Small group counseling is an area in my program that I feel needs some adjusting and fine tuning. I don't feel that my efforts have been as successful as I would like. I have been looking at other counseling blogs, Pinterest, and asking other counselors about how they run their small groups and if they are successful. The good thing is that I am doing what other counselors are doing (validation is always a good thing). The bad thing is that I don't feel that it is working...for me.
I am the only counselor in a K-5 elementary school with about 350 students. I see groups once a week for 6-8 weeks. Once a week just does not seem sufficient for little guys. The time in between is too long for them to really grasp what I am trying to teach them. Plus, I am lucky if I get to them for each session, so it could be two weeks before I see them again. Ugh! Talk about not feeling effective!
While sitting in training last week, the assistant principal and I were tossing around the idea of seeing groups consecutively for a shorter duration. For example, every day for a week or two. I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!! I can give some intense time and hopefully see better and faster results. Now, I am not sure exactly how this will look or if it will be logistically possible, but I am sure going to give it a try!
I am also going to push into classrooms to intervene early to reduce the number of students requiring small group support. Whew, things will be changing, but I'm up for the challenge. Bring it on!
Have you read about the minute meetings? This might help you meeting your goal of helping before small group support is needed.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.schcounselor.com/2011/12/got-minute.html
I have read about it but maybe I need to explore it more in depth. Thanks a lot!
Delete~Emily
Just found your blog! What a great resource. I haven't read through a lot yet, so I apologize if I repeat something you have posted about. I do a lot of lunch groups to meet with students for small groups. This helps with scheduling, as you can meet more frequently without pulling out of the classroom too much. We do recess groups too. I am returning to work as a school social worker this fall. I have been home for 15 months with my kids. I am excited to explore your blog to get motivated again!
ReplyDeleteSarah
lifewithleahy.blogspot.com
Thanks so much for sharing, Sarah! I use lunch groups, too. The kids love it because I put a picnic blanket on the floor and we eat picnic style while we talk. Good luck this year!
Delete~Emily
We recently changed our groups from once a week for 5 weeks to once a day for 5 days and have found it to be more effective with the kids- they seem to retain more of what we have discussed- good luck with your small groups, I love your blog!!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to hear that the consecutive days work well, as it makes total sense to me! I am excited to put it into action.
DeleteThanks for the visit and the kind words!
~Emily
that looks fabulous! that is a lot of work, can you walk on it w/ shoes or are you afraid to? i would hate to tear that up after so much hard work! it looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing to interesting information for your post..
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ReplyDeleteHi Emily!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog!! I am new to elementary this year, and last year was my first year at a middle school! Your blog has been so helpful! I was wondering where you get your curriculums for the various groups you run? I have been planning on creating mine from many resources, but how time consuming!! Thanks so much for any help you can offer!
I pull from a variety. Yes, it is very time consuming but once you get used to your resources it goes more quickly.
DeleteHi Emily! I'm a new Elementary School Counselor in Holmes County, FL (K-5) and I'm in the planning process of putting together groups. I'm a former Drug Education teacher and I would teach one class a week for 10 weeks. I believe the consecutive days would be more efficient if one is able to do so. I wanted to ask you: 1.How the consecutive days are working for you 2.How long do you meet with a group 3.Do you cover a variety of topics during the time you meet with them or just one 4.How many students do you work with in one group and 5.Do you try to work with every student in each grade or do you create groups based on referrals as to what the students might need. Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteKatie Castaneda
1. Due to time constraints, I had to drop my groups to 2 days a week. I still find this much more effective and they remember better what we where discussing in our previous session.
Delete2. I meet with them for 6-8 sessions which comes out to 3-4 weeks.
3. It depends on what the group is for. I plan my sessions around what the group needs.
4. The size of my groups vary with the topic. I try not to go over 8 students in any given group. I stretched one group to 9 and it just starts to get a bit chaotic any more than that.
5. In a perfect world, I would love to work with every student in every grade but that is just not possible. I reserve that for my classroom counseling lessons. I rely on referrals and student need.
I hope that helps!