Mindset Standards:

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

2. M 4: Self-confidence in the ability to succeed.

3. M 5: Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results.

Behavior Standards:

1. B-SS 1: Effective communication and listening skills.

2. B-SS 2: Positive, respectful, and supportive relationships with others.

3. B-SS 4: Empathy.

4. B-SS 6: Effective collaboration and cooperation skills.

5. B-SS 9: Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation.

American School Counselor Association. (n.d.). Mindsets & behaviors for student success: K-12 college- and career-readiness standards for every student. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Informational flyers and letters will be sent home with students and parents. They will also get an email about the program's goals, dates, and how to register. Parents can attend a virtual meeting for details and answers. They can also attend an in-person meeting.

Engaging classroom announcements will thoroughly highlight the group's benefits. Personalized invitations will be extended to students who could greatly benefit from the program. If a student would prefer to be more discrete, the counselor will quietly pull the student aside to speak with them to not cause additional attention. Many colorful posters, in addition to a range of flyers, will be displayed throughout common areas such as hallways and the cafeteria.

Teachers and administrators will learn about the program through emails and newsletters. Staff will also get information at faculty meetings so they are informed and can refer students. Flyers will be in all faculty lounges and staff mailboxes. The program will be on an internal website or a shared document so counselors can readily refer students. Emails or meetings will distribute information to counselors and support staff. Information will be shared during morning announcements and posted on the main bulletin board in common areas, so everyone knows.

This approach makes sure all the right people get the information they need in a way that's clear and easy to understand.

INFORM: Flyers and emails will inform students and parents about the group’s goals. They will also be informed about expectations along with benefits.

PRE-GROUP SCREENING: The counselor will use the “TAP-In” process to screen each participant individually, explaining group objectives while also gauging each participant's readiness, interest, and willingness to participate.

ASSESS READINESS: Each student will be asked to assess his or her comprehension of the group. They will also evaluate their goals, how committed they are to attending regularly, and how strictly they adhere to confidentiality.

SELECTION PROCESS: The counselor will choose only those participants from the screening who can benefit greatly from the group and contribute to it positively.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2015). Missouri comprehensive guidance and counseling program—Responsive services: Small group counseling module (pp. 21-43). Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Minors must have parental consent. According to Texas Education Agency guidelines, informed consent must certainly be obtained from a legally authorized person, such as a parent or guardian (Texas Education Agency, 2024).

Student assent is recommended. This helps guarantee students are both willing and comfortable to participate, even if it is not explicitly required.

The consent form should include:

1. Explaining each of the group’s goals, expectations, as well as benefits to all students in addition to parents.

2. Individual screenings assess student interest, commitment, and readiness for participation.

3. Offering resources to all those not selected and selecting many participants likely to benefit and contribute positively to the group.

4. Refer to the Missouri Thorough Guidance and Counseling Program's entire Screening and Selection Procedures Resource for complete and thorough guidance.

5. Obtaining parental consent and student assent and following a structured screening and selection process are each recommended to adhere to moral standards.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2015). Missouri comprehensive guidance and counseling program—Responsive services: Small group counseling module (pp. 25-43). Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

School Counselor Pre-determined Rules:

1. Confidentiality

2. Respect

3. Participation

4. Safe

5. Supported

Rules Determined by Group:

1. The group can help determine how the time is managed and spent.

2. Participating in the group activities

3. How to handle disagreements

4. Honest feedback

5. Positivity

   
   

Association for Specialists in Group Work. (2021). ASGW guiding principles: Best practices for the conduct of group work. Association for Specialists in Group Work. https://asgw.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ASGW-Guiding-Principles-May-2021.pdf

To build trust and help students get to know each other comfortably, I will begin with icebreakers and team-building activities. I will stress active listening as well as thorough validation of all student feelings and opinions to guarantee each student feels genuinely respected and heard. The non-judgmental environment will be reinforced. Every student can then feel safe expressing themselves without fear of criticism.

Group standards will be created collaboratively with all students to encourage a complete sense of ownership. I will ask the group for ideas. I want to know how they want to interact during the sessions.

We will fully discuss counselor rules—strict confidentiality, utmost respect, and full participation and firmly agree that they are non-negotiable. I will explain that since confidentiality is a group expectation, it has certain limits and therefore cannot always be guaranteed (e.g., potential harm to oneself or others). I will clarify "limits to confidentiality" for all students. I will immediately address each disclosure of abuse, harm, or danger to themselves or others.

Each person in the group is responsible for keeping all shared things confidential, but each individual should only share what they are comfortable with.

STAGE 2 Be Productive and Work Together:

Group members start more in-depth discussions during this stage, so the counselor should support them within a structured setting, carefully guiding them toward their goals.

I will use activities with structure, like role-plays and exercises based on scenarios, to keep the group focused and engaged. We will encourage group interaction. These activities will challenge a degree of social anxiety in a generally supportive way.

When tensions or challenges come up, I will use facilitative interventions, helping members process conflict or discomfort respectfully and constructively.

I will regularly check in through verbal feedback as well as non-verbal cues (e.g., body language) to evaluate the comfort along with the engagement of every group member.

I will begin and conclude each session with short check-ins to determine student feelings and any concerns regarding the session or group dynamics.

STAGE 3 Closure:

Reinforcing learning, guaranteeing a positive conclusion and planning are all important aspects of closure, which is the final stage.

During the final sessions, I will review our group goals from the beginning and check each member's progress.

I will ask several reflection questions to guarantee that members feel confident about their developed skills. Examples of these questions include "What have you learned about yourself?" in addition to "What social skills have you improved?".

Celebrating progress is key. I will acknowledge each student's individual growth as well as contributions to the group, reinforcing that each one has made large progress.

I will provide an opportunity for members to share how they feel about the group ending, knowing this may bring feelings of sadness, anxiety, or relief.

I will remind students that confidentiality remains in effect well after the group's conclusion because what has been shared is sensitive information. I will encourage each of them to respect the other's privacy and to remember to respect all of the experiences they shared in the group in any social setting.

Students and parents will receive follow-up resources from me. These resources include more counseling along with ways to handle future anxiety.

I will use each of these stages to effectively create a well-organized and caring place where all Social Stars participants feel sure of their overall growth. I will guarantee that the group is quite successful along with positive for all members by focusing on relationship-building, maintaining group cohesion and providing proper closure, despite each stage of group dynamics presenting multiple challenges.

I believe this approach will work best with this population because transformational leadership encourages open communication, individualized attention and a sense of belonging. All of these elements are important when working with many children experiencing social anxiety. To participate comfortably, they require important guidance and reassurance. A transformational leader strongly encourages self-reflection as well as growth, aligning with the goals of helping students overcome social challenges.

Cherry, K. (2023, June 27). How to lead: 6 leadership styles and frameworks. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-and-frameworks-5191324

These therapeutic factors can help social stars better understand themselves and their relationships, allowing them to form more meaningful, balanced connections and feel less pressure to always be “on” in social situations.

Yalom ID. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.). New York: Basic Books. 

Counselors must maintain strict confidentiality in group settings, according to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Moral Standards (2016). Counselors must also explain all confidentiality limits; for example, sharing information may be required whenever there is any potential harm or risk of danger to self or others.

Group counseling's moral requirement builds trust and a safe environment so members can share openly. To understand all the limits of confidentiality guarantees, participants are always fully aware that confidentiality can be broken in every situation of harm or risk. This also aligns with legal guidelines at the state and local levels, such as the Texas Education Code and Senate Bill 11, which require counselors to report suspected abuse or if a participant is at risk of harm.

American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-and-Positions/Professional-Standards

Texas Education Code, Title 2, Subtitle E, Chapter 26, Section 26.003. (2021). Parental involvement.

According to both the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) and ASCA Moral Standards, counselors must guarantee that all group members (as well as all parents, when appropriate) completely understand participation, every behavioral expectation, and all confidentiality limits.

Informed consent protects the counselor. It also protects the participants. It thoroughly guarantees everyone understands the counseling process, which curtails misunderstandings in addition to legal risks. It also follows the Texas Administrative Code and Senate Bill 11, which say parents must be involved and consent if students do some educational things like group counseling.

American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-and-Positions/Professional-Standards

Texas Education Code, Title 2, Subtitle E, Chapter 26, Section 26.003. (2021). Parental involvement.

American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-and-Positions/Professional-Standards

American School Counselor Association. (n.d.). Mindsets & behaviors for student success: K-12 college- and career-readiness standards for every student. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Association for Specialists in Group Work. (2021). ASGW guiding principles: Best practices for the conduct of group work. Association for Specialists in Group Work. https://asgw.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ASGW-Guiding-Principles-May-2021.pdf

Cherry, K. (2023, June 27). How to lead: 6 leadership styles and frameworks. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-and-frameworks-5191324

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2015). Missouri comprehensive guidance and counseling program—Responsive services: Small group counseling module (pp. 21-43). Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2015). Missouri comprehensive guidance and counseling program—Responsive services: Small group counseling module (pp. 25-43). Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Texas Education Agency. (2024, August 1). Updated guidance on parental opt-in requirement. Texas Education Agency. https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/news-and-multimedia/correspondence/taa-letters/taa-2024-08-01-updated-guidance-on-parental-opt-in-requirement

Texas Education Code, Title 2, Subtitle E, Chapter 26, Section 26.003. (2021). Parental involvement.

Yalom, I. D. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.). Basic Books.