Students were selected based on their first gen status that was determined through a school survey, whether they plan on going to college or to work post-high school.

Mindsets

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

  
  

• M 3. Positive attitude toward work and learning

  
  

• M 4. Self-confidence in ability to succeed

  
  

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

  
  

• M 6. Understanding that postsecondary education and lifelong learning are necessary for long-term success

  
  

Behaviors

• B-LS 7. Long- and short-term academic, career and social/emotional goals

  
  

• B-LS 9. Decision-making informed by gathering evidence, getting others’ perspectives and recognizing personal bias

  
  

• B-SMS 5. Perseverance to achieve long- and short-term goals

  
  

• B-SMS 10. Ability to manage transitions and adapt to change

  
  

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

The letter attached will include the group's purpose, the leader and member's rights and obligations, the leader's professional background, thoughts, and beliefs, and a description of the sessions, such as length, number of sessions and group members, and the goals of the group sessions.

Ground Rules are as follows:

1. Respect each other's values, believes, and future goals at all times.

2. Be transparent and express your thoughts and feelings truthfully and respectfully.

3. Respect the rules of confidentiality.

4. Stay open to suggestions, remembering they are only suggestions!

5. Sharing is optional. No pressure will ever be applied to talk about something that makes a member uncomfortable.

Although ground rules are important, they are also flexible. Once the group sessions begin and group norms are established, more ground rules may be added. The six-week period lends the opportunity for a change in views and a desire for more respect between members.

The First-Gen group session will be homogenous as it is a group that has similar needs and are heading in a somewhat similar direction as well. It will have a maximum membership of ten members to a session per six weeks. It will be structured in nature as it will have prepared lessons/curriculum to guide the group leader through the sessions.

Stage one of the group dynamics is "Storming/Norming" which entails the members getting to know each other, trusting one another, and knowing their place in the group. The first session will have several activities that allow the counselor to see where some strengths and weaknesses lie within each member. Students will share, if they choose, a little about themselves, their background and their future goals and plans.

Stage two embodies the "Performing" aspect of the group which allows members to work together to accomplish their goal(s). The members begin to see value in each other and begin to believe that the group will make a difference in their life. In this stage, members will begin to assist other members through trust. They will see that they are all working toward bettering their future self, finding commonalities between each other.

Stage three of group dynamics is considered the "Mourning" stage. At this time, group members will do some self-reflection, make future plans for growth, and apply the skills and knowledge they have learned over the past six weeks. Again, they will share any knowledge they would like about what they have learned and how their plans may or may not have changed for their future. Regardless of plans, by this stage, students will have advanced their knowledge of the college process, whether utilized or not.

Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment can be observed through the first-generation college group sessions in the following ways:

• Instillation of Hope - As the group settles into their "norms," they will begin to find faith and confidence in their group members and leader that these group sessions are very beneficial (Yalom, 1995).

• Universality - Participants will learn that they are not alone in the first-generation college process. They will find that others have the same problems and struggles in the process at times as well the same successes and accomplishments (Yalom, 1995).

• Corrective Recapitulation of Primary Family Group - Students will be able to clarify any distortion about higher education that may have come from their family and/or environment by learning the positive and/or truthful aspects of the college process (Yalom, 1995).

• Direct Advice - Students will learn how to handle difficult situations pertaining to the college process, familial conflict and/or beliefs, and differences in cultures amongst the group members (Yalom, 1995).

• Interpersonal Learning - Students will receive feedback from the leader and other members so they can learn how to relate to each other through new and opportunistic experiences (Yalom, 1995).

American Counseling Association Code of Ethics

• A.2.a - Informed consent in the counseling relationship is extremely important. Counselors must review the rights with all members before beginning the official sessions. Once the sessions begin, clients still have to option to refuse counseling services at any time.

• A.9.a - Group work screening is required in order to select members of a group who have like-minded thought processes and/or goals for better processes. The members' well-being will not be compromised by the group experiences, therefore, finding those members with similar goals and behaviors is extremely important.

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center

American School Counselor Association. (2019). ASCA school counselor professional standards and competencies. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a8d59c2c-51de-4ec3-a565-a3235f3b93c3/SC-Competencies.pdf 

Cherry, Kendra. (June 2023). How to lead: 6 Leadership styles and frameworks. Very Well Mind. https://verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312?scrlybrkr=17c3684b

Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015). Professional school counselor small group counseling guide: A professional school

counselor’s guide to planning, implementing, and evaluating school-based counseling groups.

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

I hope to accommodate, educate, and motivate each one of my students so that they are successful in every aspect of their lives!