September 25, 2024 — Lawrence Sharrett, M.Ed, M.Div., MSc
How Will Growth Groups Help My Child?
Why the Growth Group Program Is Important
Emotional and social leadership skills are often the skills that get left behind in education and academic settings. Even if a school has a school psychologist or counselor, there simply is not enough time for giving enough individualized social and emotional support to all students at any school.
Many of today’s adults and leaders have grown into their professional careers without sufficient skills of emotional intelligence (EQ). By that, I mean that leaders often fail to fully understand what is happening with themselves emotionally with various circumstances and situations, and then they also fail to understand how this impacts those around them. By EQ, I am referring to one’s ability to understand and manage one’s own range of emotions and reactions while also recognizing the impact that those emotions (recognized or not) have on our interpersonal relationships. The unrecognized ones are the blind spots, and blind spots often cause the biggest strain for people to enjoy healthy relationships or friendships.
Vision for the Program
My experience in the field of education and in communities has helped me see the importance of offering professional services for international youth, the leaders of tomorrow. My hope is that these students, most of whom do not realize they need it, will have more professional support to grow into an integrated academic, social, and emotional responsibility. This could be defined as a “global citizen,” one who is open-minded, respectful, and able to live life with authenticity while enjoying healthy relationships and friendships in a variety of contexts.
Growing into a “global citizen” will help any individual develop skills that will be useful for all paths of life. I started a commitment to this path in my own life and training about 10 years ago, and it is influencing my current professional services through Sharrett Counseling. What a game changer this would have been for me to have had such a service during my younger years!
Objectives, Course Content, & Practical Parts of the Program
All objectives and course content for the “Growth Groups” will focus on helping students develop stronger academic, social, and emotional responsibility skills while supporting the students with any other important content they want to discuss.
I will also provide writing support as I will invite each student to keep a google doc of the work we are doing and the reflections they are writing. Each session will be about 50 minutes, and it will include check-ins, general reflections, questions, and some planned content for that session.
The program will build from session to session while helping students strengthen their reflective writing skills, goal-setting skills, daily and weekly habits, personal responsibility, leadership skills, and overall sense of global citizenship and service.
Grouping for the Program
Students will be placed in groups with others they know or with others of a similar age, and I will adjust based on the comfort levels and interests of various students to make sure each student feels confident and comfortable with their group. Parents can register their child at any time because new groups for all newly registered students will start each month.
Parent Involvement & Collaboration
Three parent conferences will occur during the six month course to review content and collaborative efforts for supporting the success of each student. Parental involvement is always an important part of the success of any child or adolescent.
Professional Team
I’m excited that this initiative is already gaining a lot of interest, and I have asked other trusted and trained professionals to participate with me in this endeavor to provide the best support possible for each and every child, adolescent, and family that commits to the “Growth Groups” through Sharrett Counseling.
Creating a Successful Growth Group Experience for Every Person
By spreading the program over six months, there will be space and time for students to learn, grow, and implement the skills they are learning. This program is and will be a successful service for all families who participate, especially international families.
For more information about the growth groups or to register your child, please see the flyer linked to the yellow button at the bottom of the page. See you online!
For more information or to schedule a consultation, email me at: sharrettcounseling@gmail.com
