Jill Waterman & Elizabeth Walker 
Helping At-Risk Students, Second Edition [PDF ebook] 
A Group Counseling Approach for Grades 6-9

1. Guidelines for Setting Up and Leading Groups Goals of the SPARK Program Getting Started    Selecting Group Members Structure of the Groups Group Leaders    Presenting the Groups to Prospective Members    Pregroup Individual Interviews and/or Questionnnaires Group Counseling Techniques    Developing Trust and Understanding Confidentiality    Building Group Cohesion    Group Process    Developmental Considerations    Maintaining Order and Leader Sanity    Uses and Parameters of Check-In and Check-Out Issues in Ending the Groups Dilemmas for Group Leaders    Handling Issues of Child Abuse and Suicidality    Suicidality    Balancing the Needs of Individual Group Members with the Requirements of the Psychoeducational Curriculum    Dealing with Members Who Do Not Participate    Dealing with Chronically Disruptive Members    Parameters of the Group Leader Role    Adapting the Curriculum for Full Classroom Use2. The SPARK Curriculum Overview of Module Content Recruitment Criteria Module One: Trust-Building and Communication Skills Module Two: Anger Management and Emotion Regulation Skills Module Three: Ethnic Identity and Anti-Prejudice Module Four: Educational Aspirations Module Five: Peer Pressure, Bullying, and Gangs Module Six: Male–Female Relationships Module Seven: Exposure to Violence and Posttraumatic Stress Reactions Module Eight: Family Relationships Termination Session: The Party3. Effectiveness of SPARK Groups Characteristics of Participating Group Members    Family Structure and Distress Outcome of the SPARK Groups    Time 1 and Time 2 Differences for Those in the Treatment Group    Time 1 and Time 2 Differences for Those in the Control Group    Comparisons between the Treatment and Control Groups Pilot Evaluations of New and Revised Modules in This Edition Summary and Conclusions Information Regarding Data Analyses Appendix A. Sample Materials for Beginning SPARK Groups Appendix B. Curriculum Materials and Handouts Appendix C. Sample Materials in Spanish for Beginning SPARK Groups Appendix D. Curriculum Materials and Handouts in Spanish

Jill Waterman, Ph D, is Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and coordinator of the UCLA Psychology Clinic, the training clinic for UCLA’s top-ranked Ph D program in clinical psychology. Her research and publications focus on various aspects of child trauma and on developing and evaluating interventions aimed at helping our most vulnerable children. Dr. Waterman is also a practicing psychotherapist in the Los Angeles area. Elizabeth Walker, Ph D, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2000. As a graduate student, she spent several years working with inner-city students in the Los Angeles area, and she currently works with economically disadvantaged, ethnically diverse high school students in Denver. Additionally, she is especially interested in integrating religion and spirituality into the therapeutic process.