Support groups are offered to provide additional services to children with common needs or concerns. The goal of small group counseling is to teach skills that will help your child be successful in school, friendships, and within the family, however, groups are not a substitute for professional counseling. 

Groups typically meet for 6-8 weeks for 30 minutes each week. Group size is usually 6-8 children. Parent permission is required for students to participate in small groups.  Please contact Mrs. Foss for more information on groups or if you want to recommend your child for a group. Common group topics are listed below.

Changing to a New School:
New Kids! - This group is open at the beginning of the school year to any student who is new to Decorah. This group assists new students in the sometimes difficult transition to a new school. 

Family Issues:
K.I.M. [Kids In the Middle] – Many families change due to separation, divorce, and remarriage. This group matches kids who have experienced these changes. We will discuss and learn about the good and not-so-good family happenings that put “Kids In the Middle”. 

Friendships/Social Skills:
You've Got a Friend - Friendships are a very important part of the elementary school student’s life. Developing and maintaining relationships can be difficult as children grow. Some issues discussed in this group include making and keeping friends and dealing with conflict. 

Feelings Management:
Dealing with Feelings- This group is designed to help students cope with anger and frustration. All people get angry, but sometimes our anger leads us to bad decisions and can hurt our relationships. This group helps kids practice the self control to diffuse their anger in postive and healthy ways.

Stress Less - Got stress? Kids do too!!  Group members will learn how to identify stress at home, at school, and how it affects their bodies. They will learn many healthy ways to reduce stress.

Gone but Not Forgotten - The death of a parent, sibling or grandparent is a difficult situation for children to understand. When someone we love dies, we experience a set of feelings called GRIEF. This group helps kids understand the grief process and learn special ways to remember the person who died. 

Self Esteem:
IMAGINE (I’M A Great Individual Needing Encouragement) - A group that focuses on feeling special and unique.


School Success:
AIM High! – This group uses fun techniques to help kids learn organization, time management, personal characteristics, and attitude to build school success.