Fifty Steps Closer: Group Counseling Guide in Reflections of School-Aged Boys & Girls
Nicholas G. Minardi, Ph.D.
2007
Tate Publishing & Enterprises
ISBN: 978-1-60247-891-6
Pages: 369
Fifty Steps Closer: Group Counseling Guide in Reflections of School-Aged Boys & Girls is a collection of lessons created by Dr. Nicholas G. Minardi for group counseling in school settings. The book caters to the new counselor who needs the structure and the insight Dr. Minardi a.k.a Dr. Nick, provides in the pages of this wonderful resource.
Each lesson is a structured template that provides the counselor with the name of the lesson, the goal of the activity, the student mix and group size, as well as the recommended duration of the exercise and materials needed to complete the activity. Dr. Nick includes his own thoughts about suitable materials for substitutions and informs counselors of what they may expect from the students during the session.
The sessions include a sound introduction to counseling in which students are informed of confidentiality issues and their rights to participate, or not, in counseling. This gives the student a sense of power and helps them to “buy into” counseling from the first session. Other sessions cover boosting self-esteem, knowing when to keep a secret, forgiveness, maintaining friendships, and anger management. Props used in the sessions include plastic balls and insects, games such as Twister, magnifying glasses and grocery bags.
The format of the exercises (“checking in” which encourages students to talk about family and friends followed by the session “activity”) provides a sense of stability for the students and the counselors. Even though each lesson is different, the skills learned build on one another and increase the students’ and the counselor’s feelings of security in the sessions. Because there is a set structure, I would think that a counselor would be able to focus more on the students’ needs and what they are gaining from the group as opposed to spending time with developing a program.
After every session, students are given a “Backpack Supplement” to take home. It describes the counseling session activity and its purpose while also encouraging parents to talk to their children about what they learned and experienced in counseling.
While the outline of each lesson, including the author’s input on the possible challenges and outcomes are invaluable to a new counselor, the most significant piece of each lesson is the student reflection: “I think how I feel on the inside really tells more about who I am than how I look, but I’m pretty sure I’m both (224).” For new counselors, having examples of how students will respond to the sessions provides insight that cannot be found in the classroom. As a former adult mental health counselor, I understand that the scariest part of being new to the field is not knowing how effective a technique will be in eliciting a favorable response from a client. Although Dr. Nick advises that “…any predetermined lesson will not automatically take students to the desired therapeutic destination… (12),” the feedback from students provided in the book will be a great source of encouragement for the budding counselor.
Fifty Steps Closer: Group Counseling Guide in Reflections of School-Aged Boys & Girls is a powerful tool and should be required reading for every school counselor, new and established.
Melissa Levine
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Independent Professional Book Reviewers
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