will be selected based on their willingness to participate, follow guidelines and rules, benefit from the group, and show alignment with the expectations.

This pre-group interview/screening follows the TAP-In pre-group interview screening process. This insures that the correct participants are chosen for the group who are going to be motivated to participate.

According to ACA (2014), when counseling minors, incapacitated adults, or other persons unable to give voluntary consent, counselors seek the assent of clients to services and include them in the decision making as appropriate. Counselors recognize the need to balance the ethical rights of clients to make choices, their capacity to give consent or assent to receive services, and parental or familial legal rights and responsibilities to protect these clients and make decisions on their behalf.

Parental Consent: Parents will receive a consent form that contains information about the purpose of the group, when it will be held, risks and benefits, expectations, and confidentiality limits.

Student Assents: Students will receive an assent form. This form will provide a simplified version of the consent form for them to sign.

Predetermined Rules:

• Respect Confidentiality

• If one doesn't want to share, they have the right to pass.

• Listen respectfully

• Use kind and respectful words

Group-Determined Rules:

• Participants will be able to establish additional rules they feel are important to add to make the group feel safe and comfortable. These rules will be created within the first session and will continue to be held through the rest of the groups.

• I will first begin by building relationships and trust within the group. Do this by first leading an icebreaker. This allows the group to feel comfortable with each other.

• Then will introduce the norms of the group, along with creating group norms with the group.

• I will also explain about confidentiality and its limits. We will discuss how confidentiality cannot be guaranteed and whether they are responsible for keeping the secrets of other members.

• We will co-create a poster of the group rules to put up so that members can remember the rules each session.

Stage 2 - Working Together

• Will use structured activities during the group each week to make sure we reach the learning outcomes.

• Do check-ins to start the session every time.

• Make sure the cohesion of the group is still displaying encouragement and respect.

Stage 3 - Ending the Group

• During the final session, we will do reflections on what they have learned.

• Explore how everyone is feeling with the group ending. Making sure they are aware that it is okay to feel sad that it is ending.

• Provide each of the members with a brochure of all the coping strategies that were discussed during the group sessions.

• A follow-up plan will be set up to encourage continued growth and prevent any possible feelings of abandonment.

• Children to feel encouraged to share their feelings and thoughts about worrying thoughts and coping strategies.

• Builds confidence within the group members, which is one of the learning outcomes for the group.

• Encourages collaboration with the participants in creating group norms and rules

• Instillation of Hope - Faith that the treatment mode can and will be effective.

• Universality - Demonstration that we are not alone in our misery or our "problems".

• Imparting of information - Didactic instruction about mental health, mental illness, psychodynamics, or whatever else might be the focal problem of the group.

• Altruism - Opportunity to rise out of oneself and help somebody else; the feeling of usefulness.

• Development of socializing techniques - social learning or development of interpersonal skills.

American School Counselor Association. (2021). ASCA mindsets & behaviors for student success: K-12 college-, career- and life- readiness standards for every student. Author. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/mindsets-behaviors.pdf

Cherry, K. (2023). How to Lead: 6 Leadership Styles and Frameworks. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312#toc-participative-leadership-democratic

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

• As a counselor, I must obtain informed consent from parents before minors can participate in the group.

• This document protects the rights of both the participant and their families.

• It also ensures that both the parent and participant understand the purpose and goals of the group.

• Since this counseling involves working with children who have worrying thoughts, counselors need to take precautions to avoid emotional or psychological harm.

• This code of ethics ensures that I am actively monitoring the group's interactions and activities to keep a safe environment.