This article explains how students who are identified as gifted face bullying situations and experience strong emotions compared to their peers. Teacher and counselors use art as an intervention to help students express their thoughts and feelings they experience when they are bullied. 

Groman, J.L. (2019). The Bully’s Face: Using Art to Understand Bullying in Gifted Children. Gifted Child Today, 42(1), 12-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076217518804852

The identified group topic is bullying. Research on small groups conducted with adolescents of ethnic origin indicates that counselors must think through developmental issues related to ethnic identity (Sink et al., 2004) 

Older elementary aged groups are energetic, and enjoyable (Sink,et. al., 2004). Since their social skills are developing, small group work is a great way for them to connect and feel heard in a small safe environment. Students in this age group have shorter attention spans therefore the activities used in groups will need to be engaging, creative and have variety. Having a plan is important for this age, however, so is flexibility. 

Sink, C. A., Edwards, C., & Eppler, C. (2012). School based group counseling. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

              Mindsets; M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.

              M2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment.

The direction of the mindsets is to build a school community around preventing bullying and making it acceptable to take a stand against it in our school.

              Behaviors; B-LS 1. Critical thinking skills to make informed decisions. 

              B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions

              B- SMS 7. Effective coping skills

              B- SS 8. Advocacy skills for self and others and ability to assert self, when necessary.

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

We take a stand in our school through an investment into helping our students understand their own actions towards others and the impact that creates in all facets of their educational setting. We give them the support they need to advocate for all and sdevelop behaviors that they can use to better their own outcomes in situations that might seem negative or hard to overcome. We build within our students skills to cope with the negative outcomes of bullying and give them a voice to share those skills with others. 

Monique Burr Foundation for Children               https://www.mbfpreventioneducation.org 

When boys and girls are mixed within a group, there could be situations that arise that might make them uncomfortable or curious. I believe it is the counselor's job to research or be mindful of how student beliefs or customs could impact participation and group effectiveness. I believe the counselor should know how to educate/inform others of various customs or beliefs IF the topic arises during the group.  

Confidentiality needs to be discussed before the group starts. Students need to learn that confidentiality means that there should not be conversations outside of the group about specific situations or individuals who may have been involved in bullying situations.  This will educate the students on the school counselors job to report situations that may be harmful to themselves or others. Students need to understand that they need to respect the privacy of others and not share with classmates what is shared in the group. I also believe that parents need to be informed and give permission for their child to participate. Parents, students, and school counselors need to work together to learn about bullying situations that are occurring in the school and identify ways to stop it.  

School counselors could also look up student data/referrals that are related directly to bullying. They could identify how many reported bullying situations occurred before the group started, during the group, and after the group. If there is a decrease in bullying referrals, that reflects the effectiveness of the program throughout the school environment.  

I would also measure the effectiveness of this program with the parents. I may send home a parent survey. I think this would be a great way to involve parents and allow them to pay attention to the change in students’ behavior after the group.  

Gathering Feedback:
During this school year, how many times have you been bullied? 

How were you bullied? (name calling, being left out, hit by someone, teased) 

Where does the bullying situation mostly occur? (Playground, PE, Music, Art, Hallway, Classroom, Lunch room) 

When you are bullied, how do you respond? (Tell an adult, tell them to stop, hit them back, say bad things back to them) 

What would you do if you saw someone being bullied? (Nothing, report to an adult, ignore it, fight them)  

Have you ever bullied someone?  

How many days of school have you missed because of being bullied?  

Sink, C. A., Edwards, C., & Eppler, C. (2012). School based group counseling. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. 

 
This information explains the role of school counselors in bullying situations. It also explains how school counselors can work with other school personnel to ensure safety for all students.  

This website has resources for students and parents related to bullying and cyberbullying. The resources are endless: video clips, educational materials, hotlines, identifying bullying situations, identify cyberbullying situations, community resources etc...