In addition to notifying parents of the small group within the weekly newsletter, the counselors will also send emails to parents of students who are "at-risk" and currently failing two or more classes by the fourth week of school.

Notify Staff:
Since staff are usually inundated with emails, the counselors will briefly introduce the counseling groups and how it may affect their schedule as sessions progress.

Informed consent is a key component of the provision of group counseling services. Once a student has been identified as being appropriate for counseling, he or she will be provided an informed consent form to bring home for their parent(s) or guardian(s) to review and sign. These forms will include information about the counseling that is to be provided, the goals of counseling, and the risks and benefits of counseling. Students will then bring this form back to the counselor so that it was be securely stored on file. 

Stage 1:
As the counselor, I plan to build relationships between group members and myself by introducing myself to the group and building connections with the students. Psychological safety and connections are vital in building trust with the students in each group session, especially the first meeting. I plan on having each student briefly introduce themselves in order to feel a bit more comfortable and acquainted with interacting with others in the group. We will set explicit expectations and norms as a group. I will continue to reinforce and model those norms throughout the sessions. We can keep a written copy of these norms to review at the start of each session. I will also discuss the importance of confidentiality, and their responsibility as a contributing group member.

Stage 2:
The expectation is that group members are contributing to each session. As the counselor, I will facilitate and encourage conversations amongst group members. In order to ensure progression towards our learning outcomes, we will state them at the start of each session. I plan on checking-in with each group member by sending out concise surveys to gauge the individual progress. If group members do not fill in the check-in surveys, I will bring them into my office to discuss their growth. 

 

Stage 3:
In closing the group counseling sessions, we will review the importance of confidentiality and utilizing the skills they've learned throughout the sessions. I plan on sending a group closure survey to help determine the feelings of group members. Lastly, I will schedule a follow-up sessions around a month after the final meeting. In this follow-up session, we will discuss lasting impact and successes. 

I would use a democratic/participative leadership style when working with my group. I feel that this approach would work best because it involves each member equally so that they can have input into the activities and discussion topics. I think that this population would be more productive using this model. Furthermore, group members can give feedback about the lessons, whether they discovered anything to be more or less helpful, etc. 

(1)  participate in planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive developmental guidance program to serve all students and to address the special needs of students:

(A)  who are at risk of dropping out of school, becoming substance abusers, participating in gang activity, or committing suicide.

Student Standards; Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success. Alexandria, VA: Author.

Cherry, Kendra. (2023, June 27). 6 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. Retrieved from https://www.missouricareereducation.org/doc/smallgroup/SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

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

2 Texas Education Code § 33