Corey, M. S., & Corey, G. (1992). Groups process and Practice. Brooks/Cole Publ. 

Keri, C. (2020). Test Anxiety Group Counseling curriculum: Test anxiety activities. Counselor Keri. https://shop.counselorkeri.com/products/test-anxiety-group-counseling-curriculum-test-anxiety-activities?_pos=3&_sid=7ce6caa17&_ss=r

Kottman, T. (1990). counseling middle school students: techniques that work. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 25(2), 138–145. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42868963

YouTube. (2019, March 25). Fight flight freeze – A guide to anxiety for kids. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfSbWc3O_5M 

4-page doughnut printable and rectangles (sprinkles)
Coloring/writing utensils
 
Procedures:

Check-In- Ice Breaker
Check-In:
Welcome students back to the group! Review group agreement from the previous week and allow students to ask questions as needed. Invite each student to share one time when they felt brave, confident, or happy during the past week. Model for students first.
 

Lesson Objective and Goals:
Explain: 
We are working together here to learn more about dealing with worries that come up before or during tests. We discussed how test anxiety means feeling fear or pressure to do well on a test. It can make it hard to think, get started, or finish a test. But before we can learn how to deal with that, it’s important for us first to be able to recognize those feelings of worry when they happen!
Watch the video, " Fight Flight Freeze – A Guide to Anxiety for Kids."
 

Teach Content:
Discuss: Process Questions
What could you relate to from the story and the video? · What physical feelings or thoughts did you notice in the story or the video that might be signs of test anxiety?
 

Practice Content:
Activity:
On the sprinkles (rectangles), students will write signs of test anxiety. These can be the examples from the story, their own personal physical feelings, or their own thoughts that can clue them in to test anxiety. Students will then glue the sprinkles on the doughnut.
Share:
Students share what they added as they are comfortable doing so.
Debrief: 
Which of these signs of test anxiety are easiest to notice? · Which ones are harder to notice? · What is it like to hear from others in the group about their own signs of test anxiety?
 

Summarize/Close:
 Wrap-Up:
Test anxiety can feel scary, especially if we have many signs in our bodies, like racing hearts or fast breathing. But recognizing those signs is the first step to dealing with them.

Considerations: The school counselor must design the lesson to accommodate children's attitudes and developmental needs in the early stages of adolescence. Methods that require intense involvement from both the students and the counselor have been found to be most successful with middle school students (Kottman, T.,1990, p. 138).

 

Based on this research, it is important to consider those psychological characteristics that may offer protection against the development of test anxiety and its negative consequences (Putwain et al., 2023). Providing early interventions for students is also imperative to combat test anxiety's effects. 

 

Students in middle school have most likely already formed an opinion about testing based on their experiences in elementary school. Middle School counselors are tasked with helping student form their “ Academic Buoyancy.”  This is defined as “students’ ability to successfully deal with academic setbacks and challenges that are typical of the ordinary course of school life.  Higher academic buoyancy predicts lower test anxiety and vice versa (Putwain et al., 2023). 

 

Forming a test anxiety group allows the means for students to work on strategies to overcome test anxiety and improve their academic buoyancy.

 

Sara. (2022, July 4). What is test anxiety (and how it affects students). Oxford Learning. https://www.oxfordlearning.com/what-is-test-anxiety/ 

 

Additional Resources Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (2016). Test anxiety. https://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/ children/test-anxiety

Corey, M. S., Corey, G., Corey, C.  (20170101). Groups: Process and Practice, 10th Edition. [[VitalSource Bookshelf version]].  Retrieved from vbk://9781337515719

Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Acceptance and commitment theory: The process and practice ofmindful change (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Zeidner, M. (1998). Test anxiety: The state ofthe art. Plenum Press.

Springer, S. I.  (2021-08-11). A School Counselor's Guide to Small Groups,  2nd Edition. [[VitalSource Bookshelf version]].  Retrieved from vbk://832941A

SEL Sketches. (2020, November 22). The CBT Triangle- SEL Sketches. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd65sMGERrU&ab_channel=SELSketches

Therapist Aid. (2023). CBT for Kids: Thoughts, Feelings, & Actions. https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/cbt-for-kids

This is the working stage of group counseling. By the working stage, participants have learned how to involve themselves in group interactions without waiting to be invited into an interaction (Corey,2017).

1. Students will identify the sensations, thoughts, and feelings that accompany their experiences of nervousness or anxiety during tests.

2. Students will learn how to categorize sensations, thoughts, and feelings nonjudgmentally.

3. Students will use thought diffusion to cope with anxiety in the classroom.

ASCA M.1. Mindsets Standards Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional, and physical well-being.

M.2. Self-confidence in ability to succeed.

ASCA Behavior Standards Learning Strategies 4. Apply self-motivation and self-direction to learning. Self-Management Skills 7. Demonstrate effective coping skills when faced with a problem. Social Skills 9. Demonstrate social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment.

1. Exploration handout  

2. One large image drawn on the chalkboard or whiteboard with anxiety sensations, thoughts, and feelings listed on sticky notes (see Appendix B)

1. The school counselor will explain that some anxiety or nervousness during tests or exams can be normal and can help ensure that students prepare adequately; however, sometimes the anxiety can become too intense, making it hard for students to think clearly and concentrate on a task and it can get so bad that sometimes one can feel sick.

2.The school counselor will introduce Appendix B: The school counselor will list each: sensations, thoughts, and feelings.

3. The school counselor will state that symptoms of test anxiety will be different for each person: one student might notice uncomfortable physical sensations, whereas another might notice thoughts that make it hard to concentrate.

4.The school counselor will list and describe several experiences from each category and explain how these experiences might influence test taking. For example, the school counselor might say, “Some students taking a test may think, ‘I don’t know any of the answers and I’m going to flunk this exam,’ while another student might look around the room and see students working and feel discouraged because other students are moving onto the second page while they are still working on the first page.”

5. The school counselor will ask students to think about their own experiences of taking tests and describe any related sensations, thoughts, or feelings common for them. Using the chalk-board or whiteboard, the school counselor can have students take turns placing symptom sticky notes on the board in the category where they fit best. It might be easier to go category by category (e.g., sensations, then thoughts, then feelings). To reduce confusion for students using handouts, students can write in their own symptoms.

6. Once the thoughts are listed on the board or handout, the school counselor can have students share their unique experiences and make links between group members to normalize the experience. The school counselor should mention that identifying one’s own anxiety symptoms makes it easier to recognize them if or when they occur during a classroom task.

1. The school counselor will explain that sensations, thoughts, and feelings caused by anxiety can make it very difficult to take tests or engage in other school tasks because they can intensify anxiety and discomfort and possibly discourage the test taker from continuing in the task.

2. The school counselor will also discuss how distracting it can be to focus on these sensations, thoughts, and feelings while taking a test.

3.The school counselor should discuss several symptoms and ask students how they may have tried to avoid or get rid of each anxiety symptom. At the end of this brief discussion, the school counselor can discuss which responses, if any, have been helpful and reinforce adaptive coping strategies (e.g., taking slow and deep breaths, repeating a positive affirmation).

4.The school counselor will introduce the idea of stepping back and observing our experiences nonjudgmentally. The counselor will start by identifying different parts of the body and by asking the students to pay attention to each part, reminding students to attend to how it feels instead of focusing on whether it feels good or bad. The school counselor will then mention that this mindful attention can be used with thoughts and our senses.

5. When the first minute has passed, the school counselor will ask students to describe the sensations they felt (e.g., carpet under feet, ticking of the clock, hardness of the chair), the thoughts they had (e.g., this is weird, when’s lunch), and the emotions they felt (e.g., happy, confused). The counselor will normalize and validate each student’s experience and reinforce that these are normal experiences, not necessarily good or bad.

6. The school counselor will now connect this observation exercise with the thought handout.

7. School Counselor will encourage the students to fill out the exploration handout.

8. The school counselor will ask students to name a specific class setting in which they might like to practice this new skill. The school counselor should remind students that this skill can be used at any time when needing to focus attention while sensations, thoughts, and feelings could distract them from completing their tasks.

1.If you found your mind wandering or getting distracted, what was it like to identify with what was going on?

2. Why might it be helpful to know what symptoms are common for you? 

3. What was it like grouping the symptoms into sensations, thoughts, and feelings? 

4. How do you think this exercise might help you during a test or a stressful task or event in school? 

Learning Objectives: Students will verbalize how they will prepare for a test. 

Mindsets: 5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes. 

Behaviors: Self Management Skills: 7. Demonstrate appropriate coping skills when faced with a problem.

Materials: 

Sorting mat and cards

Visual aids

Test prep plan

Pencil/pen

 

Session procedure: 

Activity 1: Students will complete in or out of my control card sort together. Students will review things on the cards and decide if they can control them or not and place them on the indicated space on the sorting mat. 

*How many of these things that are out of our control do you feel like you found around test time? 

*How do you feel when you focus on these things that are out of our control? 

“There are lots of things in life that we can’t control. But there are things we can control too! When we focus on the things we can control, we help ourselves feel more prepared for test rather than going in to the test with a sense that we have no control over anything.” Review before the test visual and discuss things. 

Activity 2: Students create a plan for test prep success. Students will identify how they will get organized the night before a test by checking boxes. Identify when they will go to sleep and wake up, when/where they will eat breakfast and draw a healthy breakfast they’d like to have, identify how they’ll get to school and when they’ll arrive, and identify 3 things they can say to themselves on test day. 

*Which of these things that we included in our plan do you think might be challenging for you?

*How can we help you overcome this challenge? 

*Who is one person at home who can help you implement your plan? 

Wrap up: “There are some things we can’t control about the test or test day. If we focus on those things that we can’t control, we might increase our fear or worry about the test. But there are also a lot of things we can control about test day! If we focus on those things instead, we can help ourselves feel more confident and prepared going into the test.” Remind students of the next meeting time and let them know you can’t wait to see them then! 

References:
Keri, C. (2020) Test Anxiety Group Counseling curriculum: Test anxiety activities. Counselor Keri. https://drive.google.com/file/d/19phn7WpqEb6aq2ijKKXOcn9dy8i0L0fY/view

Youtube. (2020, October 4), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXDKkZrXFMQ
How to study effectively FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL - YouTube