Group Counseling Referrals

Small group counseling is one of a school counselor’s most used tier 2 interventions (learn more about school counselors and MTSS here). That is because they allow us to provide high-impact support for multiple students at one time. But, how do we know which students to include?

Whether you have always done groups, are committed to getting them off the ground, or are curious about starting them, you’ve probably wondered how to get group counseling referrals. In this post we will discuss four avenues for this: universal screeners, needs assessments, direct teacher referrals, and other school data.

Not only is having a system for getting group referrals important so that you can provide support to students who need it, but also because without a system, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Teachers and admin will be confused about when they can refer students to you, and you’ll have a messier schedule if you’re constantly starting new groups. There’s no one right way to get group counseling referrals – it’s most important that you make a plan and execute it!

Universal Screeners

Universal screeners are assessment tools used by schools to identify students at risk both academically and emotionally/behaviorally. That information can then be used to determine which students need intervention supports. Some of the screeners that target social/emotional/behavioral domains are the SRSS-IE, SAEBRS, or DESSA. You can read more about our experience with the SRSS-IE here.

Results from these screeners tell you which of your students are at different risk levels of developing internalizing or externalizing behavior disorders, or for having more significant emotional or behavioral problems. Each screener is different in terms of how much it costs, how it is administered, and the data that it provides.

Generally speaking, some benefits of using universal screeners are that it provides you with useful, objective data that makes intervention decision-making simple. They will also show trends within classrooms, grade levels, and the whole school which can guide other programming decisions.

Universal screeners can be a great option for getting names for group counseling, but they do come with some challenges:

• They are not always an option. Depending on your district or administration, you may not have the resources or permissions to use them.
• Teachers may be opposed. This is usually because they may find them to be time-consuming or could be concerned about labeling students.
• You might need more information. What they provide is great, but it’s not always quite enough to determine your next steps.

Needs Assessments

Needs assessments can be a fantastic way to intentionally collect information from stakeholders. You may or may not already be using them, but let’s specifically look at how you might use your needs assessment to gather group counseling referrals.

A quick note here: be mindful of including group counseling needs in your assessment if that is not an intervention you can feasibly provide based on scheduling, space constraints, etc. This especially applies if you send a needs assessment to caregivers or if you have your students complete one.

Direct Teacher Referrals

Because they are with them all day, teachers know their students so well. So, asking teachers directly for referrals are another helpful option when you are trying to collect group counseling referrals.

One way to do this is by attending grade-level/team meetings. Scheduling is tough, but if you can do it, that allows you to have these conversations without asking the teacher to find time in their day for another meeting. Having an organic conversation with them in-person provides you both with the opportunity to discuss details about the student in the morning to determine if they’re a good fit.

If you cannot attend meetings, email is always an option, too. When sending an email to teachers about your group counseling, be sure that your email is detailed and includes any information they will need to make a strong referral.

You might already have some groups in mind. If that’s the case, you could say something like this:

• “Based on some self-referrals I’ve received, I’m planning on running a small group that focuses on conflict resolution. The group will run for 8 weeks during the intervention block. Do you think any of your students would be a good fit for this group?”
• “In my most recent needs assessment, parents indicated that their children’s worries have been really overwhelming. I think a small group might be useful to help them build up some of their awareness and skills. Can you think of any kiddos that could benefit from this intervention?”
• “I’ve noticed a lot of 1st graders have been referred to the office for disciplinary reasons, particularly from recess. Because there are a few of them, I’m going to run a small group on self-control and friendship skills. This group will run for 8 weeks. Which of your students do you think you would refer for this support?”
• “I’ve noticed a few students in 3rd grade struggling with positive communication. I think Alexis, Janiyah, Kennedy, and Cayden would all benefit from learning more about using their social filter, accepting feedback, and thinking before they speak. Do you have any other students that you think would benefit from this?”

You can also start more broadly:

“You all are doing amazing work in your classrooms to develop our students’ social emotional skills that help them be successful here at school and hopefully later in life as well. There may be some students who seem to still struggle with their:

• Relationships
• Emotions
• Learning Skills
• Decision-Making
• Self-Concept

If you have some students that you think could use a little extra help in one or more of those areas, maybe reteaching and practicing some of the skills, they might be great candidates for group counseling.”

Some teachers are going to be so excited about some of their students get this support! Others might be more hesitant. Whether in person or via email, you might want to include some info about group counseling: time and number of sessions, how you’re evaluating growth, the types of activities you might do or skills you’ll focus on, etc.

A pro to asking teachers for group counseling referrals is that they (usually) have a well-rounded perspective on their students. You also get some immediate investment with this approach, because they’ve already said “yup, this kiddo could use this!” And last, another positive to this approach is that it makes clear when you are accepting group counseling referrals (AKA not at any random time in the hallway).

But, when relying on teacher referrals, it’s important to keep in mind that they might want to refer ALL of their students and the information they provide may be subjective.

School Data

School data can play a few different roles when we are using it for group counseling referrals. It can be used as a primary referral source. A starting place. Or, in addition to referrals or needs assessment responses.

When talking about school data, we are referring to a few possible points:

• Discipline or Behavior Data: Behavior is communication, so what are some of the trends telling you? Is there a group of kiddos with some lagging skills in impulse control? Maybe some friends having a hard time resolving conflict?
• Attendance Data: Trends in attendance could indicate the need for intervention
• Academic Data: When looking at grades or standardized testing, is anything standing out? Are there any outliers?Are there certain children that are struggling with specific test/classes?
• Self-Referrals/Individual Counseling Referrals: If you use a self-referral system, look for trends Why are they self-referring? Is there a recurring problem in certain grade levels or classes?You might also notice trends developing in individual counseling referrals from teachers. If you have multiple teachers reporting they have children struggling with the same things, you might choose to run a small group rather than schedule them all for individual counseling.

Using school data means your data will be objective. However, some of this data (academic, attendance, and behavior data) in isolation misses many students with social and emotional struggles that need support. It’s also worth nothing that many data points don’t provide you with the context they exist within, which can make it difficult to intervene appropriately. For example, attendance data doesn’t account for the reasons behind those absences or grades and/or testing doesn’t always take learning challenges into consideration.

Next Steps

Getting group counseling referrals will depend on many school-related factors like the structure of your student support system, access to screeners, scheduling constraints, etc. There is no one right way! You know your school best. With that in mind, and with your understanding of the methods available to you, here are your next steps:

1. Decide which method(s) to use for getting referrals
2. Take action
3. Form groups based on specific needs
4. Schedule groups
5. Send home caregiver notes and start meeting with your groups!

Final note for you: Deciding on group counseling for any particular child will also require some of your clinical judgment. Some referrals you get will not be a good fit for group counseling, and that’s okay! You can decide to try check in/check out, mentoring, outside counseling, individual counseling, or whatever else you think will address the need that is present most effectively.