How to run a Successful Small Group- for School Counselors.

Published by Krystal on July 14, 2022July 14, 2022

Small groups are typically for students who need supplemental support. They are geared towards providing assistance to students who need specific instruction. So, in order to run a successful small group, you will need data to support the need for the selected students to be in the group.

What type of data should you collect, you might ask?

Say for example your school’s Tier 1 instruction is a Social Emotional Learning program; that means every student that walks into the classroom will have access to that program. However, three students continue to exhibit behavior problems in class even though they are present daily to receive Tier 1 instruction. Those three students that are not responding to the daily social emotional lessons would be perfect candidates for a small group.

Additional data collected could be: observational, behavioral reports, teacher records, etc..

Now that you have the data you need to support the reason for your students attending the small group, it’s show time!

Step 1: Create group goals

Group goals need to be specific. What do you want your students to be able to do by the end of the group. Some examples are:

Students will be able to use coping skills learned appropriately to solve real-world situations.
Students will be able to apply anger management techniques as need to solve problems.
Students will be able to apply an I-message to communicate effectively,

Step 2: Create lessons to go with the goals

When creating your lessons, make sure you keep in mind your learners. Create lessons that will include different learning styles, such as videos for visual learners, movement for kinesthetic learner, partner work for students who learn best when working with others, ect..

Step 3: Determine time frame. For example: 6 to 8 weeks; 20-30 minutes per session.

This depends on the goals, the lessons and the students. If you have lessons that are assigned one day but takes longer than two days to complete, that’s ok. The goal is to make sure your students understand the concept. This may require you to reteach or teach the concept differently.

Step 4: Start the group. Now that you have solid goals and an appropriate time frame, it’s time to meet with your group of students. This part is very important! Make sure you spend a good amount of time on team building activities. This will build respect and a trusting learning environment. If the students in your small social group don’t trust one another, it is going to be hard for them to open up and want to participate.

Step 5: Let me know how things go! Leave a comment, like this post and/or subscribe to my blog. See below for additional resources..

If you need resources to help you organize your small group, this would be the perfect resource for you to use: 8 forms every school counselor needs

I’ve create some small group units equipped with ASCA mindsets and behaviors, goals, detailed plans, activities and much, much more. Click on the link to check them out :

K-2 Self-Esteem Unit