Counselor's Notebook, September 2014

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION SEPTEMBER 2014VOL. 51, NO. 1

MASCA

Welcome to the New YearBy TINA KARIDOYANES

MASCA President

Groups in SchoolsBy THERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D.

MASCA Past President

While I am always excited for thefirst signs of summer and a

slower pace to life, autumn is truly myfavorite season. The crisp fall air, theleaves changing, and apple picking. It isalso a fresh start for a new school yearfilled with enthusiasm and opportunity.I hope that you all were able to rechargeand relax these past couple of monthsand are now looking forward to thenew school year.

The theme for the coming MASCAyear is Building Blocks for the Future.

Over the past few years there havebeen changes in our field—from howcounselors are evaluated to a variety ofopportunities to improve and expand theservices we provide to our students. Build-ing a solid foundation for school coun-seling curricula is key to our success asschool counselors. MASCA will continueits long-standing collaboration with theDepartment of Elementary and SecondaryEducation to provide professional dev el -opment to counselors as well as a varietyof MASCA workshops and of course ourAnnual Spring Conference.

With Race To The Top coming to aclose this past August, you may be won-dering where we go from here. At theASCA conference this past summer, FirstLady Michelle Obama addressed more

than 2,000 attendees. She addressed theimportance of school counselors and howschool counselors should not be a luxurywithin a school district, but rather anecessity, at ALL LEVELS of education:elementary, middle/jr. high, and highschool. She shared a new initiative thatbegan this past winter at the WhiteHouse. Called Reach Higher, the initia-tive seeks to help every student onhis/her path to college or a career upongraduating from high school.

While the initiative is still in its form-ing stages, there is an opportunity for usto continue to advocate for our profes-sion and define our roles in schools. Ifyou have not heard her twenty-minutespeech, I encourage you to go to theASCA website and view her speech andthen share it with your administratorsand school board.

We are still looking to fill a few open-ings on the Governing Board: Vice Presi -dent Guidance Administrators, Mem ber - ship Services Committee Chair, MA ModelCommittee Chair, and Membership Co -ordinator. If you or any colleagues areinterested in learning more about takingon one of these positions, please contactme. If you are interested in volunteeringyour time on a committee or sharing anexpertise in an area, we are always look-ing for new ideas and to build our team.

In addition to the MASCA websiteand the Counselor’s Notebook, we willbe using social media to share items ofinterest to school counselors and gatherfeedback. You can follow us on Twitterand Facebook. MASCA’s Facebook pageis www.facebook.com/MassSchoolCounselor. I invite you to“like” MASCA.

Best wishes for an outstanding schoolyear. ■

G roup work can be a very effectivetool for school counselors, and

school counselors should consider apply-ing their group work training in theirpractice more often.

Think of a time when you’ve been atwork or volunteering your time and yourrole required that you work interactivelywith others. Remember the ways peoplecommunicated with each other (verballyand non-verbally). Remember the type ofwork you were focused on in your role.Remember what elements helped you to

Register now forMA Model Institutes

September 18 & 19Worcester

September 22 & 23Buzzards Bay/Wareham

For information, go to www.masca.org or contact Helen O’Donnell,

[email protected]

(continued on page 10)

2 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

NEWS OF NOTE

Children urged to play varietyof sports “Children are playing sports in too struc-tured a manner too early in life on adult-size fields — i.e., too large for optimalskill development — and spending toomuch time in one sport. It can lead toserious injuries and, a growing body ofsports science shows, a lesser ultimatelevel of athletic success.

We should urge kids to avoid hyper-specialization and instead sample a vari-ety of sports through at least age 12.”

— David Epstein, “Sports Should Be Child’sPlay,” www.nytimes.com, June 10, 2014.

Injuries for school athletesvary by sport, sex, and age “Middle school athletes of both gendersare less likely to sustain injuries than theirhigh school or collegiate counterparts, butfemale student-athletes in the middlegrades are at significantly higher risk ofmild injury during practices than games,according to a new study published on -line in the Journal of Athletic Training.”

The sports with the highest rates ofoverall injuries: football, girls’ track, girls’cross-country, girls’ wrestling, and boys’wrestling. Sports with the greatest time-loss injuries: football, girls’ wrestling,girls’ track, boys’ wrestling, and girls’ andboys’ judo.

— Bryan Toporek, “Study Examines InjuryRates Among Middle School Athletes,” http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/schooled_in_sports, July 7,2014.

PE classes can help fightobesity epidemic “Nearly one out of every three US chil-dren is overweight or obese, a rate thathas tripled in the past three decades.Students are less likely to walk to schoolor play outside before dinner, and theyare more likely to spend hours in frontof a television or computer screen.

Many advocates see physical educa-tion, with its potential to reach 56 mil-lion students, as a key way to influencebehavior during and after the school day.”

— Michael Alison Chandler, “Schools try tomake gym classes fun,” Washington Post, June

22, 2014, https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2014/06/21/schools-develop-nicer-version-gym-class/gij5xsDoXCtz4iAVvUf5GP/story.html?

Adolescent BMI linked toadulthood mortality “The objective of the investigation wasto study the relationship between BMI[body mass index] at adolescence andmortality rate as well as the mortalitytrend over the past 4 decades across theentire BMI range.”

A nationwide, longitudinal study ofmore than two million adolescents inIsrael found that “BMI at adolescence,within the normal range, is associatedwith all-cause mortality in adulthood.Mortality rates among overweight andobese adolescents did not improve in thelast 40 years, suggesting that preadult-hood obesity may attenuate the progres-sive increase in life expectancy.”

— J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014 Jun;99(6):2095-103. doi: 10.1210/jc.2014-1213. Epub 2014Mar 6, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24601695/

2014 – 2015 OFFICERS

PRESIDENTTINA KARIDOYANESMansfield High School250 East Street, Mansfield, MA 02048E-mail: [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENTTHERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D.Bridgewater State UniversityBridgewater, MA 02325Tel. 508-531-2640E-mail: [email protected]

PRESIDENT-ELECTRUTH CARRIGANWhitman-Hanson Regional High School600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA 02382Tel. 781-618-7434 • Fax 781-618-7098E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARYVERONICA KNIGHTLowell Elementary School175 Orchard Street, Watertown, MA 02472Tel. 617-926-2666E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGHKATHLEEN SCOTTE-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARYJOHN S. STEEREWellesley High School50 Rice Street, Wellesley, MA 02481Tel. 781-446-6290 x4653 • Fax 781-446-6308E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORSTBA

VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARYJOHN MARCUSDean College99 Main Street, Franklin, MA 02038Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORSMEGAN KRELL, Ph.D.; AMY L. COOK, Ph.D.E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT RETIREESJoseph D. FitzGerald, Ed.D.5 Progress Street, Weymouth, MA 02188Tel. 781-264-3426E-mail: [email protected]

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORDONNA M. BROWNAdjunct Professor, UMass BostonP.O. Box 366, 779 Center StreetBryantville, MA 02327Tel. 781-293-2835E-mail: [email protected]

TREASURERASHLEY CARON25 Belmont Ave., Stoughton, MA 02072Tel. 508-212-0676E-mail: [email protected]

SECRETARYKATIE KOZAKE-mail: [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATORDONNA BROWNE-mail: [email protected]

WEBMASTER/TECHNOLOGY COORDINATORROSS WOLFSONE-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

COORDINATOR OFPROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTHELEN O’DONNELL, Ed.D.E-mail: [email protected]

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITORSALLY ANN CONNOLLY19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154E-mail: [email protected]

SEPTEMBER 2014 3

New Opportunities for a New YearBy DONNA BROWN

MASCA Executive Director

Welcome back! The 2014-15 schoolyear promises to be an exciting,

productive one. With luck, you had theopportunity to recharge both physicallyand intellectually, connect with friendsand family, and discover some new andpotentially helpful ideas and techniques.

This summer I “discovered” webinars.Let me explain how this happened.

Even though I teach in the onlineSchool Counseling program at UMassBoston, I have never taken an onlinecourse. My course is synchronous, whichmeans we meet at a certain time andactually talk to each other; our interac-tions are live with e-mail used for regu-lar communication. Right now, though,I’m in an asynchronous course with theArchdiocese of Boston to improve myknowledge of Church teachings—it’salso required for those of us teaching inCatholic schools. I’ve really enjoyed beingable to read and participate at my con-venience. I also liked being able to rereadmaterial as needed.

Anyhow, one day I received an invita-tion from a company called SimpleK-12(www.simplek12.com) to attend a free(the best word of all) webinar on how touse my I-pad in the classroom. Since St.Paul School just received a set of I-padsfor classroom use, I thought I wouldcheck it out. WOW! I was really im -pressed with the four webinars I wasable to attend. Each was about 50 min-utes in length and featured an expertpractitioner. Although not specificallygeared to school counselors, the tech-niques and strategies presented wouldbe helpful for any kind of presentation.After four different webinars in fourhours, I felt far more confident planningboth my classroom presentations andvarious parent nights. Additional webi-

nars will cover topics like “Back to SchoolTips” and “Google Tips and Tools.” In -dividuals can purchase subscriptions thatallow access to archived webinars and m a - terials, but the initial webinars are free.

Probably the most useful collection ofwebinars for counselors is found at theASCA website (www.schoolcounselor.org).The list seems endless. Today I spent sometime listening to “Creating EffectiveSchool Counseling Smart Goals” pre-sented by Valerie K. Hardy, SecondarySchool Specialist, Fairfax County PublicSchools. Hardy provided a review ofprocess data, perception data, and out-come data before presenting both instruc-tion about creating SMART goals and giv-ing a rationale for using them. I learneda great deal from her clear and completepresentation.

Additionally, while watching and lis-tening to an archived webinar, it is pos-sible to pause it to take notes or just leavefor a while. Most power points can bedownloaded as well. Other ASCA webi-nars include “Stop Bullying Now! Cam-paign,” “Resources Supporting LGBTQYouth,” “Transition Programs ThatWork,” and “The ASCA National Model(3rd Ed): How is the New Edition Different?”

There are many more webinars outthere. Some state associations have pro-duced their own. Check for announce-ments by companies like The CollegeBoard or ACT. Most are free, althoughthere are now a number of companiesthat want you to buy a subscription orpay for the webinar.

I definitely am a digital immigrant anda nascent webinar participant, but I’menthusiastic about the possibilities andwhat I have learned already. As the oldslogan said, “Try it, you’ll like it.” ■

4 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Massachusetts School Counselors:Making a Difference Every Day

By RUTH CARRIGANMASCA President-Elect

H aving just returned from the 2014ASCA Conference, I feel very ener-

gized, excited, and proud to be a schoolcounselor in Massachusetts! The confer-ence, Build Magical Futures, was held inOrlando at the end of June. Despite crazyheat and humidity and a few hotel firealarms, my ASCA experience was pro-ductive and a great learning experience.

The first part of the conference was LDI(Leadership Development Institute), whereleaders from every state school counselingorganization worked together to discussissues facing school counselors across thenation. We also learned about the ASCAStudent Standards that have been updatedon the latest research and best practiceto enhance student achieve ment and topromote college and career readiness.

The conference was filled with excel-lent workshops that ranged from “Createa College Going Culture to Build YourProfessional Community with SocialMedia” to “LGBTQ Advocacy.” Some ofmy favorite sessions were “Going Gagafor Google” by Russ Sabella, where Ilearned about the wealth of tools Googlecan provide for school counselors, and“Tomorrow’s Jobs: 2012-2022 Employ-ment Projections,” which was led by arepresentative of the Bureau of LaborStatistics. Both workshops gave me prac-tical tools that I can use to improve theschool counseling programming andcurriculum at my high school. I am alsohappy to report that several of the con-ference workshops were led by schoolcounselors from Massachusetts. It was

wonderful that MASCA members sharedtheir expertise and passion for studentsuccess with counselors from across thecountry.

Perhaps the most exciting part of theconference for me was a special keynoteaddress by the First Lady of the UnitedStates, Michelle Obama. Regardless ofone’s political affiliation, it was great tosee the work of school counselors recog-nized at the national level.

The First Lady’s address includedmany examples of how school coun-selors make a difference in the lives ofstudents every day. She thanked us forthe work we do and encouraged us to con-tinue to help students reach their poten-tial. She also asked school counselors tosupport the Reach Higher initiative. Thegoal of this program is to help inspireevery student in America to take chargeof their future by completing their edu-cation past high school, whether at a pro-fessional training program, a communitycollege, or a four-year institution.

Helping students make a plan for thefuture. Isn’t this what we do every day?I believe that school counselors are thestudent support professionals most likelyto help the Reach Higher initiative becomereality.

Summer is nearly over, and the 2014-2015 school year will be starting in justa few weeks. You will need to be ready tocontinue to make a difference in the livesof the students you encounter. Despitelarge caseloads and non-counseling res -ponsibilities for many counselors acrossthe Commonwealth, we will again helpour students find success in the academic,social /emotional, and career and collegereadiness arenas.

As you begin this new school year, Ihope you will remember these words fromthe First Lady’s address at the ASCA Con-ference: “With every life you transform,with every life you save, you all have animpact that is truly beyond measure.”Thank you for making a differenceevery day!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Note: Links for the First Lady’s Address can befound on the American School Counselor Associ-ation Facebook page. ■

SAVE THE DATES!October 20, 2014

MA Model Institute Training SessionDoubleTree by Hilton, Leominster

All former MA Model Institute participants and school counseling colleagues are invited tojoin current In stitute cohorts for a day of training, which will include iden tifying sources ofschool data (profiles, EDWIN, EWIS, etc.), data analysis, and planning strategic interven-tions. More information at www.masca.org. $50 registration fee for non-2014 Instituteregistrants. Morning refresh ments and lunch included.

November 21-22, 2014School Counseling Leaders, North Atlantic Region

Annual Fall WorkshopUniversal Technical Institute, Norwood

Contact: Donna Brown, MASCA Executive Director

Tuesday, April 7, 2015MASCA Spring Conference

Holiday Inn, Boxboro

First Lady’s Reach Higher InitiativeAn effort to inspire every student in America to take charge of their futureby completing their education past high school, whether at a professionaltraining program, a community college, or a four-year college or university.

www.ReachHigher.govTwitter@ReachHigher

SEPTEMBER 2014 5

6 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Internship: A Plan for SuccessBy VERONICA KNIGHT

MASCA VP Elementary

S eptember brings new beginnings formany: first day outfits, new agenda

books, sharpened color pencils. All addto the excitement.

In addition to welcoming new staffand new families, one of the most highlyanticipated events of the year is welcom-ing the new crew of guidance interns.They enrich our work with new dimen-sions of teaching, learning, and practic-ing. Over the years, the interns of theLowell School have become a treasurednetwork of friends and colleagues in thefield, and each year I eagerly look for-ward to our new additions.

The internship program is always awork in progress. Here are a few ideasthat have helped us have positive expe-riences:

• It would be terrible to spend tenmonths somewhere and feel as if it hasbeen a waste of time, so we invite poten-tial interns to be candid about their needsand wants. If we don’t have the niche theyneed, we want to be honest about that.

• In order to avoid potential pitfalls,we ask during the interview process whatwould be a deal-breaker for them. Oncewe learn what someone dreads, we canbe more sensitive to what is important.

• We all have our “pet peeves.” Mineare chattiness and tardiness. We try to beupfront about those things to avoid funnyvibes in the office.

• Within the first few days, we sendout photos of each intern with his /hername and a brief write-up. Some teach-ers print these and display them in theirclassrooms, helping students to becomefamiliar with their friendly faces. Welove that!

• In order to develop the habit ofbeing in the milieu rather than holing upin the guidance office, from day one weschedule them to be in specific classroomsto observe. If they are comfortable, theycan jump in and get to know the stu-dents and their teachers.

• Case review is another great wayto get integrated, especially for incomingstudents and those who will be on theircaseloads. Interns practice researchinginformation and anticipating questions,culminating in case history presentationsduring our weekly wrap-around teammeeting.

• Because most school counselingprograms have limited time to cover theteaching and learning aspect of schools,we try to focus some training on a specific

topic each month: differentiated instruc-tion, RTI, the placement process, assess-ing progress, etc.

• We find that the more informed theinterns are about the school’s happenings,the more effective and invested they be -come, so we try to keep them in the loopthrough e-mails and sharing of cloud-based calendars and documents.

• Because talk time is limited, weeklyindividual and group supervision timesare held sacred. Consistency of such timesprevents anxiety: we all know that wewill get to talk about things every week.We also use group time to support eachother when challenging events occur. Ofcourse it helps that we always have donutsat these meetings.

• In addition to reviewing caseloadsand groups, during individual supervisionwe include time for interns to share whatthey are learning in school. This helpssupervisors keep current, and it addsvalue to the collaborative aspect of ourrelationship.

• Last, but not least, after the lastround of evaluation has been submitted,we ask graduates to give us candid feed-back about what has been helpful andwhat would have been helpful. For exam-ple, this year the group suggested a briefdriving tour of the town, highlightingthe other schools and neighborhoods.We will be certain to do this in Septem-ber. Such input has been invaluable.

A successful internship can have manydifferent outcomes. Most of us hope tosend our graduates off with a toolboxfull of guiding principles, well-honed skills,and practical activities. Sometimes ourinterns learn that elementary schools, oreven certain schools, may not be the bestmatch for them. Occasionally, a graduatewill realize that his/her love for researchis greater than fieldwork. Each of thosescenarios is a success in its own right andshould be celebrated.

There is something magical when a stu-dent comes to guidance, looks at me, andasks for one of the interns. What a priv-ilege it is to get to walk with an aspiringpractitioner through his /her journey. ■

SEPTEMBER 2014 7

Another New Year BeginsBy JOE FITZGERALD, Ed.D.

MASCA VP Retirees

E ven though it is a late, “triple H”July day, another year approaches

for those of us in education. “For thoseof us in education” is an automaticphrase for me. When I retired, I assumedI was finished with education. After all,I was leaving my job. But since my retire-ment nine years ago, I have continued tobe involved in education through MASCAand a newfound involvement in teachingtechnology to older adults.

It has always seemed strange to methat Labor Day and September were thebeginning of a “New Year.” However,that is the nature of the American, ten-month school year. For me, it means set-ting aside my summer responsibilities.For a quarter of my students, it means anew start and fresh opportunities.

I know I have touched on this topicbefore, but I have come to realize evenmore how important it is to remain inan education mode. From my Latin back -ground, I remember the base word foreducation: “lead out from.” And that isa lifelong process.

During the past four years, I havebeen involved with the Senior ComputerLearning Center. I have been teachingand developing curriculum and workingto make the Center a 501(3)(c) non-profit.At the Center we teach older adults howto use technology in their daily livesthrough such courses and workshops asintroduction to computers (Windows),Internet, iPad, Kindle, digital camera,photoediting, genealogy, Facebook, wordprocessing, and basic accounting (Excel).A list of our courses and workshops canbe found on our website, www.seniorcomputerlearningcenter.org. Althoughall of us are volunteers, there is a smallcost for each course/workshop.

Involvement in this program has be -come very important for me. I reallyenjoy all things related to technology,and I have always wanted to develop pro-grams. Now I can do so. I have also dis-covered that I like to teach. Great satis-faction comes from being able to providea valuable service for the adults in theCenter.

A new year with MASCAI am not quite sure what I should be doingas your MASCA VP Retirees, but I will

work on it, starting with the LeadershipDevelopment Institute in early August. Ido know that because I have “retired”from being Conference Registrar andChair person of the Technology Commit-tee, I will be able to devote more time tothe role.

I also know that I am interested inusing technology and the MASCA web-

site to reach out to retirees with timelyand useful workshops. Although I maysound like a broken record, I want to passon my theme of keeping positively busyand keeping the mind and body activein a constructive manner.

Watch for updates and please sharewith me your ideas or concerns: [email protected]. ■

8 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Connecting MASCA with ASCA:An Interview with Bob Bardwell

By MARIE ANDERSONMASCA Member Services Chair

Bob Bardwell is a school counselorand director of school counseling at

Monson High School. He has been veryactive as a MASCA president and Govern -ing Board member and as a board mem-ber of Western Massachusetts CounselorsAssociation. He also serves as adjunctcounselor educator at Westfield State Uni-versity in the school counseling program.

The following is an interview withBob, who has been elected for a three-year term with ASCA. Bob meets withthe ASCA Board of Directors up to fivetimes a year at key locations throughoutthe country.

ASCA’s office is located in Alexandria,Virginia, and it has ten paid staff whoaddress issues such as membership, theASCA journal, and conference planning.ASCA has a healthy, growing membership.

What do you see as the mostpressing issue for ASCA today?Clearly the biggest issue is the sustainabil-ity of the counseling positions in schools,clarifying the role of the school counselorto policy makers. An example of a recentupheaval in counseling that we discussedas a Board is the layoff of all schoolcounselors in Philadelphia. Counselorsimpact student achievement in schools.When counselor positions are cut, outsideagencies are hired to take their place,often on a part-time basis, but they are nottrained to address the entire range ofstudent needs. Reducing the number ofcounselors reflects the lack of understand-ing among policy makers.

What counseling issues seemto be of major concern forcounselors today?Counselors need to understand the useof data to prove what they do makes adifference in their schools. In addition,the old way of doing counseling willremain if we do not change the waygraduate students are being prepared inour graduate programs. Professionaldevelopment is a way to reach thosecounselors who are still not participat-ing in the MA Model, who may still bepracticing the traditional counseling

under the expectations of uninformedadministrations. The challenge is to finda way to reach the counselors who arenot involved in MASCA and who do notattend professional development oppor-tunities. Leadership within districts is keyto help move school counseling depart-ments in a new direction with K-12coordination.

Why did you choose to beinvolved with ASCA?I had been on the Board of ASCA in thepast and wanted to continue to make adifference on a national level: to be partof the solution. We need to do a betterjob telling people what we do. I heard astory about a Florida school. In a staffmeeting, the elementary school princi-pal announced that a position had to becut, except for the one school counselor,whose name was written on the board.Any other position was fair game. It wasclear the principal knew the benefit of thatcounselor for students and understoodthe role of the counselor in the school.

How can we apply what youhave learned in ASCA in ourMASCA organization?In MASCA we need to consider how todo things differently. A new Board struc-ture is being considered, which can re -flect a new vision of our organization.Make it relevant, just as we expect coun-selors to address the relevant issues inschools. Our challenge is to find ways toinvolve those who have not been reachedin the past. If I had my way, we wouldrequire MASCA membership as a com-ponent of recertification, so that all coun-selors keep pace with what is happeningin the profession.

You have been active inprofessional organizations suchas your local affiliate, MASCA,and now ASCA. What advicedo you have for new andexperienced counselors aboutbecoming involved?Being a volunteer leader is not for every-one. But if not you, then who? Someone

needs to step up and support the volun-teer efforts, participate, do something tocontribute at the affiliate or state level.At the least, keep membership with yourorganizations current.

What do you see as yourconnection to counselor activityin Massachusetts now?I am involved with reworking the para-meters for counselor certification andrecertification. The language needs to besustainable, to have longevity with theprofession, while reflecting key changessuch as MA Model implementation,know ledge and use of data, and class-room competency.

What do you think is thecommon denominator for themotivation to be a counselor?Clearly the common desire is to help stu-dents. However, aspiring counselors needto be aware that the way to help studentsis many-faceted. I know counselors whoare strictly doing counseling curriculumin the classroom and do not have a case-load. Counselors need to be ready totake on the challenges of the individualculture of their schools to make a dif-ference in student achievement.

What can you say about yourown life habits that might helpcounselors understand how tohandle the demands of this everchallenging profession?The key to my ability to handle thedemands of this most challenging pro-fession is to find time to exercise andspend time with my family doing non-counseling-related activities such as watch-ing movies or going bowling. This is notalways easy to do, but you have to makeit a priority. Counselors can’t help othersif they do not take care of themselves. It’slike the directions we get on airplanes:Put the oxygen mask on yourself firstbefore helping others. Every counselorshould have an activity or two that helpsthem remain grounded and at their bestto assist their students and families. ■

SEPTEMBER 2014 9

RESEARCH NOTES

Early musical training linkedto enhanced executive brainfunction “A controlled study using functional MRIbrain imaging reveals a possible biolog-ical link between early musical trainingand improved executive functioning inboth children and adults, report research -ers at Boston Children’s Hospital….

‘Since executive functioning is a strongpredictor of academic achievement, evenmore than IQ, we think our findings havestrong educational implications,’ saysstudy senior investigator Nadine Gaab,PhD, of the Laboratories of CognitiveNeuroscience at Boston Children’s. ‘Whilemany schools are cutting music programsand spending more and more time ontest preparation, our findings suggest thatmusical training may actually help to set upchildren for a better academic future.’ ”

— Boston Children’s Hospital, www.sciencedaily.com, June 17, 2014.

Childhood bullying hurts intoadulthood A recent study demonstrates “the im -portance of clinicians obtaining infor ma -tion about bullying from both parentsand children. This is especially relevantfor disorders associated with being a bul-lied victim (depression, anxiety, autismspectrum disorders)….For victimizedpatients, clinicians could institute ther-apy for post-traumatic stress disorderrelated to being a victim of bullying,which might mitigate the impact of per-sistently abnormal inflammatory mark-ers. Because conduct disorders are asso-ciated with being a bully, especially inchildren with callous-unemotional traits(J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2009; 50:471),school systems need to institute externalcontrols that manage bullying behaviorsand to provide avenues for teachers.”

— Barbara Geller, MD, reviewingCopeland WE et al. Proc Natl Acad SciU S A 2014 May 12, NEJM JournalWatch, http://www.jwatch.org/na34736/2014/06/03/childhood-bullying-hurts-adulthood, June 3, 2014. ■

Northeast Counselors Associationpresents awards

At its May meeting, Northeast Counselors Association held its Annual AwardsNight at Danversport Yacht Club. The meeting was hosted by Dean College,and John Marcus and James Fowler provided up dates on the college’s programsand plans. Awards presented were:

Counselor of the YearAmy Rose, Rockport High School

Rising Star AwardMichelle Hastings, Bishop Fenwick High School

Torch AwardMarty Ammer, Salem High School

Special AwardsDiane Shealy, Secretary, Triton Regional High SchoolDetective Robert Wile, Amesbury Police Department

10 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

COOGAN (continued from page 1)be successful with carrying out your tasks,large or small. Remember how the spe-cific tasks you accomplished impactedthe larger project everyone was workingon. Remember what elements sloweddown the process of productive work andwhich contributed to good work. Werethe elements related to the environment(e.g., lack of supplies available, inabilityto focus full attention on tasks due toconstant distractions, time of day or dayof the week set aside to completing thetask)? Or were the elements related topeople (e.g., interpersonal communicationbetween and among workers, methodsof communication, personalities, and char-acteristics of workers)? Answers to thesequestions can help when you want touse the group work approach to addressa need in the school setting.

We all engage in group work on adaily basis, yet we don’t often think of itfrom that lens. Group work and relatedtechniques can be transferable across var-ious domains, in and out of school envi-ronments. In the counseling field there arefour primary types of groups: task groups,psychoeducational groups, counseling/growth groups, and therapy groups.

Task and psychoeducational groupsare the two most often used by schoolcounselors. Counseling/growth and ther-apy groups are more often used by psy-chologists, clinical social workers, andmental health counselors, and they arenot appropriate for most K-12 schoolen vironments due to their topics andgoals. The type of group needed willdepend on the purpose of the group.

Groups in a school settingIn a school setting, the psychoeducationalgroup is most commonly used. They tar-get personal / social emotional, career, oracademic needs; and they can be easilyadapted to the common K-12 schoolsetting. The groups can be either closedor open. A closed group consists of stu-dents identified on the basis of the group’spurpose, and it functions for 7-10 sessions.An open group, on the other hand, can beoffered throughout an entire academicschool year, and it is open to any studentwho has matching needs. The terms“open” and “closed” refer to the stu-dent’s ability to join or terminate at anytime while the group is in session. The

school counselor should carefully considerthis when planning the group because ithas a dramatic impact on the structureand dynamics of the group.

Topic areas for groupsTopic areas common for “closed” groupsin school settings include: children ofdivorce groups, friendship groups, com-munication skills, new/transfer students,gifted and talented, aggression manage-ment, social skills, and self-esteem/well-ness. Common topic areas for “open”

groups include: homework clubs, readingclubs, social skills groups during lunch(e.g., “lunch bunch”), peer-conflict res-olution, and communication skills. Theschool counselor can apply these topicsacross all grade levels adjusting the scope,activities, screening requirements forselected students, and strategies for pro-cessing to meet the developmental levelof the children they are working with.

Planning and evaluationBefore the group begins, plan the entiregroup. What is the purpose of the group?What are the objectives or needs of thestudents intended for this group? Howwill you know your group worked? Plan-ning and determining evaluation mea-sures for each session and the group asa whole will be critical elements to suc-cessful group work.

Group structureThe groups can be gender specific or not.I recommend that counselors try to co-facilitate groups with another schoolcounselor or student support personnel.If you are supervising a graduate student,this is a great opportunity for co-facilita-tion and helping the student gain expe-rience and exposure to group work.

Naming the groupTry to come up with a creative name foryour group in advance. For example, in -stead of advertising a “Children of Divorce

Group work can be a veryeffective tool for schoolcounselors and should beused more often.

Group, call it “Banana Splits.” When youare working with a mandated group ofstudents, it can often be helpful for thegroup to identify a name for themselves aspart of the working stage during the firstsession. This helps to build cohesion,ownership, and meaning in the group.

Group seating arrangementI recommend that you arrange the phys-ical environment using only the exactnumber of chairs needed to form a circlein the space being used for the group.This helps avoid unnecessary distractionsduring group work. When co-facilitating,always ensure that the two group leaderssit across from each other in the group.This makes it easier to use non-verbalcommunication with your co-leader dur-ing the group, and it helps to eliminatea sense of role power with the two lead-ers physically separated. Assigned seatingshould be avoided. Leaders can switchup the seating as a technique to informthe group dynamics as needed.

Group session phasesEach group session should include threekey phases: opening, working, and ter-mination. Know how much time youhave to work with for each session andplan the phases accordingly.

1. Opening phase helps to welcomeand focus the group each time.

2. Working phase is when you com-plete the identified activity for that spe-cific session.

3. Termination phase is when the pro-cessing (and critical work) occurs thatinforms self-awareness, self-reflection andoverall development. This is often a phasethat is overlooked because of poor plan-ning or poor time management or becausethe group leader is not trained or confi-dent in his /her skills to process. This iswhere the basic microskills in counselingwill be utilized to help guide each mem-ber through their self-reflective journeyas a part of the group experience.

If you want to learn more about groupwork or if you are looking for resourcesfor professional development and ideasfor types of groups or activities, explorethe Association for Specialists in GroupWork. ASGW is a sister-division of theAmerican School Counselor Associa-tion. Information can be found atwww.asgw.org. ■

SEPTEMBER 2014 11

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDNEWBURYPORT, MA

PERMIT NO. 96

Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc.COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Sally Ann Connolly, Editor

IN CASE OF NON-DELIVERY, RETURN TO:Donna M. BrownP.O. Box 366Bryantville, MA 02327

MASCA’s Vision

Investing inthe Potential of

all MassachusettsStudents

An overview of the schoolcounselor’s role and what canbe done to improve student

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To view a copy or download,go to

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