Running head: GROUP PROPOSAL

Group Proposal

Kali Farwell and Linsdale Graham

Bridgewater State University

GROUP PROPOSAL

Title of Group:

X-Plosion!

Type of Group:

This group is a psychoeducational designed to increase affective regulation skills in males ages

14 to 16. The group is time limited, running for 14 weeks. The group is voluntary. Young men

can self-refer or be recommended by parents, guardians, teachers, etc. The group is primarily

homogeneous, comprising of males in the 9th and 10th grade with similar age range of 12-14,

developmentally they are similar and their social and emotional functioning is within the same

range.

Rationale:

According to Shuster, the suicide rates for boys ages fifteen to nineteen have tripled since

1970 (p. 145). In 2014, 77.9% of all teen suicides were males (Center for Disease Control, 2015).

The number of male suicides, according to the Center for Disease Control, has increased from

1,352 in 1998 to 1,668 in 2014 (2015). Boys ages fourteen to sixteen are at high risk for suicide,

drug abuse, risky sexual behavior, juvenile court, and homicide. There are many factors

contributing that can place a boy at risk, Kindlon and Thompson identified a lack of emotional

literacy as a major problem (2000, p. 6).

Emotional literacy can be defined as “the ability to read and understand our emotions and

those of others” (Kindlon & Thompson, p. 4). As stated above, the lack of emotional literacy is a

major risk factor for development problematic behaviors. According to Kindlon and Thompson,

enhancing one’s emotional literacy can help boys to “learn to appreciate life’s emotional

complexity and this enhances all our professionals and personal relationship, helping is to

strengthen the connections that enrich our lives” (p. 4). The Harvard Business review reported a
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story about Nobel Laureate James Hickman and how he believed that investing in children’s non-

cognitive education regarding things such as motivation, perseverance and self-control “is a cost

effective approach to increasing the quality and productivity of the workforce” (Harvard

Business Review). Emotional literacy has been shown as an important factor in overall success

in relationships both professional and personal as well as having an impact in job success.

Affective regulation is a skill in which people learn how to manage different emotions

and create healthy coping skills therefore increasing emotional literacy. The goal of encouraging

this population to be more effective at emotional regulation skills is that they will become more

self-aware of their emotions and develop healthy strategies to aid affective regulation. These

strategies may include mindfulness, coping skills, and identifying positive support systems. A

meta-analysis done by Hoag and Brulingame on the efficacy of group therapy, of children ages

4-18 years old, showed that those in group therapy were 73% better off then those who did not

attend group therapy (1997). After training kids in social and emotional learning at the Yale

Center for Emotional Intelligence, kids were reported in gaining “more effective leadership

skills, stronger friendships and connections to teachers, better conflict management skills, and

greater academic achievement than children who do not receive the training” (Bracket)

Goal and Objectives:

The primary goal of this group is for members to enhance emotional literacy skills.

Objectives:

1. The members will gain self-awareness around their emotions and the emotions of others

2. They will learn healthy coping skills that can be used throughout their lives to navigate

stress.

3. Members will learn to identify healthy relationships.

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Basic Information:

The group facilitators will coordinate with the school to identify students who could

benefit from the group, including some those referred by themselves, parents, and school

personnel. The preferred size of the group 5 to 7 members. The group will meet during a study

block in a music or art room. The session will be for 50 class meeting times. Exclusion criteria

includes students with psychological conditions better served with individual treatment, students

whose parents object to their participation in a group and students outside of the specified age

bracket.

Basic Group Rules:

The group will establish rules related to behaviors, group norms, and confidentiality. Specific

emphasis will be placed on respect of everyone in the group in order to ensure the process occurs

and foster the development of the therapeutic factors. Confidentiality is another important point

to be discussed in our group rule formulation especially how it exists within the group settings

and the limitations it presents. Also, the responsibility that is placed on every single member of

the group in helping the process be a success.

Possible Topics:

 Defining emotions

 Mindfulness

 Coping skills

 Identifying healthy relationships

 How to create healthy relationships

Therapeutic Activities:

 Mindfulness tape
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 Emotion Games (M&Ms game example)

Best Practices:

The Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW) help to provide a helpful

framework in ensuring that best practices in group work are not only outlined but also adhered to

by group facilitators. For the purposes of this group proposal, the best practices were considered

and adapted throughout each stage of the process in an effort to minimize adverse effects on our

clients.

Firstly, ensuring that facilitators are knowledgeable of the best practices, the code of

ethics governing us nationally and locally and adhering to the laws of the country and those of

the state. As group workers, we will operate within the scope of our training and ensured that all

interventions are evidence based and will help to ensure the process is maintained. An

assessment of ourselves as individuals is imperative to the process and this is done through

reflection and introspection which aids in building our self-awareness before we facilitate this

group. Each facilitator has engaged in helpful assessment ensuring that any biases or differences

that may arise may be dealt with in a professional and mutually beneficial manner which will

help to preserve the integrity of the group.

Secondly, the group was created on the knowledge of the community in which it will be

conducted and the necessity for the chosen population as is outlined in the rationale. The

program was developed using evidence based literature, in addition to consultations with trained

professionals in the field who helped in providing some of the resources needed for the success

of the group. As Yalom & Leszcz (2005) state, confidentiality is just as essential in the group

counseling as it is with any client and therapist relationship. Therefore, an informed consent will

be presented and utilized throughout the group process. A focus on confidentiality and its
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limitations will be thoroughly addressed. The facilitators from their training and reading will

ensure that harm to any member will be minimized by modelling behavior through healthy

communication, also being cognizant of the pace of disclosures in an effort to protect members

physically, emotionally and psychologically.

Lastly, the processing of the group will be done through reflection individually, as co

facilitators and through supervision. Constant planning and evaluation as we progress through

the group process will be essential and the necessary follow up to assess outcomes.

Special Considerations:

The facilitators both work in the school therefore are available for the group members

individually when needed. The facilitators will have flyers around the school for the group. Upon

meeting with students individually, if the facilitator thinks a boy may benefit from the group they

will give out a referral. The facilitators will also announce at staff meeting about the group so

that other teachers will be able to recognize students they could refer.

Ethically it will be important for the facilitators to address the concerns related to

mandatory reporting. The group members will need to understand the gaps on confidentiality

including the mandated reporting and the confidentiality issues involved in a group.
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References

Brackett, M., Divecha, D., & Stern, R. (2015). Teaching teenagers to develop their emotional

intelligence. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from

https://hbr.org/2015/05/teaching-teenagers-to-develop-their-emotional-intelligence

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2015). Web-based Injury Statistics Query

and Reporting System. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC.

Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/injury/ wisqars/index.htm

Hoag, M. J. & Burlingame, G. M. (1997). Evaluating the effectiveness of child and adolescent

group treatment: a meta-analytical review. US National Library of Medicine, 3, 234-246.

Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9292381

Kindlon, D. & Thompson, M. (2000). Raising Cain: Protecting the emotional life of boys. New

York: Random House Inc

Pollack, W. (2000). Real boys’ voices. New York: Random House, Inc.

Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2005). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. New York:

Basic Books.