The counselor should also keep in mind the school’s diverse community and whether the selected participants reflect the student body and those children feel welcomed and included in the meetings; representation matters.

It will be vital as well to meet with students independently to discuss the need for confidentiality and to access their maturity level. It will be important to establish that these sessions will be opportunities for student participants to be open and honest and each member should be held accountable as a member in keeping confidentiality and respecting each member's story.

The counselor facilitator should follow the ASCA ethical guidelines and affirm at the start of each meeting that they will maintain each student's privacy according to established ethical and professional guidelines in order to protect the safety and security of the group members and anyone who could be affected by their actions.

Parents should receive a handout prior to the start of the group meetings advising them of the ethical and professional standards that the counselor will uphold during the meeting's lifetime.

Some questions on the survey would solicit a simple “yes” or “no” response; however, each question should have an area/space where students can elaborate on a question if needed.

1.      Do you think and feel that the group’s topic/theme was directly and effectively addressed during the overall meeting period?

2.      Were your individual concerns and comments recognized and respected during the meetings?

3.      Did you have a clear understanding of the meeting’s format, structure, and purpose before it began?

4.      Was the environment welcoming to you and did it allow you the freedom to express your thoughts?

5.      Did the counselor clearly state expectations at the initial meeting?  Were they upheld by the counselor and your fellow group members?

6.      Did you think and feel that everyone had sufficient time to address concerns in the meetings; did it seem that any person dominated the time and prevented others from speaking?

7.      Was there time at the end of each session to reflect on what was discussed or to give time to clarify any issues?

8.      Did the counselor dominate the meetings or did he or she move the conversation along to make sure it flowed correctly and to give time to every group member?

9.      Do you think and feel that you lived up to your commitments as an active participant in the group counseling meetings; why or why not?

10.  Would you recommend the group meetings to a fellow student? What do you think could improve it for future participants?

Parents of students at Walden Middle School, we will send a survey home for you and your student to fill out and then bring back to the student’s teacher. The reason for this survey is to see if there is a need for a group to meet to cover these topics. If there is a need for this group, then we will help your student overcome these challenges. 

Survey to families

Your school counselors are someone who can help you with some of the challenges listed below. Please answer “YES” to any items that you would like to learn more about. Each item begins with “I need”

·       help to adjust to the separation of someone due to jail time.                                    YES        NO         

·       help to adjust to the separation of parent(s) traveling for work.                                YES        NO Circle one (mother or father)

·       to have help dealing with the separation of the divorce of my parents               YES        NO

·       to have help dealing with the deportation of a family member                                 YES        NO

·       I know of one adult that I could talk to at Walden if I have a problem                            YES        NO

·       I know of one adult outside of school that I could talk to if I have a problem             YES        NO         

·       Increase protective coping skills for children who have experienced divorce or separation

·       Improve children’s appropriate expression of emotions about their family situation and resulting transition.

·       Foster positive self-esteem and resiliency in children

Objective 

·       Show age-appropriate coping abilities to children that connect with recognized issues and stressors through the arrangement of a supportive group therapy cycle.

·       Encourage, teach, and normalize positive feeling expression to children that encompass themes commonly reported in the literature and by the participants, i.e., self-blame, anger, grief, anxiety, and rejection, through a supportive group therapy cycle. 

·       Show age-appropriate abilities to assemble confidence, cultivate fearlessness, and advance children’s flexibility.

·       Provide each Parent with a parent resource bundle containing reference material, support assets, and instructive writing on separation and family changes.

Give these instructions: “You will each get a bag of questions. Take turns pulling out ONLY one question at a time. Each person in your group should answer the question and give a little bit of an explanation as to why they chose that answer. Discuss each question for about 1 minute. Don’t race through them! Talk to each other, get to know each other. It’s fine if you don’t get to all the questions as long as you are talking and asking each other questions. That’s what we want!”

Have students start the game. Give students a 1-minute warning when you are about to stop.

Walk around as students are playing and be sure everyone is being included, asking questions, and getting to talk. If needed, pause the game, and point out some of the good things you are seeing in order to get all groups back on track with engaging and not just going through the questions quickly. You can also stop in with a group and model how to engage by asking questions as someone gives their reason.

Put them in groups and then give these instructions:

“You will each get 3 cards. (It’s totally fine to just use blank paper). Write 1 thing on each card that you don’t mind the class knowing. It can be something you did this summer, one of your favorite things, a great accomplishment, something about your family, one of your hobbies, etc. Don’t tell anyone what you’re writing! You have 1 minute – please don’t talk when you finish.”

After the minute, give these instructions:

“Fold each card in half – please don’t fold it crazy – we want all the cards to look the same. Then put them in the middle of the group and mix them up well. Then one person draws one card and reads it. The group then guesses whose card it was. Try to keep a poker face! If you draw your own card, read it anyways and see if people can guess that it’s yours.” After the group, all guesses who they think it is, then whoever’s card it is should tell the group it is theirs and give them more information. Ex. If your card said, “I went to Colorado this summer” then you could follow up by saying I went with my family – I have a brother – and we went to the mountains and the hot springs.” If anyone in the group happened to have lived in Colorado, they might say “Oh, I used to live in Denver, did you go there?” etc. Stay on topic, but still get to know each other. Don’t race through!”

Walk around as students are playing and be sure everyone is being included, asking questions, and getting to talk. If needed, pause the game, and point out some of the good things you are seeing in order to get all groups back on track with engaging and not just going through the questions quickly. You can also stop in with a group and model how to engage by asking questions after it is discovered whose card was selected.

When you have about 2 minutes left, as the groups if there is anyone who didn’t get a turn to be sure they get to share something. (If you are worried about not having enough time for everyone, just have them do 1 thing instead of 2)

Without stepping on or bumping into anything or anyone, the walker must move backward through the course. This is only possible with the help of the partner. The walkers must trust that their partner will guide them safely throughout the course. If a walker turns around while on the course, steps on something, or bumps into anything, the pair has to start over. When a team makes it through the obstacle course successfully, they can switch places and navigate the course again.

This activity becomes age-appropriate for younger children if you create an area that requires walking forward to step over, climb under, move around, and go through obstacles. Have the walker close their eyes, or use blindfolds, so that the buddy can guide them through the course.

Leaders must take their teams from one side of the room to the other, navigating the cones. This means the leader must pay close attention to the team, and offer directions to people at the right time to avoid hitting a cone. Make it a race to see which team can finish first. Then switch leaders and repeat. Try to make everyone a leader one time.

•Certificates of completion

•Party – snacks and games

•Feelings post-assessment

•Process feelings of termination of the group
Ways to process

Consolidate their learning and develop strategies for transferring what they learned in the group to daily life. 

Express what the group experience has meant to them and state where they intend to go from here.

Process their feelings and thoughts about their experience in the group

Learn how to say goodbye

Give feedback 

Students benefit from knowing who is in their support system, when to access them, and how to access them. It is so powerful for a child to know that when they are upset or in trouble there is a support system they know how to access all on their own.

·Introduce the topic discussed in this session and ask a few questions to help students understand what the topic means and why it is essential.

•Activity 1 – Building a support system

•Activity 2 - support system worksheet
ask students to recite information we have talked about, or sometimes ask the students to share how they will implement what we learned. 

•Objective

•Helping to identify your allies and saboteurs

•Telling the difference between negative and positive influences

•Talk about what we have learned during the games

· Introduce the topic discussed in this session and ask a few questions to help students understand what the topic means and why it is essential.

•20 ways to increase self-esteem handout

•Activity 1 – Positive Affirmations

•Activity 2 – Self-esteem card game
After the activity, ask a few follow-up questions and quickly assess what the students have learned. 

•Objective

•Increase sense of self-worth

•Encourage maintenance of high self-esteem

•Teach positive affirmations

•Talk about what we have learned during the games

•

· Introduce the topic discussed in this session and ask a few questions to help students understand what the topic means and why it is essential.

•Coping statements handout

•Activity 1 -  Coping Skills Bingo

•Activity 2 -  Coping skills card game
ask students to recite information we have talked about, or sometimes ask the students to share how they will implement what we learned. 

•Objectivity

•Teach appropriate expression of feeling 

•Teach positive coping skills

•Teach and reinforce “I” statements

•Talk about what we have learned during the games

· Introduce the topic discussed in this session and ask a few questions to help students understand what the topic means and why it is essential.

•Different feeling words handout

•Activity 1 – Emoji Feelings Pack – Identifying Emotions Game

•Activity 2 – I feel BINGO game
After the activity, ask a few follow-up questions and quickly assess what the students have learned. 

•Objective 

•Identification of various feelings

•Address and normalize feelings related to divorce

•Talk about what we have learned during the games

· Introduce the topic discussed in this session and ask a few questions to help students understand what the topic means and why it is essential.

•Activity 1 – What do these words mean?

•Activity 2 -  changes in my life – self-reflection

•ask students to recite information we have talked about, or sometimes ask the students to share how they will implement what we learned. 

•Objectives

•Clarify terms of divorce 

•Normalize changes resulting from divorce

•Talk about what we have learned during the games.

The game includes over 100 difficult-to-ask questions on six different bingo-style game boards related to the divorce, including reactions from the divorce, frustrations, and changes since the divorce.

· Introduce the topic discussed in this session and ask a few questions to help students understand what the topic means and why it is essential.
•Activity 1 – Divorce dice game – changes in family dynamics

• Activity 2 – Divorce card game - Talking about divorce
After the activity, ask a few follow-up questions and quickly assess what the students have learned. 

•Objectives 

•Normalize incidence of divorce

•Demystify ideas about divorce

•Explore member’s perspectives of family after divorce

•Talk about what we have learned during the games

Part of being a member of this group is to make sure everyone feels comfortable. We want everyone to feel they can trust one another and feel comfortable in sharing their thoughts and feelings with one another. 

This means anything that is said while we are in this group CAN NOT be repeated to another student outside of our group. 

This is called maintaining Confidentiality; consequences of breaking this confidentiality agreement may result in being unable to participate in this group and/or future groups.

The only time it would be Okay to break this confidentiality agreement is if someone says they want to:

-hurt someone

-hurt someone else

-destroy someone’s stuff

You would go to a trusted school adult (teacher/principal/counselor) know, so that my classmates and I can stay safe.

By signing this document, you promise to be respectful trustworthy, and caring students to both your peers and your school counselor.

Name:___________________________________________________________________

Date:_______________________

•Ice breaker game -WOULD YOU RATHER (10-20 minutes)

•Group Rules and feelings assessment

•Defining and emphasizing confidentiality

•Sign a Confidentiality agreement

•Long-term goal worksheet

The counselor should bring up that participation/being at every meeting is the expectation and that no new member could be added after the first session; this is to establish a bond in the group counseling and to protect confidentiality.  Confidentiality is also an expectation and key rule; trust and honesty must be established among the members if real and effective sharing of thoughts can be produced.  If a member is found to break the group’s confidentiality, it should be brought to the counselor’s attention so they can take the appropriate steps and remove the offending member from the counseling sessions.

Goals that should be discussed and agreed upon during the first meeting should include:

*Meetings should start on time; a group member will not be able to attend a session after five minutes from the meeting’s start time

*Meetings will end at the established time to respect the student’s time and for parents if the sessions meet after school

*Confidentiality is key; that includes respecting the privacy of all group members and even their names should not be shared to anyone outside of the group

*Members will be respect when another member is speaking, i.e., paying attention/focusing on what the person is saying and avoiding any side conversations

*No member will monopolize the session’s time with their shares or responses to others

*Meetings will end a few minutes before its stated time so the counselor can open the floor for processing or thoughts of the overall session; the counselor will also start meetings to see if anyone has any reflections on the last session

*No member should feel compelled to speak and should speak when moved to contribute or add to a conversation

*Members will avoid arguments during the session; any conflict should be addressed by the counselor with the affected members

*Food should be avoided during the sessions; drinks are acceptable 

*No electronic devices should be used or displayed during the meetings; any exemptions due to circumstances should be discussed with the counselor prior to the session starting

 

As a child moves into middle school, their cognitive abilities allow them to perceive and process stressful life events, especially ones where there is conflict in the family.  For some young people, they can begin to analyze life events at a higher rate than they had before, yet their emotional and cognitive abilities may not help them in not internalizing familial conflict and they may begin to blame themselves.  As well, this is a period where they understand life’s unstable moment, i.e., a parent separating from the family from divorce or work; a death of a family member or close friend, or economic pressures related to unemployment.

Group counseling is essential in helping these students process and comprehend these matters and how to find the answers or acceptance to deal with these matters.

The next stage is the transition stage. This stage can be difficult when most members feel anxious about sharing their feelings with strangers. Some members become defensive and resistant, while others may be shy and fearful. This stage can also be difficult for the counselor. However, if the counselor does an excellent job of keeping the session on track and as pleasant as possible, the group will learn to trust and respect the counselor. Once all the kinks are worked out, you can move on to the next stage, the Working stage.  

The working stage is when the group becomes comfortable with getting into deeper issues and starts exploring their thoughts and emotions that someone else’s words may trigger. The counselor guides the group through this process using techniques and challenges that bring out emotions. At this point, the group can move on to the final stage.

In the final stage, the group understands they will no longer be together. Members reflect on their future occurrences. There may be feelings of sadness, and feedback is critical. The members will also be educated on what each member should expect from the experience, including confidentiality and changes in behavior, even if they are not noticed immediately.