Because counselors will often lead groups with youth who have specific issues (anger management, self-harm/cutting, etc.) we will continue to create prompts that meet specific needs. (We welcome your requests for topics!)
Because counselors have different needs and greater knowledge about social/emotional issues than teachers, the prompts provided here don’t necessarily have to be used in order, unlike those for the classroom. Choose what you believe will work best given the needs of the group you are serving.
Students are paired with new partners(including all adults in the room) continually so all get to know one another. Begin by reinforcing confidentiality; that what your partner says to you is to stay confidential. You might go into detail about why that’s important. You might also ask whether each believes they can and are willing to hold confidence. If one is not, thank them for their honesty and point out that, although confidentiality is requested, students need to be aware that it is not yet a common agreement.