Questions to Ponder

1. What do you think would be the most difficult task of leading groups in a school setting? Why?

2. Would you prefer leading groups among children or adolescents? Why? Give at least three reasons.

Chapter 8

Groups in Schools

Group counseling in primary and secondary schools is the same as group counseling with adults in many ways, but, there are also some differences. This chapter will discuss the elements of school counseling that may be different from groups in other settings.

Ethical Considerations

Conducting groups in school settings involves challenges due to the cultural differences in schools, the fact that the leader is working with minors and the leader must work in cooperation with the school policies and procedures. The following are some major ethical issues in group work in schools according to Linde, Erford, Hays & Wilson (2010, pp. 24-36).

Confidentiality is important in group work in any setting and especially so in the school setting. Students must feel safe to share and trust the leader and other group members to hold information in confidence. This is tricky in working with minors because the counselor must be able to collaborate with parents and provide them with accurate information while at the same time maintaining ethical responsibilities to the student. When the leader does divulge information to a parent, she should be certain that she only provides information about this parent's child and no other children in the group.

The leader should be aware of state statutes and school policies affecting the counseling of minors. Parental informed consent is important to insure that the parent is supportive of her child being in the group and her willingness to respect the confidentiality of the group. Of course, confidentiality is limited by the duty to warn if the leader becomes aware of a member being harmed, is harming someone else or is a threat to harm self or others. The leader should encourage the group members to continue keeping all information confidential even after the group has terminated.

Informed consent should be obtained from parents when working with minors. Even if the school does not have a policy of informed consent, it is still wise to obtain it. It is also essential that the students understand their rights and responsibilities as group members. They should understand the purpose of the group, what to expect in the group experience as well as possible outcomes, the limits of confidentiality and if participation is voluntary or not.

The informed consent that the parents sign should cover goals of the group; number and length of sessions and when they will be held; name, position and contact information of the leader and expected outcomes. Geroski& Kraus (2010, pp. 9-10) pointed out that students who are able to make an informed assent to the group are likely to stick with the group, cooperate with the goals of the group and actively participate in the group sessions; whereas, those who are forced to participate are likely to be defensive, reluctant to participate and angry.

Relationship among group members is almost unavoidable. Because these students attend school together, may have classes together and may run in the same church, club or social circles, relationships outside of the group are almost inevitable. At times the leader may need to
decide if it is more ethical to provide help for all who need it or to deny group membership to a student because of a relationship or kinship to another group member. My personal opinion is to always provide services and deal with the relationship issues as they arise in the group.

Termination of the group should occur when the group is no longer effective. Obviously, all group members will not be ready to terminate the group at the same time. If a group needs to terminate but some members need continued work, the leader should provide appropriate follow- up. Many groups have a set number of sessions planned at the outset and terminate on a designated date.

Group participation should be encouraged by the leader. Of course, some members will be less talkative while others will be more talkative, but, it is important that all members participate at some level. If the leader can get the members actively involved early in the group, then, it is easier to facilitate participation, trust and cohesion.

The right to terminate prematurely is important and may be beneficial to some members. If possible, it may be helpful to ask the member who is terminating prematurely to discuss this with the group, rather than dropping out without the group having any warning. This can help bring closure for the member terminating and for the other group members as well.

It goes without saying that counselor competence is vitally important. The counselor should be aware of her strengths and weaknesses, practice in those areas for which she has been trained and be knowledgeable and skilled in the type of groups she leads. The group leader should go through the self-reflective process of her position on controversial issues. Her values and beliefs will influence how she leads the group.

The leader should employ interventions that are congruent with the purpose of the group and the community.When the group leader is knowledgeable of diversity issues and implements approaches that meet the needs of diverse student needs, she is behaving ethically. The leader must be aware of cultural differences of the group members and sensitive to these differences. The leader should be skilled in recognizing the factors that cause diversity and using these differences in productive and helpful ways.

Group Work with Children

According to Eaves &Sheperis (2010, p. 238) the most common problems for which children are referred for group work are low self-esteem, grief, abuse, aggressiveness, inability to get along with others, rule violations, depression and anxiety or crisis. The children must be pre- screened to assess if they are able to establish relationships and if they want group acceptance enough to be motivated to behave in appropriate ways.

Depending on the verbal skills of the group, the use of activities and stories may be more appropriate than talk therapy. The leader should be educated in child development and what is appropriate at certain ages. Conyne, Crowell &Newmeyer (2008, p. 48) stated that the younger the age, the smaller the group size should be and the shorter the duration of meetings should be. Also a fewer number of meetings should be held and they should include more structured activities rather than unstructured ones.

Group Work with Adolescents

A group for adolescents should allow for the expression of emotions, the testing of boundaries safely and appropriately and the adolescent should feel heard. Some of the more common topics of adolescent groups are self-esteem, stress management, family addictions, social skills, assertiveness and grief. Adolescents typically do better when the group is structured, they know what the expectations are and they understand the limits and boundaries. The leader should set the limits early and be consistent in enforcing them.

Adolescents respond best to leaders who are caring, enthusiastic, open and direct. It is also important for the leader to be congruent and genuine. The leader should be a good role model by modeling the behaviors she expects from the group members. It is important for the leader to clearly state to the adolescent the amount and nature of information that she will share with the adolescent's parents and/or other officials involved (Eaves &Sheperis, 2010, pp. 240-241).