Date Approved

7-12-2023

Graduate Degree Type

Project

Degree Name

Education-School Counseling (M.Ed.)

Degree Program

Education Leadership & Counseling

First Advisor

Catherine Meyer-Looze

Second Advisor

Judy S. Williams

Academic Year

2022/2023

Abstract

Research has shown managing anxiety can be a significant challenge for virtual high school students, but virtual counseling can help them cope and heal in an effective way. A rising number of high school students are enrolling in virtual schools and struggling with various forms of anxiety. Only with virtual school counselors, who are uniquely trained to help students manage their emotions and improve their well-being, can these students' anxiety be helped. As virtual school counselors move into a virtual position, they still need to honor the same standards and adhere to the same ethics as school counselors working in traditional schools. Traditional and virtual school counselors advocate for and help students in their academic, personal/social, and career/college readiness. Since the amount of virtual high school student anxiety has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic virtual counselors are needed to help them find coping strategies to manage and heal these anxieties. Thus the purpose of this project is designed to provide virtual school counselors with a small group plan using Cognitive Behavior Therapy proven to manage adolescent anxieties. This talks about an outline, lesson plans for a ninth-grade seven-session small group aimed to reach 6-8 virtual students, a teacher referral form, and a parent permission letter. Future work should be focused on how virtual counselors are as effective online as traditional counselors are in-person.

Keywords: anxiety, virtual/online, school counselor, ASCA, multi-tiered system of support

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