Incorporating Wellness into Group Work in Elementary Schools

Abstract

Small group and classroom guidance interventions are commonly used by school counselors to address children's academic and personal-social development. Specifically, counselors in elementary school settings have used group work to help children prevent, remediate, and cope with a variety of experiences. For young children, the presence of and their reaction to difficult situations may impact their overall wellbeing, or wellness. This article describes how to incorporate a wellness perspective to classroom guidance and small group work.

Bullying: A Wellness Concern Among Appalachian Youth

“…Counselors can implement small group or individual interventions to focus on learning specific skills to enhance areas of wellness (Villalba, ). These strategies could focus on total wellness or on a specific aspect of wellness.…”

Reflective Practices to Study Group Dynamics: Implement Empowerment and Understand the Functioning of Groups

“…Groups have their own emotional life that influences and is influenced by their members, as each participant experiences the pressure of achieving what they want and balancing what is good for the group ( Phillips and Phillips, 1993 ). Small group work, also referred to as cooperative learning, is a methodology that involves small groups of individuals working together on a common task ( Villalba, 2007 ; Steen et al, 2008 , 2014 ). As an example, teamwork is an important component of school curricula ( Paisley and Milsom, 2007 ), and the participation of young university students in such teamwork is crucial for career development, especially as it is linked to higher academic achievement ( Thanh et al, 2008 ; White, 2011 ).…”