Group Counseling

for High School

Student-Athletes
By: Quinn Hughes, Drew Gardner, & DeAris
Neal
Group Details

Setting: High school

Closed group

High school student athletes

Maximum of 10 students

Purpose of group: Time-management, study habits, and positive coping skills

Why This Population?

Student athletes are at a high risk of developing burnout, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and
academic underperformance (Bryson-Juhnke, Juhnke, & Henderson, 2013; Gould & Whitley,
2009)

“No pain, no gain” mentality contributes to mental health underutilization (López & Levy, 2013)

Situation is worsened by significant pressures specific to student athletes, particularly in college

(Sudano, Collins, & Miles, 2017)

Early intervention - positive coping skills & time management

Specialized group increases odds of student athlete involvement

Advantages of Group Counseling

Less stigmatizing than individual counseling

More affordable

Increases the number of students reached

Groups provide a sounding board - more feedback

Groups promote prosocial peer interaction

Provides a support system

Goals of the Group

Develop organizational skills

Learn process to best utilize time

Identify best place and time to study

Set academic goals

Monitor academic process

What Will Members Gain from
Participation?

Time management skills

Study skills

Coping skills

Self-reflection

Self-improvement

Improved wellness across the lifespan

Short-Term Goals

Learning to study more effectively

Learning how to manage their time more effectively

Organizing skills

Learning healthy coping skills

Long-Term Goals
Making use of personal resources

Continue to promote wellness throughout academic and athletic development

How Will Goals Be Accomplished in the
Group?

Teaching dispositional optimism will help in managing the demands of both academic exams and
sports competition in a more active, volitional, and task-focused manner (Gaudrea, Gunnell,
Hoar, Thompson, & Lelievre, 2015)

Examples and practice within the group

Feedback from other students

Organizing a weekly planner

Evaluation of Goals

● Pre-Group Self Assessment prior to/during the initial group session

○ Assess where students are before group begins
● Post-Group Self Assessment during/after last session
○ Assess where students are after group therapy
○ Do students feel they benefited from the group?
● Teacher Evaluation
○ Did teachers notice a difference in the students?
○ What can be recommended or worked on?
Eligibility

9th-12th grade student

Must be a student athlete

Must be appropriate fit for group (screening)

Must bring parental permission slip if under 18

Frequency

35-45 minute sessions (depending on subject)

6 weekly sessions

Recruitment
Teachers, coaches, and administrators may make referrals

Students may self-refer by visiting counselor’s office to sign up for group

Must bring parental permission slip if under 18

Rules

Rules will be discussed during first group session:

● Group members do not discuss what happens in the group with anyone outside of the
group
● Group members will treat each other with respect
● Group members will attend regularly and strive to participate in sessions
Ethical Considerations

Confidentiality - dependent on students

Informed consent/assent will be discussed in first session

ASCA Ethical Standards:

● A.1. Supporting Student Development; e. Are concerned with students’ academic, career
and social/ emotional needs and encourage each student’s maximum development; h.
Provide effective, responsive interventions to address student needs; i. Consider the
involvement of support networks, wraparound services and educational teams needed to
best serve students.
● A.2. Confidentiality; a. Promote awareness of school counselors’ ethical standards and
legal mandates regarding confidentiality and the appropriate rationale and procedures
for disclosure of student data and information to school staff
Termination Procedure

Students will be able to discuss what they felt they learned during their time in group
counseling, the growth they’ve seen in others, how they will continue to apply what they’ve
learned going forward, and their feelings about the end of the group

The students will be reminded that they are free to stop by the group leader’s office and
encouraged to continue to serve as a support system for each other

If necessary, students may be referred to outside services for individual counseling

Theoretical Orientation

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

SFBT is a promising intervention for schools and has been applied to improve academic
achievement, goal achievement, truancy, classroom disruptions, and substance use. In this
particular setting, with an open group and the topic, students can benefit from SFBT due to
these reasons:

Brevity (theory can be applied to any length session and any number of visits)

Present- and future-oriented

Final Report

Effectiveness will be measured by the pre- and post-group student self-reports

Post- and pre-group evaluations for teachers and coaches will be included in determining the
effectiveness of the group, as well. Results will be submitted to school administration.

2 Follow-up sessions

● Session 1: During middle of school year

● Session 2: Before end of school year
Session 3: What Are Learning Styles?

Goal: Student will learn what learning style fits them best; Introduce the topic of visual, auditory and
kinesthetic/tactile learning style
Materials: Paper, Computers, “What’s Your Learning Style?” Quiz (Education Planner)
● Check-In
● Introduce the topic of visual, auditory and kinesthetic/tactile learning styles. Students will then
take a 20-question quiz to determine their learning style.
● Discussion of the three learning styles
● Students will then be given three pieces of paper. For the first attempt at making the paper
airplane, verbal directions are read to the student. For the second attempt, visual and written
directions are given. For the third attempt, the instructor demonstrates each step while the
students fold their paper airplanes. Then students can fly the planes. Discussion follows about
auditory, visual and kinesthetic learning styles and how this might be applied to learning in
school. (Group Activity: Ideal Teacher)
Session 4
Goal: Students will learn related study strategies
Materials: Study Plan Worksheet, writing utensils, weekly planner

● Check-In
● Introduction of Study Plan Worksheet.
● Complete the Study Plan Worksheet to help indicate what you are going to do to better
organize yourself and your time
○ My study place at home will be?
○ If I don’t have my study place set up, I will have it set up by?
○ The best time of day for me to study is?
○ My study routine will be?
○ On the weekdays I will study from?
○ I will begin implementing my study routine on?
○ I will try to remember information by doing the following?
○ I will learn by teaching my study material to?
○ If I don’t understand a problem, I will ask for help from?
○ When I finish, I will reward myself by?
● Check-out
Session 5: Coping Strategies

Goal: Students will learn strategies to deal with stress in positive ways; to help calm the body and mind
Materials: Script from Supplementary Activities for Building Coping Skills (Break Free From
Depression, 2014)
● Check-In
● Introduction of positive coping skills- what are coping skills? Worksheet created by the
counselor with various examples of coping skills (exercise, walking, reading)
○ Ask students about their coping skills? Do they have any? What are ways they try to cope
with stress?
● Supplementary Activities for Building Copings Skills- Part 3: Guided Imagery and Visualization.
○ Guided imagery and visualization
○ What was the most relaxing part of the activity?
● Check-Out
References
Bryson-Juhnke, G., Juhnke, G., & Henderson, K. (2013). The homework identification plan: A solution-focused activity to
promote student-athletes’ time management skills. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 8(2), 187-202.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2013.792658

Gaudreau, P., Gunnell, K. E., Hoar, S. D., Thompson, A., & Lelièvre, J. (2015). Optimism, pessimism, and coping in a dual-domain
model of sport and school satisfaction. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 4(2), 140-152.
http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.utc.edu/10.1037/spy0000032

Gould, D., & Whitley, M. (2009). Sources and consequences of athletic burnout among college athletes. Journal of
Intercollegiate Sports, 2(1), 16–30.

López, R. L., Levy, J. J. (2013). Student athletes’ perceived barriers to and preferences for seeking counseling. Journal of
College Counseling, 16(1), 19-31. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1882.2013.00024.x

Robak, R. W., Kangos, K. A., Chiffriller, S. H., & Griffin, P. W. (2013). The working alliance in group counseling: An exploratory
study. Psychological Reports, 113(2), 591-604. doi:10.2466/21.02.PR0.113x19z7

Sudano, L. E., Collins, G., & Miles, C. M. (2017). Reducing barriers to mental health care for student-athletes: An integrated
care model. Families, Systems, & Health, 35(1), 77-84. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.utc.edu/10.1037/fsh0000242

Group Activity: Ideal Teacher. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.collegesuccessfoundation.org/document.doc?id=16