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

M 2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment.

B-SS 1. Effective oral and written

communication skills and

listening skills.

B-SS 2. Positive, respectful and supportive

relationships with students who are

similar to and different from them.

B-SS 4. Empathy.

• Grades

• Attendance

• T-CRS

• Child relationship with siblings and overall parental concerns

Scope of Interview Process: Finding the right candidate to fit the group dynamic will focus on increasing the student's knowledge of building friendships in an environment where lessons applied will have a positive result in their social emotional development.

Interview Process: The school counselor will interview students whom parents signed and released consent to consider their child for participation, through a ten minute one-on-one session. With the teacher's permission, the student will follow the counselor to their office and engage in conversation about their current peer relationships, feelings, ending with answering a Venn diagram question in regard to their relationships (Aron A. et al., 1992). Interviewed children will be considered on the basis of demonstrating interest to participate in a group setting, have no prior or current trauma/abuse history, as well understand confidentiality and respect for others in the group.

Given the educational nature of the lessons, confidentiality will be addressed at the beginning of each lesson to respect the privacy of all classmates involved.  A heterogeneous group of a total of six students participating, will meet in the counselor's office. Students will sit down on floor cushions, in a circle, and the counselor will go over privacy and confidentiality procedures, lesson expectations, and the student’s involvement to participate and have fun. 

Stage 1: The focus of this stage is to set the foundation for open communication, trust between the counselor and student, as well as fostering a safe environment where the students are free to express and be themselves without judgment. At the same time, group expectations will be addressed, along with behavior, and confidentiality/privacy policies that follow. They will be encouraged to participate, without force, but will verbally agree to the privacy and respect for the purpose of the group. We will begin with an ice breaker activity and go around introducing ourselves, followed by answering what their favorite food is.

Stage 2: Lessons will commence in this segment, starting by asking children about their personal definition of what a friend is. From there, lessons will further unfold into subcategories that assist with building friendships; trust, truth, empathy, and communication. Feedback will be provided through engaging conversations and learning activities.

Stage 3: The final group session will assist in learning how to cope with goodbyes or how to process the end of something (e.g. missing friends, feeling lost after lessons are over). Closure will be attained through a yoga activity with friends; becoming mindful of one's body and emotions through movement and breathing. In turn, students will leave the group feeling empowered, excited, and aware of how their bodies cue them when they are in relationships with others.

• The development of socializing techniques through the nature of the group program, increasing the student's interpersonal and emotional skills.

• Universality as a whole through the homogenous structure of the program; the student's are in this program for the sole purpose of learning how to build friendships, thus there's a common denominator that brings them together.

• With that said, there's also cohesiveness that is brought into the group experience through trust, sharing, and building the group up through positive engagement.

(a) The primary responsibility of a school counselor is to counsel students to fully develop each student's academic, career, personal, and social abilities.

(b) In addition to a school counselor's responsibility under Subsection (a), the school counselor shall:(1) participate in planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive developmental guidance program to serve all students and to address the special needs of students...

Through the ASCA American School Counselor Association (2025), BP-F1 (d) enhances the rights of the counselor to implement programs through theories and techniques that will support the student's social emotional development.

Through these laws and statutes, the counselor will abide to create the necessary programs intended to facilitate student participation, increase knowledge and awareness of the student; resulting in the advocation for better peer engagement and learning in school.

Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies