Small-Group Counseling Intervention to Support Career Exploration of Rural Middle School Students

Abstract

Students from rural backgrounds may face unique challenges with respect to their career-identity development. School counselors are critically positioned to support the career development of these students through a social-justice lens. The following paper proposes a small-group intervention that serves to empower and support middle school students as they navigate the career-exploration process and seeks to foster and increase connections among members, peers, and other stakeholders (e.g., parents, teachers, community). The small-group counseling intervention includes a detailed outline of an 8-week psychoeducation group aligned with the core tenets of Relational Cultural Theory.