First Grade - All About Me Group
Since I was not able run enough "I Can" groups during the kindergarten school year I offer a similar group for First graders. The primary purpose of the group is to develop relationships with the students and parents.
First, it begins the process of getting to know each student outside of the classroom setting. Secondly, coming to my room becomes an adventure rather than a negative stigma. It is important that at an early age the students learn that the counselor is for everyone not just the bad, sad, mad kids. Thirdly, by getting to know the students I am able to consult with the teachers if and when a concern arises. Lastly, I am able to connect with the parents and begin building a foundation of trust.
Concepts
1. Parents may be uncomfortable with "counseling" for their children and fear that something is wrong with their child. To prevent this I take several pregroup steps.
a. At the Back to School Night I speak to the parents for several minutes. I explain that school counselors are for all students to help them with the developmental milestones. I talk about how I am also a support to them. I tell them about the All About Me Group and say that it is my hope to have all the students participate as the year unfolds if they had not participated in last years I Can Group.
b. A letter (email or newlsetter) goes home at the beginning of the year from the teacher telling about the "All About Me group. The letter explains that it is a chance for me to get to know her students and that going to see the counselor is an adventure where they get to see my room and talk about their strengths. The parents are asked to let the teacher know if they do not want their child to participate.
c. I send a letter home to parents when the group begins and ends. I invite the parents to contact me at the end of group if they would like to hear about their child's participation. Most parents do not take me up on this offer but those that do it is a wonderful opportunity for me to develop a nice relationship with them. If I have a particular concern or insight about a student that I have learned from the group I will contact the parent and invite them to come and talk about it. Parents love hearing about their children.
2. Group is optional.
3. The teacher and I put together the groups from the list of students that did not participate in the I can group in Kindergarten. The first group is also made up of new to the school students to help them with the transition. Generally I have 5 or 6 students in this group.
4. The group meets one time a week for 20 - 30 minutes. There are Six sessions
5. Format and Process
PreSession: I prepare a simple 4x6 booklet. On the cover I write ALL ABOUT ME Group and a spot for the name and date. There are 6 pages in the book. On the top of each page I write the title.
Page 1 - This is Me
Page 2 - This is my family
Page 3- My favorite things to do
Page 4 - These are my friends
Page 5 - Sometimes I am afraid of
Page 6 - Sometimes I worry about
Back Cover - My Group
Session One It is a time to get to know each other and me. I use my Panda Puppet Pandy as I explain about the group. I give them their booklets as I write their names on the cover. I have crayons out and some pencils for them to draw a self portrait. I also participate making my own All About Me booklet. This is an important piece for modeling. I always have the children sitting on the floor (I also sit on the floor) and using picture books as their table. If a student finishes quickly they can look through the book. At the end we each share about our picture to each other.
Session Two - Six We follow the same format for each group doing one page at a time and sharing about our picture. During this time I begin teaching some basic social skills of looking at the person who is speaking, making a positive comment or connection with the person as they share, and not interrupting while someone is sharing. I always ask the speaker if he/she felt like we had been doing those skills and how it felt.
On the last group I take some extra time to pass the books around for each to sign their name on the back cover. The children take home their booklets and I email the parents with a note about group ending and encouraging them to look at the booklet together at home.
6. Process: Throughout the group sessions I am making observations about the students. I look for a variety of social and emotions clues that will give me insight into the students. I also pay attention to the nonverbal cues. I When the group has ended I write up my observations of the student and file for future use. I use this information when I meet with parents. I also make note of some of the information they shared in group such as the fears and worries.
7. When the group is done I sit down with the teacher and review observations and insights.
First, it begins the process of getting to know each student outside of the classroom setting. Secondly, coming to my room becomes an adventure rather than a negative stigma. It is important that at an early age the students learn that the counselor is for everyone not just the bad, sad, mad kids. Thirdly, by getting to know the students I am able to consult with the teachers if and when a concern arises. Lastly, I am able to connect with the parents and begin building a foundation of trust.
Concepts
1. Parents may be uncomfortable with "counseling" for their children and fear that something is wrong with their child. To prevent this I take several pregroup steps.
a. At the Back to School Night I speak to the parents for several minutes. I explain that school counselors are for all students to help them with the developmental milestones. I talk about how I am also a support to them. I tell them about the All About Me Group and say that it is my hope to have all the students participate as the year unfolds if they had not participated in last years I Can Group.
b. A letter (email or newlsetter) goes home at the beginning of the year from the teacher telling about the "All About Me group. The letter explains that it is a chance for me to get to know her students and that going to see the counselor is an adventure where they get to see my room and talk about their strengths. The parents are asked to let the teacher know if they do not want their child to participate.
c. I send a letter home to parents when the group begins and ends. I invite the parents to contact me at the end of group if they would like to hear about their child's participation. Most parents do not take me up on this offer but those that do it is a wonderful opportunity for me to develop a nice relationship with them. If I have a particular concern or insight about a student that I have learned from the group I will contact the parent and invite them to come and talk about it. Parents love hearing about their children.
2. Group is optional.
3. The teacher and I put together the groups from the list of students that did not participate in the I can group in Kindergarten. The first group is also made up of new to the school students to help them with the transition. Generally I have 5 or 6 students in this group.
4. The group meets one time a week for 20 - 30 minutes. There are Six sessions
5. Format and Process
PreSession: I prepare a simple 4x6 booklet. On the cover I write ALL ABOUT ME Group and a spot for the name and date. There are 6 pages in the book. On the top of each page I write the title.
Page 1 - This is Me
Page 2 - This is my family
Page 3- My favorite things to do
Page 4 - These are my friends
Page 5 - Sometimes I am afraid of
Page 6 - Sometimes I worry about
Back Cover - My Group
Session One It is a time to get to know each other and me. I use my Panda Puppet Pandy as I explain about the group. I give them their booklets as I write their names on the cover. I have crayons out and some pencils for them to draw a self portrait. I also participate making my own All About Me booklet. This is an important piece for modeling. I always have the children sitting on the floor (I also sit on the floor) and using picture books as their table. If a student finishes quickly they can look through the book. At the end we each share about our picture to each other.
Session Two - Six We follow the same format for each group doing one page at a time and sharing about our picture. During this time I begin teaching some basic social skills of looking at the person who is speaking, making a positive comment or connection with the person as they share, and not interrupting while someone is sharing. I always ask the speaker if he/she felt like we had been doing those skills and how it felt.
On the last group I take some extra time to pass the books around for each to sign their name on the back cover. The children take home their booklets and I email the parents with a note about group ending and encouraging them to look at the booklet together at home.
6. Process: Throughout the group sessions I am making observations about the students. I look for a variety of social and emotions clues that will give me insight into the students. I also pay attention to the nonverbal cues. I When the group has ended I write up my observations of the student and file for future use. I use this information when I meet with parents. I also make note of some of the information they shared in group such as the fears and worries.
7. When the group is done I sit down with the teacher and review observations and insights.
From My Counseling Room
There was a young girl who did not speak at school. She did not speak to teachers or students. When called on in class she stood with a blank stare on her face and waiting until the teacher moved on to someone else. When I put Candy into the All About Me group the first thing the other girls told me was she would not talk. I said that was fine because in this group there are other ways we can share about ourselves other than talking.
Candy was very expressive in her art work. Her pictures were rich with details and expressive. In the academic setting, such as the classroom, things went very fast for Candy but in group the pace was much slower and there was plenty of time for her to feel secure. On the very first group setting, I told Candy that she need not worry I would never ask her to talk in group but that we all eagerly wanted to learn all about her and each other. I said her pictures would do the talking. When it was time for Candy to share her picture we would all make comment or two. On page 4, Candy drew pictures of each of the girls in the group with their names under the title "These are my Friends."
On the day the student drew about fears Candy drew a big mouth with words coming out. These were just small steps for Candy and yet a big step for the other girls in the group. After group the girls began including Candy in their games at recess. There became less focus on her not talking and more focus on what she could do despite not talking. As the years went on Candy did begin to share. In the fourth grade girls group Candy said, "I used to be shy but now I am not."
Candy was very expressive in her art work. Her pictures were rich with details and expressive. In the academic setting, such as the classroom, things went very fast for Candy but in group the pace was much slower and there was plenty of time for her to feel secure. On the very first group setting, I told Candy that she need not worry I would never ask her to talk in group but that we all eagerly wanted to learn all about her and each other. I said her pictures would do the talking. When it was time for Candy to share her picture we would all make comment or two. On page 4, Candy drew pictures of each of the girls in the group with their names under the title "These are my Friends."
On the day the student drew about fears Candy drew a big mouth with words coming out. These were just small steps for Candy and yet a big step for the other girls in the group. After group the girls began including Candy in their games at recess. There became less focus on her not talking and more focus on what she could do despite not talking. As the years went on Candy did begin to share. In the fourth grade girls group Candy said, "I used to be shy but now I am not."