The anxiety small group was created to meet the needs of four sophomore girls in one academy. These girls had similar upbringings and struggles that were recognized by the school counselor. When the counselor recognized these similarities, she reached out to each student individually to ask if they would be comfortable and interested in participating. Each of the four students agreed.

These students were selected because each had expressed anxiety related to school. They ranged from moderate anxiety in specific situations to more severe anxiety whenever they were at school. While the students were all in the same grade level, they did not know each other prior to the group starting.

Group Name: Anxiety Small Group

Goal: To decrease time out of class due to anxiety

Target Group: 10th grade girls struggling with anxiety and stress

Data Used to Identify Students: High absentee rate; low grades/performance in class

School Counselor(s): Teri Deel

ASCA Domain, Mindsets & Behaviors Standard(s): M1; M5; B-LS7; B-SMS7; B-SS2; B-SS3; B-SS4

Outline of Group Sessions Delivered: 1. What is Anxiety and How Does It Affect Me? 2. How Do You Experience Anxiety? 3. What Is In Our Control? 4. Express Yourself 5. Final Week

Process Data (Number of students affected): 4

Perception Data (Surveys or assessments used): Students came into the group not fully understanding how anxiety affected them or what their triggers were. Most of the students were anxious because of things that were outside of their control. By the end of the sessions, each student had found a coping mechanism that worked for her and were able to identify and stay away from triggers. They also each began keeping a journal which helped them express their anxiety in a healthy way.

Outcome Data (Achievement, attendance, and/or behavior data): At the beginning of the group, the students were averaging 83 minutes of missed class time per week. By the end of the group, the students were averaging 42 minutes of missed class time per week (not including group). This is a decrease of 50.6% in missed class time.

Implications: While more sessions would be helpful, the 5 sessions that we had were beneficial in helping the students identify and work on their anxiety and to come up with ways to stay in class and participate.

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