Helping At-Risk Students: A Group Counselling Approach for Grades 6-9 » (2nd Edition)

Jill Waterman, PhD, is Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and coordinator of the UCLA Psychology Clinic, the training clinic for UCLA's top-ranked PhD program in clinical psychology. Her research and publications focus on various aspects of child trauma and on developing and evaluating interventions aimed at helping our most vulnerable children. Dr. Waterman 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 inner-city students in the Los Angeles area, and she currently works with economically disadvantaged, ethnically diverse high school students in Denver. Additionally, she is especially interested in integrating religion and spirituality into the therapeutic process.

Engaging, activity based, and effective, this widely used group counseling curriculum (the SPARK program) is designed for flexible implementation in school or clinical settings. The program helps youth build skills for school success and social-emotional growth while exploring such crucial topics as personal goals, ethnic identity and prejudice, peer pressure, violence prevention, and family relationships. Featured are 36 reproducible handouts and forms—plus Spanish-language versions of the 32 handouts—in a large-size format with lay-flat binding for ease of use.

New to This Edition

*Revised and expanded to incorporate new findings and field-tested strategies.

*New module on male–female relationships.

*New sessions on emotion regulation, communication, and relational aggression.

*Strategies for whole-class implementation have been added.

*Nearly half of the 68 reproducibles are new or revised.

NASP Communique

"A helpful and excellent guide that focuses on eight important topics for working with adolescents through the SPARK curriculum....The activities chosen for the sessions typically are engaging ones that will hold the interest of challenging teenagers. Many of the activities are based on therapeutic techniques proven effective through research, such as deep breathing, guided imagery, and relaxation techniques....Easy to read and understand and is a valuable resource when counseling adolescents. The format lends itself to implementing psychoeducational counseling sessions and can be used by seasoned or beginning practitioners. Group counseling that builds positive coping skills is needed in our schools and this project and book are to be commended as assets to school psychology."--NASP Communiqu?

1. Guidelines for Setting Up and Leading Groups

Goals of the SPARK Program

Getting Started

Selecting Group Members

Structure of the Groups

Group Leaders

Presenting the Groups to Prospective Members

Pregroup Individual Interviews and/or

Questionnnaires

Group Counseling Techniques

Developing Trust and Understanding Confidentiality

Building Group Cohesion

Group Process

Developmental Considerations

Maintaining Order and Leader Sanity

Uses and Parameters of Check-In and Check-Out

Issues in Ending the Groups

Dilemmas for Group Leaders

Handling Issues of Child Abuse and Suicidality

Suicidality

Balancing the Needs of Individual Group Members

with the Requirements of the Psychoeducational

Curriculum

Dealing with Members Who Do Not Participate

Dealing with Chronically Disruptive Members

Parameters of the Group Leader Role

Adapting the Curriculum for Full Classroom Use

2. The SPARK Curriculum

Overview of Module Content

Recruitment Criteria

Module One: Trust-Building and Communication Skills

Module Two: Anger Management and Emotion Regulation Skills

Module Three: Ethnic Identity and Anti-Prejudice

Module Four: Educational Aspirations

Module Five: Peer Pressure, Bullying, and Gangs

Module Six: Male–Female Relationships

Module Seven: Exposure to Violence and Posttraumatic Stress Reactions

Module Eight: Family Relationships

Termination Session: The Party

3. Effectiveness of SPARK Groups

Characteristics of Participating Group Members

Family Structure and Distress

Outcome of the SPARK Groups

Time 1 and Time 2 Differences for Those in the

Treatment Group

Time 1 and Time 2 Differences for Those in the

Control Group

Comparisons between the Treatment and Control

Groups

Pilot Evaluations of New and Revised Modules in This Edition

Summary and Conclusions

Information Regarding Data Analyses

Appendix A. Sample Materials for Beginning SPARK Groups

Appendix B. Curriculum Materials and Handouts

Appendix C. Sample Materials in Spanish for Beginning SPARK Groups

Appendix D. Curriculum Materials and Handouts in Spanish