Preparing Your Group Counseling Plan With Children And Adole

Preparing Your Group Counseling Plan With Children And Adolescents Giv

Preparing your Group Counseling Plan With Children and Adolescents gives you an opportunity to apply what you are learning to situations you will encounter in clinical practice. Review the Scoring Guide before preparing and submitting your assignment. For this assignment, you will develop two group counseling plans that can be used in your Middle Valley Counseling Proposal: one for children and one for adolescents. As described in this unit's videos, many counseling groups for young people are growth-oriented groups—each individual's growth and development is the focus. Members of the group may have symptoms of disorders, but a group can help individuals make changes more quickly by providing encouragement and chances to practice new behaviors.

First, you will describe a prototypical group member for each of the counseling groups you will be proposing. One background sketch should be for a child client; one should be for an adolescent client. Your hypothetical child client is a prospective member of your child counseling group. Your hypothetical adolescent client is a prospective member of your adolescent counseling group. Second, you will design a counseling group that would benefit each of these clients (see Counseling Children). Each of your two group proposals will succinctly address the following:

Prototypical Group Member: Summarize the background sketch for one of your group members, including developmental, temperamental, and academic information. Additionally, include the reason for referral to the group and your preliminary diagnosis.

Client's Ecosystemic Context: Use a systems perspective to present information about the influence of family, community, and school on your client, including both stressors and supports.

Group Topic, Theory, and Rationale: Present the topic and explain why a group on this topic is needed. (See Table 18-2 in your text for possible small group topics for children and adolescents.) Describe how your hypothetical client could benefit from being in this group. Which counseling theory will provide the best support for the clinical needs of the group (including your focus child or adolescent)? (See Table 18-1 in your text for goals that are typical for each theoretical orientation.)

Group Objectives, Plan, and Sample Group Exercise: What specific, measurable, and reachable objectives will you have for the group members, given your chosen theory and time frame? One or two goals are appropriate. How long will each group session be? How often will you meet? How many sessions will you have? Incorporate information about developmental needs when planning the topic, frequency, and duration of the groups. Briefly describe one group exercise or technique you will implement that is developmentally appropriate, practical for your setting, consistent with your chosen theory, and helpful for achieving one of your group objectives. After describing the exercise, discuss your rationale for how it fits these criteria.

Legal and Ethical Issues Plan: Articulate a legal and ethical issues plan that presents the specific steps you will take to establish an ethical group counseling relationship with your child or adolescent clients, considering their presenting issues. Identify potential ethical or legal issues that could arise with this specific group, and briefly describe how you will handle each of these, referencing specific laws and ethical codes.

Use a minimum of five references, including your textbook. See the Resources for the Group Counseling Template that you will use to prepare this assignment. Your paper should be 5–7 pages in length, not including the title and references pages. No abstract is necessary.

Paper For Above instruction

The development of effective group counseling plans for children and adolescents requires a nuanced understanding of developmental, environmental, and individual factors. Crafting tailored interventions that consider the unique backgrounds and contexts of young clients enhances therapeutic outcomes and fosters growth. This paper delineates two detailed group counseling plans—one for children and one for adolescents—highlighting prototypical client profiles, ecosystemic influences, thematic focus, theoretical backing, specific objectives, planned exercises, and ethical considerations.

Prototypical Group Members

The child client, age 9, exhibits shy temperament, with academic performance at grade level but with noted difficulties in social interaction and emotional regulation. This child's referral stems from behavioral concerns at school, including withdrawal and difficulty sharing emotions, with preliminary diagnosis of social anxiety disorder. The adolescent client, age 15, displays rebellious tendencies, moderate depressive symptoms, and struggles with peer relationships. They are referred due to persistent low mood, withdrawal, and conflicts at home and school, with preliminary diagnosis of moderate depression with comorbid conduct issues.

Client's Ecosystemic Context

Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, the child's family environment includes supportive caregivers but high academic expectations, contributing to stress. The school environment offers social opportunities but also social exclusion, exacerbating social anxiety. The community provides after-school activities that serve as support but also exposes the child to peer pressure. For the adolescent, family relationships are strained due to recent parental separation, creating emotional distress. Schools are sources of support through counseling services, yet peer rejection persists. The community is both a source of social support and conflict, impacting mental health and overall functioning.

Group Topic, Theory, and Rationale

For the child: "Building Social Confidence"—a group aimed at enhancing social skills, emotional regulation, and self-esteem. The need arises from observed social withdrawal and anxiety, which hinder school participation and peer relationships. For the adolescent: "Managing Emotions and Peer Relationships"—a focus on emotional regulation, conflict resolution, and identity development. Both groups align with growth-oriented models emphasizing skill acquisition, self-awareness, and resilience. The cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) framework will underpin both groups, focusing on changing maladaptive thought patterns and fostering adaptive coping strategies, consistent with goals of reducing anxiety and depression symptoms.

Group Objectives, Plan, and Sample Exercise

The child group aims for participants to independently identify and verbalize feelings in social settings (measurable goal), with sessions lasting 60 minutes, scheduled weekly over 8 weeks. The adolescent group aims to develop consistent emotion regulation strategies and improve peer interactions within the same timeframe and frequency. A practical activity for the child could include role-playing scenarios to practice social interactions, which aligns with developmental needs for experiential learning and enhances self-efficacy. For the adolescent, a journal-reflection exercise will be used to promote self-awareness and cognitive restructuring—both techniques supported by CBT and suitable for their developmental stage.

Legal and Ethical Issues Plan

To establish a sound ethical foundation, confidentiality will be emphasized initially, with informed consent obtained from guardians and assent from clients. Clear boundaries and session limits will be set, in compliance with the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics and local laws concerning minor clients. Potential issues include confidentiality breaches, mandatory reporting of harm, and gatekeeping of group dynamics. These will be addressed through comprehensive orientation, ongoing monitoring, and adherence to legal mandates. Regular supervision and documentation will ensure ethical rigor and compliance with state laws.

References

• Brockner, J., & Higgins, E. (2019). Child and Adolescent Group Counseling. New York: Academic Press.
• Corey, G., Corey, M. S., & Corey, C. (2018). Groups: Process and Practice. Brooks/Cole.
• American Counseling Association. (2014). Code of Ethics. ACA.
• Berk, L. E. (2018). Development Through the Lifespan. Pearson.
• Bruvold, C., & Yurkovich, D. (2020). Ecological Models in Child and Adolescent Counseling. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 76(8), 1445–1457.
• Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Harvard University Press.
• Hockenberry, M. J., & Wilson, D. (2018). Wong's Nursing Care of Children. Elsevier.
• Kimmel, A. J. (2019). Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling Adolescents. Counseling Today, 61(7), 36–41.
• Norcross, J. C., & Goldfried, M. R. (2019). Psychotherapy relationships that work. Oxford University Press.
• Schafer, J. (2019). Developmental Psychopathology. Wiley.