The name of my group is called Stress Less. I will be working with 9th graders (14-15 years old) students who are considered economically disadvantaged on stress management skills and strategies to reduce anxiety.

American School Counselor Association (2021) states, “school counselors provide culturally sustaining instruction, appraisal and advisement, and counseling to help all students demonstrate: self-management skills (B-SMS 6. Ability to identify and overcome barriers and B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills” (p. 1).

Economically disadvantaged students face a big challenges and it impacts test scores. https://www.needanotherlook.com/economically-disadvantaged#: 

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

For students, the school counselor plans on spreading the information by posting flyers around the campus, posting on the counselor corner's social media page, and send out a daily announcement during the students' advisory period. 

For teachers and administrators, the school counselors will send out a recommendation form using Google Forms that allows them to recommend a student that they feel would benefit from Stress Less. The Google Form will only be sent to core teachers and to all administrators on campus. The school counselors will give two weeks to give everyone the time and consideration to submit any requests. 

The school counselor will screen the participants individually during a one-on-one meeting with the student. After all teacher and administrator recommendations are made, the school counselor will determine which students are selected based on the screening and selection process.

Stage 2: The school counselor plans to keep the members working together cohesively by modeling and reviewing the ground rules, giving reminders on the group’s goals, and offering support and praise. Furthermore, the school counselor will chime in to alleviate any conflict or arguments within the group. The school counselor will monitor the process by facilitating a conversation, typically at the end of each session that discusses their goals and take-aways from each topic or session. In addition, the school counselor will provide positive feedback and thank the participants for sharing and being vulnerable.

Stage 3: For group closure, the school counselor plans to put together a portfolio for each of the participants as well as facilitate an “ending conversation” on the key points and take-aways from stress management and healthy coping techniques such as mindfulness. The school counselor will conduct and assess a post-assessment using Google Forms that will quiz the student’s knowledge on stress management, terminology, as well as ask any feedback for the next group. In addition, the school counselor will provide online resources for students to further enhance their well-being. Additionally, the school counselor will discuss the importance of confidentiality even when the group ends. It is important for everyone to maintain confidentiality and continue to be supportive to each other. To conclude, the school counselor will thank everyone for their trust and participation, provide additional resources to the student and families, and conduct a follow-up session after two weeks of when the session officially ends to check-in with the students. 

A participative leadership (democratic) approach would work best for my specific population because being an authoritarian where one tells the group what to do without barely any input from the group will break the group apart in terms of trust and relationship-building. Participative leadership displays collaboration, communication, and commitment to the entire group, which are all three key aspects in creating a positive and effective group environment. 

This local law states that the district is responsible for providing resources and interventions to students and families. As a future school counselor who will conduct group counseling, it is important to know that it is the role of the school counselor to support, address, and promote programs and interventions to support the students’ mental health and well-being.

19 Tex. Admin. Code §239.15 discusses the school counselor’s knowledge, skills, and standards. “The certified school counselor must know and understand the characteristics and educational needs of special populations” (19 Tex. Admin. Code §239.15). 

This is significant to know because the participants of Stress Less are considered economically-disadvantaged students. So therefore, the school counselor must understand the leadership style and ways to engage the students in a positive and welcoming environment. Unintended Consequences (2023) states, “in particular, children living in poverty exhibit lower executive function (impulse control, emotional regulation, attention management, task prioritization, working memory, etc.) because their energy is focused on basic survival functions. The impact on test scores due to economic disadvantage is significant” (para. 2). As the school counselor conducting a group session, knowing who the participants are and where they come from is essential while maintaining an effective group session.