Group Proposals

I have a binder like this for all my groups.  Right now I am running 23 groups and my part-time counselor is doing eight.  Our school is so large in order to see all the children referred we must see the vast majority in groups.  Also small psychoeducational group work helps children develop skills and cope with many common challenges.  This year I am running several "impulse control" groups in both first and second grade.  I call my first  grade groups Turtle Groups and second grade Remote Controllers.  It is probably obvious that turtles pull their arms and legs in, which many young children need to do instead of touching things and others.  By second grade they can use the "tools" of the remote control to learn to pause, rewind (redo a skit), lower volume, etc.  I do separate Turtle  groups for boys and girls in first grade, but all the students referred for this group in second grade are boys.  Inside the binder is the rationale, objectives, assessments, session plans and handouts, and evaluation tools.  Running so many groups these binders with group plans are a lifesaver.  I reuse them year after year, but also revise and improve the contents.  I generally develop two new groups a year.  Creating a group proposal is time consuming but greatly enhances the effectiveness of delivery because planning is the most important indicator of a group's success.  These binders are also very helpful when I am supervising an intern or breaking in a new part-time counselor.