The counselor will conduct a Google survey at the beginning of the year for all seniors. Based upon that survey, the counselor will pull all students who stated they were First Generation College-bound Students. From those students, the counselor will pull the data of students with a  GPA from 2.5-3.5 from Skyward to narrow down the candidates. 

The counselor will send out a pdf of a flyer to the large pool of candidates through Signal Vine  (a two-way messaging platform between the counselor and student) explaining the purpose of the group and meeting times.  The student will be prompted to reply "yes" or "no" for more information. For students who reply "yes", they will be called in for one on one conferences and will be screened in order to participate. Parents of the students who replied "yes" will also be notified via Signal Vine regarding their interest in the group.

Inform: Students will be informed about the First Gen Wins group through Signal Vine, a two-way messaging platform. The counselor will confirm the GPA and credits to ensure that the students who reply "yes" to the Signal Vine message meet the requirements to participate in the group. Upon confirmation, the student will be sent a Calendly link to schedule a one-on-one pre-conference with the counselor.

Assess: During the pre-conference, the counselor will TELL the student what the group is about, ASK if the student is interested or committed, and PICK the participants (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015). During the "TAP-In" approach, students will be made aware of confidentiality, Student Learning Outcomes, and expectations. Students will take a pre-assessment to survey their commitment, readiness, and areas of need. The survey questions will be open-ended and on a Likert scale of 1-10 to measure progress.

Select: The counselor will select ten students to participate in the first group based on the student responses and interviews. Each participant will receive a packet for their guardians to review which includes the 6-week small group lessons, objectives, and consent forms. Students who are not selected for the first group will have the opportunity to join a group at a later time or will meet individually with the counselor to discuss their needs. 

Stage 3
Students will have learned and practiced coping and transition skills as they prepare for college and will be expected to use them as the group closes. Students will complete a post-assessment survey and provide the facilitator with feedback. Students will share their goals and discuss their experiences within the group. Students will be allowed to exchange information in order to keep in touch but will be reminded that even after the group ends, the information shared is still considered confidential.  The counselor will follow up with each student individually once a month to determine their needs and offer support if needed.

 

Sec. 33.003.  PARENTAL CONSENT.  The board of trustees of each school district shall adopt guidelines to ensure that written consent is obtained from the parent, legal guardian, or person entitled to enroll the student under Section 25.001(j) for the student to participate in those activities for which the district requires parental consent. 

Counselors must inform guardians of the objectives, goals, and expectations of the group. It may be difficult to gain consent from parents of First Generation College Students due to the lack of knowledge regarding post-secondary education. Parents may feel as though this topic is not important or prefer their child stay home to work. The counselor is responsible for gaining consent if the student is a minor and may have to schedule a parent/student conference to explain the purpose of the group and gain consent.

2 Texas Education Code § 33

Subchapter A. School Counselors and Counseling Programs. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.33.htm#33.000

Amirkhan, J.H., Manalo, R., Jr., & Velasco, S.E. (2022). Stress overload in first-generation college students: Implications for intervention. Psychological Services. Advance online publication, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ser0000650

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center

ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. (n.d). https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Cherry, K. (2022). What are prominent leadership styles and frameworks you should know? Verywell Mind. 

https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312 

 

Education Code Title 2. Chapter 33. service programs and extracurricular activities. (n.d.). https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.33.htm#33.000 

 

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. 

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 A.7.b. Confidentiality and Advocacy: Counselors obtain client consent prior to engaging in advocacy efforts on behalf of an identifiable client to improve the provision of services and to work toward the removal of systemic barriers or obstacles that inhibit client access, growth, and development (American Counseling Association, 2014).

Students must trust that their counselors have their best interests in mind when they are facilitating small groups. Students are more likely to build trust when counselors explain confidentiality and advocate for their students. Students are able to build healthy relationships as they transition into college by staying true to this ethic.