There are lots of reasons why we might suspect that group counseling isn’t a good fit for a particular student once the group has started. But what do we do next? We want to give them a chance to succeed and encourage them toward progress, but we recognize that sometimes group truly isn’t the best fit for the student. What can we do before removing them from group and then after if we decide that’s the best course of action? Keep reading to find tips on what to do if group counseling isn’t a good fit for your student!
What To Do If Group Counseling Isn’t a Good Fit
1 – Collaborative Conversation with Student
Meet 1:1 with the student to discuss what’s going on. Point out what you’ve noticed in a nonjudgmental way and ask the student what their perception of the group experience is. Ask things like:
- How are you feeling about being in the group?
- What has your experience in group been like so far?
- Is there anything I should know about group that you think I haven’t noticed yet?
Try to come up with a plan together with the student for how to get past any of the roadblocks you’re seeing. Give them the opportunity to propose solutions but also let them know that things might have to change if the current problem behavior persists.
2 – Evaluate Lagging Skills
If possible, try to pinpoint any skills the student might be lacking in order to participate fully or appropriately. Consider things like:
- do they have the language to express themselves in group?
- have they had instruction in the building block skills required for the group tasks?
- do they need 1:1 instruction in any skills that will help them participate more appropriately?
3 – Assign Special Roles
If the issue is that the student is dominating the group or that they aren’t fully participating, consider giving them a special role in the group. Maybe they can be the Official Actor (student who demonstrates a skill first) or the Team Includer (student who makes sure everyone gets a chance to share). Talk with the student to find out what they might like to be in charge of so that the need they are seeking can be met while still preserving group relationships.
4 – Change in Intervention
If you determine that group isn’t a good fit (whether there’s direct harm to group members, refusal to participate, or recurrent behavior that impedes group), it’s time to change the intervention. When a student is removed from group, we aren’t removing access to intervention. Instead, we’re changing the approach for the good of the student and others in group. We might consider things like:
- individual counseling
- CICO
- in class support
- peer mentoring
- intervention team involvement (support from behavioral health, school psych, etc.)
- outside referral
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