I feel________ when you_______ and I want you to ________. 

The group leader or co-leaders will give an example of how to use an I-message in a bullying example and then participants will be paired up to choose images of conflict situations where they can practice using I-messages.  Topics will include things such as pushing, cutting in line, bullying, or excluding behavior.  The leader can then go around to the pairs and offer feedback and encouragement.
  

-Participants will learn the I-message formula and how to use it effectively in conflict situations.

-Participants will gain confidence in expressing how they feel and how someone’s actions are affecting them.

-What did it feel like for you to use the I-messages?

-Is there anything that might stop you from using an I-message if someone is bullying you?

-What support or coping strategies do you have if you are finding it difficult to use an I-message with a bully?

Reference:
Jong-Un Kim. (2006). The Effect of A Bullying Prevention Program on Responsibility and Victimization of Bullied Children in Korea. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 26(1), 4–8.

 

Our group decided to focus on elementary school children who have experienced bullying. In a school setting, it is possible that some students in the group may already know each other however, it is important to have the students interact both positively, and differently from how they have typically acted towards each other outside of the group. One way to do this would be an ice breaker game called two truths and a lie. This is an entertaining way that everyone will be able to interact with one another while getting to know each other. In this game, each member will list two facts about themselves and one lie. Everyone else will try to decide which is the lie out of the three statements given. 

 

After the introductions, it is important to then go over the confidentiality statement, purpose, and structure of the group. A student’s right to privacy and confidentiality is the basis for an effective counseling relationship. Confidentiality ensures that school counselors won’t share what is discussed between the students and the counselors except when the student authorizes it or when there is a clear and present danger to the student and/or to other persons. Expressing this to the group is important because it can also establish rapport. 

It is also important to provide a refresher from the pre-group interviews that group members are expected to also support a confidential environment by not sharing what other group members say during the group sessions.  While confidentiality is the goal, participants also need to know and understand that it is not guaranteed in the group setting.

 

Once the group members have introduced themselves and we have discussed the confidentiality statement, it is important to talk about how the group works and the group parameters. Some major topics are ground rules, the role of the group leader, and interventions.  

Reference:
Bell, A. 20 Closure Activities - Mrs. Bell The Crafty
Counselor. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from
https://mrsbellthecraftycounselor.com/2019/09/closure-activities/

This small group activity will teach the students to use calming techniques such as breathing or counting backwards to maintain their composure when put into stressful situations.  The students will be shown how to use these techniques by the leader of the group through role playing and then they will also be put into stressful situations and coached through the process (Kim, 2006).  This will be a great skill for the students to learn as they will learn to settle their minds in stressful situations that will allow them to deescalate the bullying situations that they encounter, and they will also have confidence that they are able to handle stressful situations by slowing things down in the moment.
  

-Participants will learn self-control techniques in stressful situations to remain in control of the situation. 
 
 

-Participants will gain confidence that they can utilize these techniques to help deescalate conflict 

 

Discuss with the students:

-  if they feel that they will be able to use the self-control techniques described when they are in the moment 

-  to imagine that they were in their last bullying situation and if they had a chance to slow things down by practicing self-control, would they have handled the situation differently and if so how? 

Kim, J. (2006). The Effect of A Bullying Prevention Program on Responsibility and Victimization of Bullied Children in Korea. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 26(1), 4–8.

Reference:

Cassalman, C. and Drabant, S. (2021, April 23). [Michigan Medicine].  Mindfulness  Breathing and Directed Doodling [Video].  YouTube.  https://youtu.be/3S6JuNKN96s

Kim, J. (2006). The Effect of A Bullying Prevention Program on Responsibility and Victimization of Bullied Children in Korea. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 26(1), 4–8.

 

The closing session, or the termination session, is a time to review the client’s achievements and to reinforce plans for maintaining good mental health. Therapy is completed when a client has achieved their goals outlined in the treatment plan. When therapeutic goals are nearing completion, the counselor discusses the client’s readiness to terminate and their feelings relating to ending therapy, whether positive or negative.

 

Many group sessions are ended with rituals. The ritual that we chose to end our final group sessions is called you impacted me. In this ritual, students will take turns sharing how each group member positively impacted them during group sessions. It could be something they said, shared or how they treated others. It is a nice way for students to hear how they have had an impact on others to remember and take away from the group.

Reference:
Corey, M. S., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2018). Groups: Process and practice (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.