Small Group Guidance

 

The purpose of small group guidance is to complement and enhance students' learning by improving their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. Small group counseling provides a safe setting where children, along with their peers, can increase their self-awareness and improve their cooperation and communication skills. The children can learn from each other. Ultimately the goal of small group counseling is to prevent problems in the future by teaching children new skills. Every child can benefit from participation in a small group. Students can be invited to join a group by parent request, teacher or counselor suggestion, or by the students themselves. Students must have parent permission to participate in small groups.

 

I will meet with small groups throughout the school year, based on the specific needs of students. I will meet with each group for about 5-6 times, 30 minutes each. We typically meet every week, depending on schedules, assemblies, meetings, etc.

 

Possible topics that could be addressed in a small group:

*Dealing with Difficult Feelings (Anger Management) - focuses on expressing and managing anger in a healthy way

 

*Impulse Control - focuses on providing students tools to stop and think before acting

*Anxiety - focuses on providing students with the tools they need to overcome their anxious feelings

*Friendship Skills - focuses on students experiencing difficulty making and keeping friends

*Girl Friendships - focuses on how to navigate difficult relational dynamics

*Changing Families - focuses on students experiencing a recent divorce in their immediate family

 

*Hurting Hearts - focuses on children grieving the recent loss of a significant person in their life