Category 1 and nearly all that are laid forth in Category 2.

Category 1:

In this group, students are focused on navigating the perils of entering into college as we strive to grow beyond the confines of situations and sercomestances and rise above and beyond by putting in the work to not only apply for college and Financial aid but to identify job sources, workforce center as well as organizations to help get them involved in there college community as well locate campus health clinics and counseling resources that are available to them on/off campus. Students are in a small group setting of sercomstanctial-like individuals who will be working within the group as well as in buddy systems outside of the group to help provide and build a support system within the school dynamic. Students will also be encouraged to reach out to their case workers, will be introduced and begin to work with the workforce center, and open lines of communication with admissions departments of the schools they are applying for as well as to the department heads for the degree that they will be seeking. Meetings will start off by engaging and celebrating all small milestones throughout the progression of the program and providing support from each other outside of meeting times. Students will be given the tools to create small goals that lead to the success of their larger goal, showing them that it is entirely possible for them to succeed in this endeavor.

Category 2:

Students begin with critical thinking skills as they begin to search for four schools that offer their degree plan and that they meet the qualifications for, and make informed decisions on where they will be applying. Expectations of when applications will be in monitoring deadlines and pre-preparing necessary information and data for things such as FASFA and scholarship applications will be vital. Students outside of the group will be encouraged to check in with their "buddy" to encourage them to help each other along and provide valuable support throughout the process. While students will be working towards their long-term goals, the foundation work and short-term goals to help them be successful and reach their long-term goals will also be addressed and laid into place as set by the students themselves. Due to the longevity of this group and its structure, all of the self-management skills will be addressed throughout the duration of this group, and all but B-SS 10, "Cultural Awareness, sensitivity, and Responsiveness," are built within this group.

Students will be called in for a brief, individual conversation with me to determine their level of interest, as well as permission forms and group meeting information to be taken home to their guardians with additional contact information for myself so that guardians can reach out with any additional questions they might have.

Group communications between students, parents, and myself shall be through Parent Square and/or if Parent Square is unavailable.

The link above is from TEA about what PEIMS is.

Within the meeting, we will discuss the purpose of the small group, and I will work through the checklist attached to help keep a record of who are viable candidates for this.

Students who meet the criteria and have the overall interest and desire to do this will be sent home the permission slips listed in the communications section.

It should also be mentioned that students who have recently been placed in foster care may not benefit from this group as the trauma might be too recent, and a more one-on-one situation might be best.

Brady ISD utilizes Parent Square, and I find that there is value in reaching out to the guardians the day papers are going out with an informative pamphlet about the group, its rules, and the desired outcomes of the group. In this same message, I will be letting guardians know that consent forms are being sent home, as well as attaching digital copies of the information I have provided.

I feel that this will be one of the most effective styles of working with this group, as it will help encourage them to keep moving forward. It is important to help them celebrate the small milestones and to see that what they want and the steps they are taking toward their future matter.

On the first visit, it will be important to set the boundaries; this group could easily slip into unintended tricky subjects because all members were/are in foster care. Due to this, it is important to also set the boundary with the group as a whole that their past situations and sercomestances that brought them to this group are not up for discussion in the group as this group is about giving them the ability to rise up and above. Stressing that it is important that the backbone of this is respect, trust, and confidentiality.

This will later be expanded upon when they expand their "buddy" system by combining with another group to form a group of four and then begin to utilize each member for accountability and support.

While in the group, we will work to build trust through common threads. Each student has been in foster care, each one wants to go to college, and each one needs guidance on how to get there.

While at a previous position with a previous district, I worked with many students who were a part of this denomination. We focused heavily on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The reason is if a student is not getting their basic needs met, they can not learn until the basic needs are met. Thus, how I conduct myself with this denomination of students is going to be important. In order for a foster care student to be successful, they need to know that someone believes in them and that their goals/dreams matter.

It is important for me to conduct myself in a way that shows the students that they matter and that their goals are real, yet continuing to maintain a professional tone to the meetings.

After the first few meetings, we will shift to giving positive "props" about their accountability partner and their progress and/or something they are proud of themselves and their progress about.

The purpose of the first part is to acknowledge that each of the students in there has reserves and fears about this next step in life. The switch is to get the kids to begin to see the small positive steps they are taking to reach their goals. The hope is that this will encourage the students to keep pursuing this, that it is entirely achievable, and that they are surrounded by others who understand what they are going through.

I plan on being present in the halls during passing periods and want to catch each student once a week; in the beginning, to check in with them and see how they are progressing and if they need any help.

Eventually, the accountability pairs will merge with another group to create groups of four they should check in with each individual of the four-person group once before the next visit to check and see how things are going with their applications, gathering information for scholarships and FASFA. In this, they should be building a support system among each other that is not solely dependent upon me.

Having the students have accountability buddies can also help them move forward after the group's ending because they still have members from the group that they can check in with and talk with. Again, providing support.

Universality: this group is comprised of like individuals in the fact that they have each been in foster care and each wants to go to college. Given this is a closed group with very specific requirements. This can help students find that they are not alone in their quest for higher education or in their past circumstances.

Imparting Information: In this group, students gain the knowledge of how to be successful in applying for college, financial aid, and housing, as well as identifying if their school has a clinic and counseling center as well as the local workforce center and potential job opportunities while in school.

Altruism: The student body systems can help students realize they have something to offer by checking in with each other and helping each other through the process of applications and through the waiting game.

Corrective Recapitulation of Primary Family Group: This is not something we will be working with within this group.

Development of Socializing Techniques: Students are expected to hold conversations with there "buddy", however, they are also required to reach out and hold discussions with admission departments, financial aid, department heads, and workforce centers.

Imitative Behavior: could potentially take place within this group during group work but also in there check in times with there buddies. It is reasonable to think that not everyone is going to understand everything we go over in the class in the moment, this giving way to the ability for the students to learn from and by each other.

Group Cohesiveness: It is my hope that through this group, a sense of comenality will help begin to billed the group cohesiveness.

Catharsis: Is a slipery sloap with this group. While it is encouraged for students to discuss there thoughts and feelings on the application processes... it is discouraged discussing the past that put them in foster care.

Existential Factors: Students who are in foster care dream of college just the same as any other student dose. However they more often then not have barricades preventing there ability to do so. This group is designed to teach them they can do this, in spite of everything else.

"the roles and responsibilities of a comprehensive school counseling program that emphasizes college and career readiness and postsecondary options for all students, including college admissions, college financial aid resources, application procedures, and workforce and career opportunities"

This is the basis for the selection of the curriculum we will be covering within this small group. B(10) furthermore states

"the characteristics and educational needs of special populations"

Which serves as the basis for the selection of this special population that struggles to get into, let alone be successful in the post-secondary education realm. Furthermore, based on research it shows a disturbing trend of foster care students who, even once they make it into college, "stopping out." the development of this group addresses not only the need for guidance and education for this population of students but also the importance of a support system being built and put into place for this students success.

" Provide and advocate for all students’ pre-K–postsecondary career awareness, exploration, and postsecondary planning and decision-making to support students’ right to choose from the wide array of career and postsecondary options, including but not limited to college/university, career and technical school, military or workforce. "

Based on this, it is fair to say that school counselors have a moral responsibility to ensure that ALL students not only have the opportunity to learn about post-secondary educational opportunities but rather that it is the school counselors' ethical responsibility to guide students and support them in not only learning but through the processes that lead to life long learning even into post-secondary education.

This small group setting is furthermore ethically represented on page 4 in A.7 and A.8 as they discuss group work and student-peer support programs.

in A.7(e) it states " Facilitate short-term groups to address students’ academic achievement, postsecondary and career exploration, and social/emotional well-being. " This again reaffirms the basis of this group's curriculum. While A.8(C) discusses the importance of maintaining confidentiality within the group.