Group Counseling for Students: A Complete Framework for Building Healthy Relationships in School and Life

CPD

Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

Handouts

Faculty

Jennifer E. Rogers, PhD, LPC Related seminars and products

Rogers Training Solutions, LLC

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Jennifer Rogers, PhD, LPC, has worked in and for schools for over 20 years. In addition to practicing as a licensed professional counselor, she currently owns Rogers Training Solutions, LLC, which focuses on training districts, schools, and individuals to institute sustainable measures to support the social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs of students and educators. In this role, she works with mental health staff to develop individualized programs that are data driven and grounded in evidence-based practices, provides training on MTSS, group counseling, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL).

Jennifer has authored numerous articles and books on evidence-based school counseling practices and the implementation of social emotional learning in schools. She is also the author of the curriculum PLAY Group Prosocial Peer Relational Learning Activities for Youth: Group Counseling Interventions in School Settings.

Jennifer is a passionate and engaging presenter and is appreciated for equipping course participants with a wealth of ready-to-implement strategies and resources.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Jennifer Rogers maintains a private practice and has employment relationships Bureau of Educational Research, and Rogers Training Solutions, LLC. She receives royalties as a published author. Jennifer Rogers receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Jennifer Rogers is a member of the American Counseling Association, the Western Association for Counseling Education and Supervision, and the Association for Humanistic Counseling.

Additional Info

Access never expires for this product.

For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.

Objectives

1. Plan school-based group counselling sessions based on unique student groups.
2. Use assessments to target skill development for students in 3rd through 6th grade.
3. Choose appropriate interventions within a flexible curriculum to meet the unique needs of specific students.
4. Utilise peer relational interventions with elementary aged students.
5. Evaluate the efficacy of group counselling on student outcomes.
6. Choose different modalities of experiential learning to meet student learning objectives.

Outline

Group Work with Students: A to Z

• Why group counselling with children?
• Research and outcomes
• Applicability in schools: Making group counselling a priority
• Build prosocial skills: A post-pandemic necessity
• Must-know ethical guidelines
• MTSS Framework: Fitting in with district planning
• History of this intervention: Experiential learning and findings of the original study
• The Framework: Assess, Design, Practice, Evaluate
• Assess: Data-Driven Intervention
• Who are your participants? Screening and selection of students
• Assessments to target skill development
• Session planning: Time, resources, duration
• Skill matching for group intervention
• Quick & easy differentiation
• Special populations: evidence-based practice
• Trauma-informed group leadership
• Interactive case studies

Design: Intervention Activities
Ready-to-use resources: Curriculum overview

• How to use the handbook and digital resources to create group sessions based on your unique student groups
• Intervention categories and activity demonstrations:
  • Expressive arts
    • Who is on your team?
    • Writing your own empathy story
  • Journal writing
    • Identify feelings
    • Caring about others: letter to a younger person
  • Experiential activities
    • Nuclear Waste Activity: Sharing Ideas
    • Sticky situations: Problem solving to stick up for yourself
    • High low problem-solving game
  • Cooperative learning activities
    • Learning how to compliment
    • Steps to compromise – Meet in the middle
  • Discussion worksheet activities
    • Conflicted emotions
    • Choosing friends to be on your support team
  • Group relational tasks
    • EF skills when challenged
    • Impact of your behaviour: group discussion and challenge
  • Hands-on learning experiences

Practice: Skill Acquisition
Complete Session Demonstration: Start to finish

• Introductory activities: Setting up for success
• 3 must-use engagement strategies
• Practice: Prosocial skills
  • Understand others’ feelings
  • Sharing
  • Being helpful
  • Empathy
  • Kindness
• Practice: Peer Relational Skills
  • Friendship
  • Get along with others
  • Stand up for yourself
  • Cooperation
  • Work with peers
• Step-by-step guidance: Oppositional and avoidant behaviors in sessions
• Closing activities: Setting students up for successful termination of group

Evaluation Practices

• What are the outcomes of your interventions?
• Pre- and post-test: Options for evaluation of outcomes
• Student voice: Journal review and letter to self

Target Audience

• School Social Workers
• School Counselors
• School Psychologists
• Educators
• Special Education Teachers
• Behavior Specialists

This training is intended for professionals working with clients in grades 3rd - 6th grade.