Small Group Counseling Research Articles

Impact of Small Group Counseling and Family Support on Increasing Complete Basic Immunization (CBI) Coverage at Siak Health Center

Complete Basic Immunization (CBI) is a crucial public health goal at the Siak Health Center. In recent years, the coverage has decreased from 48% in 2022 to 45.9% in 2023, necessitating effective interventions. This study assesses the impact of small group counseling and family support on increasing CBI coverage. The methodology involves direct small-group sessions and ongoing family visits in informal settings. Counseling materials were supported with visual aids to improve knowledge among mothers about the importance of immunization. Results indicate a positive response from participants, highlighting increased understanding and motivation. This study underscores the need for continuous counseling and monitoring to ensure higher immunization rates.

MENINGKATKAN PENGETAHUAN: PENGARUH BUDAYA PANTANGAN MAKANAN PADA IBU MENYUSUI TERHADAP KEJADIAN STUNTING DI MASYARAKAT

The culture of food taboos for breastfeeding mothers is still strong in society and limits nutritional intake for breastfeeding mothers, which causes nutritional deficiencies in babies and toddlers. This is the basis for the Stikes Yarsi Mataram Service Team to carry out community service in the form of health education. This activity aims to increase public knowledge regarding the importance of meeting nutritional needs of breastfeeding mothers as a measure to prevent stunting in toddlers. The methods applied include the development of counseling materials, program socialization, small group counseling, and individual counseling and evaluation. The results showed a significant increase from 16.7% to 66.7% of breastfeeding mothers' knowledge in the good category. There is an increase in public knowledge about the importance of nutritional intake and the negative impact of the culture of food taboos, as well as behavioural changes in nutrition and balanced nutrition for breastfeeding mothers. The importance of understanding the need for balanced nutrition for breastfeeding mothers in preventing stunting is a shared responsibility in realising a healthy and strong generation of the nation.

From Our Cell to Your Block: Hip Hop and Podcasting as a Youth Participatory Action Research Intervention

This narrative inquiry explores the experiences of youth in a school within a juvenile detention facility, who participated in a hip hop and podcasting small-group counseling intervention. Specifically, youth wrote and recorded a podcast consisting of a hip hop song, interviews with their peers, and staff reflections on the youth’s experience. Salient results from this study offered that the hip hop podcasting group supported youth in emotionally processing their experience of being incarcerated.

Using Reflecting Teams in Solution-Focused Group Counseling Experiential Training for Master’s Students

ABSTRACTThe authors describe the use of a reflecting team (RT) to teach the experiential component of a master’s course in small group counseling using solution-focused (SF) therapy. Doctoral students act as the RT and provide feedback to the group members who can then respond to the feedback. The authors provide an overview of the process, alternative approaches for using an RT, feedback from small groups and RT members, and a RT observation form.

The effects of a Journey of the Brave Counseling Program on anxiety, well-being, and life adjustment in Taiwanese children

The purposes of the current study are two-fold. Study 1 aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) in a Taiwanese sample. Study 2 aimed to explore the immediate and follow-up effects of Journey of the Brave Counseling Program (JBCP) on children’s’ anxiety, well-being, and life adjustment. A review and suggestions were provided for future research and practitioners in educational and counseling fields as reference. In Study 1, the pilot study included 150 to 200 children between ages 11 and 12 in Taoyuan City. In Study 2, we conducted a pretest-posttest nonequivalent groups quasi-experimental design. The participants in this stage were 16 children in an elementary school in Taoyuan City, between ages 11 and 12. After obtaining consent forms from the participants’ guardians, we randomly assigned these participants to an experimental group (N = 8) and a control group (N = 8). The experimental group received a 40-minute JBCP session weekly for ten weeks. The control group received a 40-minute career exploration small group counseling weekly for ten weeks. We administered the SCAS, Psychological Well-Being Scale, and School Life Adjustment Scale in the pretest, posttest, and follow-up test to measure change of anxiety, well-being, and life adjustment of the participants. In addition, the current study implemented some qualitative data, such as group progress notes, group member feedback questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews with participants’ homeroom teachers as supplementary data to clarify the effects of the JBCP. In Study 1, we found that the SCAS had a good validity and reliability for Taiwanese children. The results of Study 2 indicated that the JBCP had immediate and follow-up effects on the separation anxiety in the experimental group. With the pretest impact eliminated, the immediate and follow-up effects on overall anxiety in the experimental group were better than those on the control group. However, even though the immediate and follow-up effects of the JBCP on the experimental group were better than the control group but were not significant. Besides, the group member feedback questionnaires and participants’ homeroom teachers all indicated that the experimental group participants had positive attitude toward the JBCP, and they also positively improved their emotions and interpersonal relationships with others.

The Achieving Success Everyday (ASE) Group Counseling Model Applied in Rural Schools: Implications for Future School Counselor Training and Practice

ABSTRACTThere is a critical need for school counselors to understand and support the unique needs of students in rural settings. The school counseling literature around rural school counseling is underdeveloped. In this training article, we describe a partnership between school counselor educators at two different universities to improve school counseling group leadership practice in rural schools using a small group counseling intervention. We include strategies used to prepare school counselors to implement the Achieving Success Everyday (ASE) group counseling model with elementary students in a rural Appalachian community as a training framework. Implications for group leadership training and practice are provided.

Improvements in Cardiometabolic Effects and Body Composition Outcomes Following an Online 8-Week Plant-Based Dietary and Lifestyle Worksite Intervention

Plant-based diets may positively impact body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors. An online 8-week plant-based dietary and lifestyle worksite intervention was implemented in spring 2021 among staff ( n = 52) at a public university in the southwestern United States. Participants attended weekly online small group counseling sessions and healthy living workshops with cooking classes. All measures and fasting blood draws were completed at baseline and 8-week post-intervention with changes analyzed using paired sample t-tests. Multiple linear regressions examined associations among knowledge gained and online attendance with outcomes. Results from paired sample t-tests indicated numerous statistically significant improvements from baseline to 8-week post-intervention: total cholesterol (mg/dL) (MBL = 193 ± 39, MPI = 176 ± 36), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (mg/dL) (MBL = 110 ± 33, MPI = 98 ± 30), body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) (MBL = 26.3 ± 6.3, MPI = 25.9 ± 6.1), fat mass (lb) (MBL = 62.0 ± 29.4, MPI = 60.3 ± 28.4), fat-free mass (lb) (MBL = 104.1 ± 29.4, MPI = 102.4 ± 19.6), phase angle (MBL = 5.1 ± .6, MPI = 5.0 ± .6), and diet quality (MBL = 62.4 ± 12.5, MPI = 75.2 ± 10.3). High-density lipoprotein cholestero l(HDL-C) decreased significantly (MBL = 65 ± 18, MPI = 61 ± 18). Knowledge negatively predicted LDL-C (B = −.226, P = .048) and positively predicted diet quality (B = .155, P = .021). Attendance at group sessions positively predicted phase angle (B = .055, P = .038). Findings demonstrate how a plant-based lifestyle can improve cardiometabolic health by reducing risk factors for chronic disease and enhancing body composition. Clinicians can support patients by encouraging plant-based diets.

Reclaiming the System: Group Counseling Landscape in Schools

Postpandemic culture has provided educators the opportunity to rebuild and reclaim the education system from its very foundation. Pioneering researchers in school counseling have begun reexamining what antiracist school counseling programs look like and providing school counselors practical recommendations for addressing racism and dismantling racist policies and procedures in their schools. This article disseminates findings from a quantitative research study that examined how school counselors are currently utilizing the lens of power, privilege, and intersectionality in their implementation of small groups in their schools. The results indicated that about half (52%) of participants are implementing small-group counseling through this lens while the other half are not. Further results showed that, demographically, school counselors who identified as Black or African American are more likely to do this critical work. We discuss implications for practitioners as they explore their own racial identity and battle racial inequities in schools.

Lunch Bunch: A Direct Service for School Counselors

ABSTRACT The role of the school counselor encompasses providing comprehensive and proactive programming to support student success and growth. Small group counseling allows for integration of a strengths-based approach to school counseling services and aligns with the ASCA National Model. The following article provides considerations and recommendations for the implementation of small groups through lunch bunch sessions. Facilitating small groups during lunch provides an optimal opportunity for school counselors to deliver direct services.

Preparing school counselors for social justice group counseling: Examining, power, privilege, and intersectionality

AbstractGiven the sociopolitical climate of schools today and multiple crises, school counselors are poised to center healing engagement, antiracist education, and social emotional learning through group counseling. Therefore, counselor education programs must prepare and train social justice‐engaged school counselors with advanced group knowledge and skills to fuel the success of all P‐12 schools. This manuscript specifically explores the extent to which school counselors use the lens of power, privilege, and intersectionality within the screening, planning, implementation, and evaluation of small groups. Results indicate while school counselors are facilitating small group counseling, contradictions exist in training and school counselors’ implementation of small groups from the lens of power, privilege, and intersectionality to promote social justice and antiracist practices in schools. School counselors perceive they were trained in small group counseling from the lens of power, privilege, and intersectionality, however, they reported that they do not implement group counseling from the same lens.

Animal-Assisted Counseling for Young Children: Evidence Base, Best Practices, and Future Prospects.

Increasing numbers of young children are experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues that require support in addition to that typically provided by family members and teachers. The services of professional counselors can be particularly useful when children need help adjusting to and coping with various stressors and situations. Many school counselors and other mental health professionals have found that carefully planned interactions between young children and animals (e.g., guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs, horses) represent an effective alternative/complementary therapeutic modality. Animals may provide an accepting, nonjudgmental presence that focuses young children’s attention, motivates them to learn, and encourages participation in planned intervention activities. This article begins by describing the general purposes for counseling with young children and the role that early childhood educators can play in increasing families’ awareness of and access to these services in their communities. Next, it defines animal-assisted counseling and reviews the relevant research to build a rationale for including carefully selected animals in mental health support services for children. The third section discusses caveats about involving animals in individual and small group counseling sessions, in classrooms, and in other facilities/programs that work with young children. The article then summarizes best practices in animal-assisted counseling and how they are influenced by variables within the child, animal welfare considerations, different contexts, availability of resources, and interagency collaborations. The conclusion is a statement on the future of animal-assisted counseling for young children and how it supports the goals of humane education.

Small-Group Counseling Intervention to Support Career Exploration of Rural Middle School Students

ABSTRACT Students from rural backgrounds may face unique challenges with respect to their career-identity development. School counselors are critically positioned to support the career development of these students through a social-justice lens. The following paper proposes a small-group intervention that serves to empower and support middle school students as they navigate the career-exploration process and seeks to foster and increase connections among members, peers, and other stakeholders (e.g., parents, teachers, community). The small-group counseling intervention includes a detailed outline of an 8-week psychoeducation group aligned with the core tenets of Relational Cultural Theory.

Equipping School Counselors for Antiracist Healing Centered Groups: A Critical Examination of Preparation, Connected Curricula, Professional Practice and Oversight

This paper highlights the potential for school counselors to promote antiracist practices and racial healing engagement utilizing small group counseling to ultimately eliminate inequities in schools. However, counselor educator programs, founded on middle to upper class white ideals, worldviews, and narrowly focused theoretical frameworks, currently function in ways that fail to equip future school counselors with the group facilitation knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for equitable practice in schools across the nation using case illustrations and a broad current literature review, the authors conceptualize the rationale for more competencies beyond group course assignment, clinical requirements (e.g., CACREP standards, 2016), practice, and supervision. Critical questions for counselor educators to reflect upon for group and connected curricula transformation are provided.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Exercise Maintenance Intervention in Men and Women After Cardiac Rehabilitation (ECO-PCR Trial)

BackgroundExercise maintenance interventions are needed for cardiac rehabilitation (CR) graduates to maintain moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). We tested an exercise facilitator intervention (EFI) to promote exercise maintenance compared with usual care (UC) separately in men and women. MethodsThis was a 3-site, randomized (1:1), parallel-group, superiority trial (ECO-PCR). CR graduates were stratified by site and sex and randomly allocated (concealed). EFI participants received a face-to-face introductory session, 5 small-group counseling teleconferences, and 3 personal calls from a trained facilitator over 50 weeks. In-person assessments were undertaken at baseline and 26 and 52 weeks after randomization. The primary outcome was weekly minutes of MVPA, measured by accelerometer. Secondary outcomes were exercise capacity, risk factors, quality of life, and enrollment in community-based exercise programs. Effects were tested with the use of linear mixed models. ResultsA total of 449 CR graduates (135 women, 314 men) were randomised (n = 226 EFI, n = 223 UC). In the intention-to-treat analysis for men and for women, there were no significant effects for treatment or time on MVPA. In a planned secondary analysis that considered only those adherent to EFI (completed ≥ 66% of sessions; per-protocol), bouted MVPA (ie, in sustained bouts of ≥ 10 min) was higher in women in the EFI group (mean = 132.6 ± 135.2 min/wk at 52 weeks) compared with UC (111.8 ± 113.1; P = 0.013). Regarding secondary outcomes, in women, a treatment group main effect was observed for blood pressure (P = 0.011) and exercise capacity (P = 0.019; both per-protocol) favouring EFI; no other differences were observed. ConclusionsIn this trial of CR completers, an EFI showed promise for women, but was ineffective in men.

Examining the role of school psychologists as providers of mental and behavioral health services

AbstractThe school setting represents the most common setting by which youth receive mental and behavioral health (MBH) services (Farmer et al., 2003, Psychiatr Serv, 54, 60–66). Nevertheless, many school psychologists are not providing MBH services despite the high prevalence of need. Additional research is needed to understand factors leading to these deficits, as well as potential solutions to ameliorate these concerns. The current study surveyed 341 school psychologists across seven states and found current ratios are one school psychologist for every 1,500–2,000 students. Study results suggest school psychologists are providing a half to full day of universal, prevention‐oriented MBH services each week whereas more targeted, direct services (e.g., individual or small group counseling) are offered 1–4 hr each week. The school psychologist‐to‐student ratios also demonstrated a statistically significant and inverse association with the provision of targeted MBH services, with higher ratios resulting in fewer MBH services. Respondents provided potential solutions for how to expand the delivery of MBH services within schools, including increased awareness and support among school and district administrators, as well as access to training and professional development related to MBH services.

교류분석에 기초한 소집단 집단상담식 부모교육이 부모의 심리적 자세에 미치는 영향

본 연구의 목적은 교류분석(TA: transactional analysis)에 기초한 소집단 집단상담식 부모교육이 부모의 자아개념, 양육태도, 부모-자녀와의 상호작용에 미치는 영향을 분석하는데 있다. 만 2~5세 유아를 둔 40명 어머니를 대상으로 비교집단과 실험집단으로 나누어 연구하였다. 비교집단은 가정통신문으로 부모교육을 진행하였으며, 실험집단은 소집단 집단상담식 부모교육을 진행하였다. 두 집단 모두 12주 동안 12회에 걸쳐 실험 처치하였다. 연구결과 TA에 기초한 집단상담식 부모교육이 세 요인에 대해 유의미한 효과가 나타났다. 이러한 본 연구의 결과는 유아기 자녀를 둔 부모들에게 소집단 집단상담식 부모교육 프로그램이 필요하다는 점을 시사하고 있다.

Psychosocial Interventions for Emergent Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: Near-Empty Systematic Review and Exploratory Meta-Analysis.

Risk for developing mental health concerns is increased for people with diabetes. Coupled with stressors related to the transition from adolescence to adulthood, emergent adults may be in greater need of psychosocial interventions to help them cope. This review summarizes the literature on interventions used with people with diabetes aged 15-30 years on psychosocial and biological (A1C) outcomes. Core databases were searched for both published and grey research. Studies completed between January 1985 and October 2018 using any psychosocial intervention and meeting age and diabetes type requirements were selected if they included a control or comparison group and findings reported in such a way that effect size was calculable. Two authors independently extracted relevant data using standard data extraction templates. Six studies with 450 participants met the broad inclusion criteria. Sample-weighted pooling of 12 outcomes, six each on glycemic control and psychosocial status, suggested the preventive potential (d = 0.31, 95% CI 0.17-0.45) and homogeneity (χ2 [11] = 11.15, P = 0.43) of studied interventions. This preliminary meta-analysis provides some suggestion that psychosocial interventions, including telephone-based case management, individualized treatment modules, and small-group counseling interventions, may diminish burden, depression, and anxiety and enhance glycemic control among emerging adults with type 1 diabetes as they transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Girls’ Relational Aggression: A Small Group Intervention

An elementary school counseling department used data-informed practices in an effort to provide more effective school counseling services. This article provides a summary and evaluation of a girls’ relational aggression small group in an elementary setting. Results indicated that integrating friendship, conflict resolution, and self-affirmation into small group counseling affected behavior and social/emotional development. The school counselors were able to address preexisting relational aggression. This article offers implications for school counselors.

Effects of Small Group, Adolescent-Centered Counseling on the Knowledge of HIV and Sexual Health in Chennai, India

Adolescents play a crucial role in shaping the course of the HIV epidemic. It is estimated that over 35% of all AIDS cases in India occur among adolescents 15-24 years old. HIV-positive adolescents are not only confronted with the stigma of living with HIV but also face unique challenges including physiological changes to their bodies, increased propensity to engage in high risk behavior and dependency on family members and schools for sexual health knowledge. This study aims to understand the social and educational factors that influence the knowledge and attitudes of adolescents living with HIV and evaluate the impact of a pilot counseling program. Two same-sex counseling groups were conducted among teens participating in the International Alliance for the Prevention of AIDS, a non governmental organization in Chennai, India. This organization provides monthly medical wellness checks and nutritional support to HIV-positive individuals. A convenient sample of 19 male and female participants with a range of age of 14-19 years were recruited to the study. Group moderators conducted an adolescents living with HIV-centered pilot counseling program in English and their native language, Tamil. The pilot counseling program included four key topics: General HIV Knowledge, Sexual Health, HIV Transmission, and Condom Use. A double group, repeated measures study design was employed and consisted of a pre-test (n=19) and an immediate post-test (n=19) with a response rate of 100%. Paired-sample t-tests were applied to compare participants knowledge of HIV/ AIDS and sexual health topics pre- and post-test. 72.2% of the adolescents living with HIV reported never talking about HIV/AIDS with their parents. Additionally 89.5% had never learned about HIV/AIDS in school, 79.0% had never been taught about sexually transmitted infections, 84.2% had not been taught about forms of sexual protection such as condoms. Participants demonstrated statistically significant increase in overall pre- and post-counseling scores (p <.05). Statistically significant differences from pre- and post-counseling sessions were noted for the categories of General HIV Knowledge (p<0.01 ), Sexual Health (p<0.05), HIV Transmission (p<0.01), and Condom Use (p<0.005 ). Although the small sample size limits the generalizability of the data, our findings suggest that adolescents living with HIV in India may face a number of challenges including limited knowledge about contraception, limited communication between parents and adolescents around their teen’s HIV status, and minimal exposure to sexual and reproductive health matters in school. Small group counseling sessions are effective to improve education of adolescents on HIV and AIDS. While current services in Chennai, India are largely divided into pediatric (11 years and younger) and adult (12 years and older) programs, adolescents living with HIV may benefit from counseling services that are sensitive to their unique educational, cultural, psychological and familial environment.

Gay Poz Sex: A Sexual Health Promotion Intervention for HIV-Positive Gay and Bisexual Men

Despite the widespread use of cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing techniques among behavioral clinicians, most mental health clinicians do not know how to use these techniques for HIV prevention and sexual health promotion. Even less information is available to clinicians on how to work with HIV-positive gay and bisexual men who are at risk for transmitting HIV due to condomless anal sex. The purpose of the present paper is to assist behavioral therapists who are treating HIV-positive gay and bisexual men who engage in sexual behavior that may place them at risk for transmitting HIV or for other sexually transmitted infections. Gay Poz Sex is a form of small group counseling that uses the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model (e.g., Fisher & Fisher, 2000) as the theoretical basis, and a combination of psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, and cognitive-behavioral skills such as stimulus control and role-play exercises. The treatment has the goal of promoting a positive sense of sexual well-being and reducing sexual behavior associated with the transmission of HIV, such as condomless anal sex. This paper illustrates, using three case examples, the application of empirically supported therapy techniques to reduce condomless anal sex for HIV-positive gay and bisexual men.