A troubled teenager may go to his parents during tough times, or even talk to a guidance counselor, but with student support groups at high schools, teens can go to other teens as well. Sharing experiences and supporting one another can be highly effective in helping a teen get through rocky paths.
Anita Williams, a guidance counselor at Mesa’s Westwood High School, said “We keep the support group going, get discussion going. It’s not really a counseling group. It’s support — the kids supporting each other.”
Williams even added that the support groups aid teens with academics also.
“When their mind is gone worrying about other topics, they can’t concentrate in school,” she said.
The high schools within the Mesa Unified School District all have student support groups for a variety of different topics. These topics include: cultural awareness, stress management, senior transitions, and grief and loss.
Anna Cicero, chairwoman of the Westwood guidance department, said “Some are personal-level types of issues, family communication or stress management, and others are directed toward academics, such as mentoring for college.”
It all begins with confidential “personal needs assessments” which are given to all 2,200 of the Westwood students by counselors during their homeroom time. Cicero also mentioned how the support group sessions are then formed based on the results and student needs.
The sessions occur every week and last about five or six weeks. The topics discussed alternate during semesters in fall and spring. Cicero said each group contains around 10-15 students.
Cicero said, “Many of the tips they receive are from their own peers, but they’re always facilitated by one or two counselors.”
The counselors present may refer teens to services where their families can get involved, such as community agencies.
The counselors offer the sessions at shifting times to ensure that students do not incur a regular absence in a certain class just to attend support group sessions. This kind of schedule was chosen over after-school sessions because of the number of students who work after school.
Jim Anderson, principal at Chandler’s Andersen Junior High School, said “We used to do groups about four years ago, but it just got incredibly difficult to schedule them at an appropriate time where they don’t miss academics. Some kids really benefited from it, but some didn’t open up. So now, as they identify the problem, the counselors target those kids and work with them on an individual basis.”
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