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Section 18
After-School Counseling for High-Risk Middle School Students

Question 18 | Test | Table of Contents

There are a number of middle school students who experience difficulty making the transition from childhood to early adolescence and may be described as high-risk. This article describes an after-school program designed to promote healthy identity and adaptive personal choice behaviors in a high-risk group of middle school students.

Developmentally, middle school students are transitioning from late childhood to early adolescence. It is a time of many changes and, at times, turmoil. School counselors play an integral role in creating developmentally appropriate services for this age group. In general, middle school students have unique needs based on the rapid shifts in their physical, psychological, and social development (Roeser, Eccles, & Sameroff, 2000). Physically, they are entering puberty; psychologically, they are dealing with issues of industry and identity. As issues of autonomy and identity become much more important to them, simply completing their schoolwork because it is what their teachers ask is no longer sufficient motivation, especially if they perceive school to be meaningless or boring. For youth in this developmental phase, the most important relationships are no longer exclusively with family members, and peers become much more influential during this time (Fowler, 1981; Turner & Helms, 1995).

It is a challenging time in which children's perceptions of school and expectations about their future are being remolded into a form that will remain fairly stable throughout the rest of their lives (Roeser et al., 2000). This developmental period sets the stage for problem-solving approaches later in life (Jessor, 1987), and adult attitudes and behaviors toward risk taking often have their antecedents in youth (Logan, 1991).

More than half of all middle school students are able to manage these multiple biological, psychological, and social transitions without major problems. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of students encounter distress when making the transition from childhood to early adolescence. Roeser et al. (2000) noted that 25% to 50% of all children in the United States aged 10-17 are "at risk for curtailed educational, emotional, economic, and social opportunities due to their engagement in high-risk behaviors and activities that include violence and vandalism, unprotected sex, abuse of alcohol and drugs, skipping and failing school, and so on" (p. 444). Students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are at particular risk for engaging in these behaviors (Roeser et al.), for having lower or more unrealistic occupational aspirations (Rojewski & Hill, 1998; Rojewski & Kim, 2003), and for having delayed psychosocial development (Marcon, 1997).

Wilson Middle School and Its Students
The student body at WMS is predominantly Caucasian (82%) with a small percentage of Black (14%) and multiracial (4%) students. The majority of the student population comes from lower SES families. Almost three-quarters of the students participate in the free and reduced lunch program with the majority receiving free lunch. Many WMS students also score poorly on the state's mandatory achievement test. Over the past 6 years, the average passing percentage for students has ranged from 35% to 55%. These percentages consistently fall below the state average of 65% to 70% (Indiana Department of Education, 2004). While the students at WMS face the same bio-psycho-social challenges as other middle school students, they are considered a high-risk population given their SES and academic performance.

The After-School Counseling Program
The after-school program is provided within the context of a university counseling practicum and was developed collaboratively with school personnel. Our goal was not only to enhance practicum counselors' expertise working with children and families, but also to provide an opportunity to develop their skills working with and in an educational community. Further, the university practicum was able to enhance the existing school counseling program by providing ancillary services to meet the personal and social needs of at-risk middle school students at WMS. The after-school program's overriding goals are to foster intrinsic motivation, healthy identity, positive self-esteem, adaptive peer relationships, and positive conflict resolution. These skills and qualities reduce the likelihood of future high-risk behaviors (Roeser et al., 2000).

After-school programming was chosen for several reasons: (a) This is a vulnerable time for high-risk behaviors in this age group, (b) the program would not interfere with students' classroom instructional needs, (c) parents and caregivers would be more accessible for participation, and (d) space for the program was more available in the school. Conducting the program after school provided students additional counseling time and addressed issues that might not have been focused on during the regular day. In addition, the after-school program provided for a lower counselor-to-student ratio.

At the beginning of each semester, school administrators send a flyer home with the students advertising the free guidance and counseling services provided as part of the program. School personnel typically refer those students who have demonstrated persistent personal and/or social difficulties in the school setting, often reflected in their frequent discipline referrals. Teachers, administrators, school counselors, and family members have referred students to the program. Occasionally students themselves have requested services.

The program services are provided once a week in conjunction with the university's practicum class. The program is composed of three types of intervention: individual counseling, family counseling, and group guidance. Most students receive 1 hour weekly of both individual counseling and group guidance. Family counseling is provided to the student and his or her family at the request of the family or on the recommendation of school personnel. Each semester approximately 10 master's-level practicum counselors provide 2 to 3 hours weekly of individual and/or family counseling. Additionally, there are two guidance groups per semester, with up to 10 WMS students and two practicum counselors. One faculty instructor and two doctoral-level teaching assistants provide supervision.

Practicum counselors begin their individual counseling with the middle school students by identifying personal goals for growth and development. These goals are grounded in developmental theory and focus primarily on issues of identity and personal choice. Students are encouraged to describe their values and aspirations in an effort to promote a healthy, future-oriented sense of self, as well as to enhance intrinsic motivation. The students also explore their daily choices to evaluate whether these choices are likely to promote or hinder their aspirations. Additionally, individual counseling sessions are used to develop more effective methods of problem solution and self-assertion. For example, students are taught to use the acronym STAR (Stop, Think, Act, and Review) when making adaptive personal choices.

Weekly group guidance activities focus on the development of positive conflict resolution and adaptive peer relationships. While individual counseling and group guidance are not specifically coordinated, middle school students have an opportunity to practice and implement the problem solving and assertiveness strategies learned in individual sessions. As many of these students were referred to the program following discipline referrals, the majority of the group guidance activities use cognitive behavioral techniques and psychoeducation to develop adaptive anger management and conflict resolution strategies. For example, sessions focus on improving verbal and nonverbal communication skills, understanding myths and facts about conflict, using "I" statements, and developing positive self-assertion skills. The group guidance activities also explore both negative and positive peer influences as well as provide time to practice ways to avoid negative peer pressure.

Family counseling typically is initiated when caregivers are frustrated with behaviors related to the normal family developmental tasks of this life stage such as separation/individuation, growing autonomy, and increased peer influence (Carter & McGoldrick, 1988). For the middle school students participating in the program, these normal developmental issues often are reflected in oppositional behaviors, poor communication, and negative peer choices. Family counseling sessions primarily focus on improving communication, implementing age-appropriate discipline strategies, and promoting adaptive peer relationships. This portion of the program is not limited to biological parents. In several cases, the caregivers have been grandparents, extended family, or foster parents.

The case of Terry illustrates how the program is integrated and implemented.

The Case of Terry
Terry was recommended for the WMS after-school program by administrative staff and his parents. He had received three in-school suspensions for discipline problems varying from physical altercations with students to use of profanity with school personnel. His inability to control his temper was a significant concern to all the adults in his life, but not to Terry. Terry grew increasingly resistant to individual counseling and group guidance, and during week 3 he angrily stormed out of the guidance group when asked to participate. This behavior pattern was typical of his approach in school. Because the groups are provided concurrently with individual and family counseling, Terry's individual counselor was available to immediately intervene in the situation. Terry's counselor and the practicum instructor met with him for an individual counseling session to process his reaction and behaviors in the group. During this individual session, Terry was provided with an opportunity to explore the nature of his frustration and his choices to deal with that frustration. It became clear that the source of Terry's frustration was a lack of understanding about why he had been referred to the program. When asked what his parents had communicated to him about the reason for referral, Terry became tearful and said, "They didn't say anything." The counselor validated Terry's frustration and supported his right to know why his parents and school staff felt he needed the program.

The counselor was able to use the current incident to process everyone's concerns about his poor capacity for anger management. The counselor also identified the need for improved communication between Terry and his parents. Then his parents were contacted, and they agreed to come in the following week for family counseling. The family session focused on having Terry and his parents openly discuss their concerns about his future, given his current behavioral choices. They also were able to identify family communication patterns that did not facilitate developmentally appropriate relationships and problem solving. Specifically, the parents seemed to be using an authoritarian parenting style that did not allow much autonomy and input from Terry. The family agreed to make developmentally appropriate shifts in communication and relationship patterns. At the end of the family session, Terry agreed to participate in the after-school program. He has continued to participate more actively and appropriately in all aspects of the program.
Kruczek, Theresa, Alexander, Charlene, & Kevin Harris, An After-School Program for High-Risk Middle School Students, Professional School Counseling, Dec 2005, Vol. 9, Issue 2.

Personal Reflection Exercise #4
The preceding section contained information about after-school counseling for high-risk middle school students.  Write three case study examples regarding how you might use the content of this section in your practice.

Update
Addressing Adolescent Substance Use
with A Public Health Prevention Framework:
The Case for Harm Reduction

Winer, J. M., Yule, A. M., Hadland, S. E., & Bagley, S. M. (2022). Addressing adolescent substance use with a public health prevention framework: the case for harm reduction. Annals of medicine, 54(1), 2123–2136.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article References:
Helm, S., Hishinuma, E., Okamoto, S., Chin, S. K., & Silva, A. (2019). The relationship between ethnocultural identity measures and youth substance use among a school-based sample: A focus on Native Hawaiian youth. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 10(3), 206–217.

Jackson, K. M., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2013). Alcohol use during the transition from middle school to high school: National panel data on prevalence and moderators. Developmental Psychology, 49(11), 2147–2158. 

Lynne-Landsman, S. D., Graber, J. A., & Andrews, J. A. (2010). Do trajectories of household risk in childhood moderate pubertal timing effects on substance initiation in middle school? Developmental Psychology, 46(4), 853–868.

Scharf, D. M., Martino, S. C., Setodji, C. M., Staplefoote, B. L., & Shadel, W. G. (2013). Middle and high school students’ exposure to alcohol- and smoking-related media: A pilot study using ecological momentary assessment. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(4), 1201–1206.

Stormshak, E. A., DeGarmo, D. S., Chronister, K. M., Caruthers, A. S., Stapleton, J., & Falkenstein, C. A. (2019). The impact of substance use during middle school and young adulthood on parent–young adult relationships. Journal of Family Psychology, 33(7), 797–808.

Vázquez, A. L., Domenech Rodríguez, M. M., Schwartz, S., Amador Buenabad, N. G., Bustos Gamiño, M. N., Gutierrez López, M. d. L., & Villatoro Velázquez, J. A. (2019). Early adolescent substance use in a national sample of Mexican youths: Demographic characteristics that predict use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 7(4), 273–283.

QUESTION 18
25% to 50% of all children in the United States aged 10-17 are at risk for curtailed educational, emotional, economic, and social opportunities due to their engagement in what behaviors and activities? To select and enter your answer go to Test.

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