Group Development Paper: Foster Teen Group Dan Blumhardt Coun 571 Professor Will Meek December 6, 2010

Introduction The transition for adolescents moving out of the foster system is a challenging one. Though the transition to adulthood is a challenge for any adolescent, the challenges for this adolescent population are much greater. This group aims to provide support to teens once they age out of the foster system, which is between eighteen to twenty-one years of age depending on the state they live in. Research has shown some startling findings that describe a highly problematic future for a high percentage of this at-risk population. It can be said that any adolescent may be at risk of getting into all levels of trouble from depression to suicide, which would make all students at risk to different degrees. The important distinction, for the purpose of this group, is that this entire population is proven through research to experience significant stressors and problems and is at risk in a generalized sense. Furthermore, their future prospects of a successful independence are bleak statistically. The Research Basis for This Group First, foster youth are a vulnerable population overall. A study on vulnerable adolescents found that foster teens share strong commonalities with adolescents in the mental health system, juvenile system, criminal justice system, and special education, youth with disabilities and chronic sickness, runaway and homeless youth (Courtney, Foster & Osgood, 2010). Second, foster youth are not developmentally ready for independence. It has shown that foster children often experience brain development problems and that they are at risk for poorer outcomes as a result (Avery & Freundlich, 2009). Furthermore, as might be expected from the data on difficulties this population faces, the transition period to adulthood is typically difficult. A major national study found that 2.5 to 4 years after youth had aged-out of the child welfare system, 50% had used illegal drugs, 25% were involved in the legal system, and only 17% were completely self-supporting and that most youth exiting foster care are underemployed

3
(Munson et al., 2010). Besides financial difficulties, Courtney et al. (2010) point out another distinctive issue for all vulnerable adolescent populations, including foster youth, is that a third of former female foster youth are single mothers by age 21. Third, a foster youth doesnt have the normal support an adolescent may typically have during this time of making a full transition to independence, which goes much longer in todays world (Avery & Freundlich 2009). Unlike other adolescents, many foster youth have to find their own housing during this period of life, have limited, negative, or absent relations with family, and lack the sense of emotional support family can provide through encouragement and social connection Courtney et al. (2010). Group Explanation and Rationale Description As a high school counselor, I will have to prioritize any group counseling due to limited time. Considering the startling research on the foster adolescent population, I want to make it a priority to provide a support group for these adolescents in my school. As a school counselor, I am limited to the time they are in school, so this group aims to help these students before they transition out of the protective boundaries and structure the school environment provides. The goals of this group are to help them find relational and emotional support through the group and learn relational skills for the transition to adulthood. A secondary goal is that it provides a space to process future planning and goals related to a healthy transition from school, and later from the foster system. As such, the group will be a psycho educational group, focusing both on teaching and support. The group would be called Upward Transitions For Foster Youth, which implies that their upcoming transition to adulthood is one that can be a positive change for them. Population This group will be for seniors in high school who are also in the Foster System. Out of this population, this group aims to work with those lacking the most in relational support. The reason for this is that many foster kids may actually have decent support systems through their

4
home and relatives. For those students who lack the most support, where there is likely also greater emotional and relational difficulty, I hope the group can be one safe place to be supported and to process the challenges they anticipate for their future transition out of school and being closer to independence. Screening Screening will focus on students that demonstrate the greatest lack of support, including at home and in the community. It will screen out students who are poor in their ability to relate to peers due to the impact this would have on group process. This may be for a number of reasons, but the general idea is that students on the fringe due to extreme behavior, mental health problems, and extreme anger or unhealthy attitudes resulting in serious inability to relate to peers in healthy ways should be screened out. Realistically, there are likely enough in the moderate to good range in how they relate to others. The group will either be one gender, or two separate groups. For this age group, it seems the benefit of learning from both genders is outweighed by the potential cost of keeping student from being as open to share as they would otherwise. Overall, there is a fine line to walk here as this is a troubled population that will likely result in none being a perfect fit, while there may also be enough students in this population who are able to benefit from and contribute to the group despite their challenges. Structure This group will be semi-structured. One reason for this is to provide students with a space to process here-and-now dynamics. This is the experiential component that helps students learn about themselves and re-learn interpersonal patterns experientially. Also, I want the group to have flexibility to go places naturally and not just by a predetermined outline so that we are able to work on things that the group members are experiencing. By not over structuring the group, there can be space to do this. On the other hand, we also want to provide some structure. It seems this group would benefit from some structure and there is a need to develop specific social skills. This includes using interventions consistent with Sullivans Interpersonal theory. It also includes

5
incorporating a broader theme around healthy choices in the future that will help them during their transition. This will involve some exercises and discussion topics provided by me. Overall, the purpose of semi-structure here is to ensure that there is both experiential and educational processing to improve social skills and decision-making. Size This group will be between 6-8 students. It is small enough to ensure that each student is encouraged to make significant contributions and benefit, yet also big enough to benefit from an adequate number of members to learn from, to not feel the need to carry the group and thus, have enough space to process. Location This group will be located on campus for a few reasons. First, it provides a convenient location for this population. The leader and members are already there during the week, so it is more realistic for students to commit. Besides, transportation can be more of an issue for this population if it requires getting transportation both to and from a meeting. Second, the group will take place right after school. This is due to the convenience and transportation issues. This would eliminate any students who are in extra-curricular activities, but this is not a huge problem since any student who has been committed to a sport or other activity is likely to benefit in some of the same ways they would from group. Furthermore, since this group is for seniors, any student who couldnt make it would likely be a student who has been involved for 3-4 years, which implies they have found some level of support through team oriented activities. Membership The group will be closed to membership after it starts. This is due to wanting the group to develop a strong cohesiveness, wanting the group members to go through the stages together, and wanting to maintain a sense of safety for the members who may not feel inclined to open up to newcomers. Length

6
The group will go for nine months during the school year. Students will apply for the group during their junior year and during the summer, and will be formed before the school year starts. This fits within the school year timeline, and is enough time for the group to go through the stages together. The group will meet weekly on a set day each week. It will be on a day early in the week when the anticipation for the weekend and homework pressure is low. The group will meet for an hour. It is long enough for processing, but not too long after being in class most of the day, all of which were less than an hour. Additionally, Ive noticed this group gets restless with too much time longer than that. Type of leadership The leader will be a school counselor on campus. If it is possible, the school counselor will aim to partner with a community counselor because they may be viewed as it may encourage more openness to not have two school staff running it. Otherwise, he or she will partner with another school counselor to team-lead. The leadership will use a variety of techniques for some structure along with providing space for the here-and-now, feedback, and processing. The leaders may address a number of issues. The issues covered may be flexible enough to cover the most essential ones determined by research and assessment prior to group, but also ones the group naturally gravitates toward. Some sample issues covered may be conflict resolution, assertiveness, self-care, safety, career exploration, and goals. Summary In my relationships with adolescents in the foster system, I have noticed the effects that go beyond the statistics in a personal way. I believe a group for these students to be able to receive useful feedback from peers and skilled counselors would be a valuable asset for their preparation into the transition out of the foster system. If anything, these relationships can be a source of support for such a difficult time. At best, these students may gain be able to make some changes and decisions that will help them have a more successful transitions.

7 References Avery, R., & Freundlich, M. (2009). You're all grown up now: Termination of foster care support at age 18. Journal of Adolescence, 32(2), 247-257. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2008.03.009. Courtney, M., Foster, E., Osgood, D. (2010). Vulnerable Populations and the Transition to Adulthood. Future of Children, 20(1), 209-229. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Munson, M., Smalling, S., Spencer, R., Scott, L., & Tracy, E. (2010). A steady presence in the midst of change: Non-kin natural mentors in the lives of older youth exiting foster care. Children & Youth Services Review, 32(4), 527-535. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.11.005.