Helping At-Risk Students A Group Counseling Approach for Grades 6-9

by Waterman, Jill; Walker, Elizabeth

• ISBN13: 9781572305717
• ISBN10: 1572305711
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-17
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

This book provides a comprehensive, empirically supported group counseling program for youngsters at risk for academic, behavioral, and emotional difficulties. Designed for implementation in the span of a school semester, the curriculum has been shown to foster competence in areas crucial to successful development, including problem solving, violence prevention, and interpersonal skill-building. The book first presents an overview of program goals and methods and describes how to set up groups, select members, and promote a trusting, supportive environment. Step-by-step guidelines for conducting each session are then delineated. Described are a wealth of engaging activities and discussions that facilitate exploration of such vital issues as educational goals, ethnic identity, prejudice and discrimination, peer pressure, and family relationships. Appendices contain reproducible materials in both English and Spanish, including consent forms, pregroup and postgroup assessments, and student game cards, worksheets, and handouts. The book is designed for maximum ease of use with a large format and lay-flat binding. This innovative curriculum is ideal for use with youngsters dealing with family distress, academic problems, exposure to violence, and socioeconomic disadvantage. It can be implemented by school psychologists and counselors; other mental health professionals and administrative school personnel; teachers; and advanced graduate students in education, social work, and psychology.

Author Biography

Jill Waterman, PhD, is Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Coordinator of the UCLA Psychology Clinic. In addition to numerous articles on aspects of child trauma, she is the coauthor of Sexual Abuse of Young Children and Behind the Playground Walls. She is also a practicing psychotherapist in the Los Angeles area.

Elizabeth Walker, PhD, received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2000. As a graduate student, she spent several years working with adolescents in inner-city schools, and she completed her predoctoral internship at the UCSD Psychology Internship Consortium in 2000. Her research interests include the role of religion and spirituality in the lives of young people, and developing and implementing interventions for at-risk youth.

Table of Contents

Guidelines for Setting Up and Leading Groups	1	(19)
Goals of the SPARK Program	1	(1)
Getting Started	1	(5)
Selecting Group Members	1	(2)
Structure of the Groups	3	(1)
Group Leaders	4	(1)
Presenting the Groups to Prospective Members	5	(1)
Pregroup Individual Interviews and/or Questionnaires	5	(1)
Group Counseling Techniques	6	(6)
Developing Trust and Understanding Confidentiality	6	(1)
Building Group Cohesion	6	(2)
Group Process	8	(2)
Developmental Considerations	10	(1)
Maintaining Order and Leader Sanity	10	(1)
Uses and Parameters of Check-In and Check-Out	11	(1)
Issues in Ending the Groups	11	(1)
Dilemmas for Group Leaders	12	(7)
Handling Issues of Child Abuse and Suicidality	12	(2)
Balancing the Needs of Individual Group Members with the Requirements of the Psychoeducational Curriculum	14	(1)
Dealing with Members Who Do Not Participate	15	(1)
Dealing with Chronically Disruptive Members	15	(1)
Parameters of the Group Leader Role	16	(3)
The SPARK Curriculum	19	(70)
Overview of Module Content	20	(1)
Recruitment Criteria	20	(1)
Module One: Trust Building and Communication Skills	21	(13)
Module Two: Anger Management and Problem-Solving Skills	34	(7)
Module Three: Ethnic Identity and Anti-Prejudice	41	(8)
Module Four: Educational Aspirations	49	(13)
Module Five: Peer Pressure and Gangs	62	(7)
Module Six: Exposure to Community Violence and Posttraumatic Stress Reactions	69	(12)
Module Seven: Family Relationships	81	(4)
Module Seven: Termination Session: The Party	85	(4)
Effectiveness of SPARK Groups	89	(4)
Characteristics of Participating Group Members	89	(1)
Family Structure and Distress	89	(1)
Exposure to Community Violence	89	(1)
Outcomes of the SPARK Groups	90	(1)
Time 1 and Time 2 Differences for Those in the Treatment Group	90	(1)
Time 1 and Time 2 Differences for Those in the Control Group	91	(1)
Comparisons between the Treatment and Control Groups	91	(1)
Summary and Conclusions	91	(1)
Information Regarding Data Analyses	92	(1)
Appendix A. Sample Materials for Beginning SPARK Groups	93	(28)
Appendix B. Curriculum Materials and Handouts	121	(42)
Appendix C. Sample Materials in Spanish for Beginning SPARK Groups	163	(24)
Appendix D. Curriculum Materials and Handouts in Spanish	187	(30)
References	217	(2)
Index	219