Volume 10 Number 2
January 1971

Robert L. Armstrong and Barbara Holmes

IN 1968-69, an exploratory Pupil Personnel Services project was conducted by Arizona State University at Phoenix Indian High School. The project was broad in nature, including the areas of counseling, social work, psychometry, special education and student activities. It was funded through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and contracted to the Bureau of Educational Research and Services at the University. The primary tasks were to study the special problems that appeared to be indigenous to this Indian boarding school setting and to develop techniques and program structure appropriate to these problems.

Some of the problems were obvious in appearance and demanded immediate attention. Many are common to public schools as well and included drinking, glue sniffing, academic failure, homesickness, fighting, and leaving the campus without authorization for indefinite periods (A.W.O.L.). These problems received the early and extended attention of the counselors as they attempted both to meet current contingencies and to develop a long range preventive program. However, as the work progressed, it became apparent that there was another problem--less obvious but perhaps as serious, and certainly affecting a greater number of students than the problem mentioned above. This was the problem of social withdrawal. It was an apathetic, crippling attitude that seemed rather widespread in the student body in spite of the fact that all students were Indians who, in most cases, had peers from their own tribes and even their own towns or villages.

It seemed to appear more often among the girls. Many girls had one "best friend" with whom they did everything. Very often if this best friend was ill the other girl would be completely alone and would remain alone in preference to joining another girl or group of girls. She might even stay in her room during mealtime rather than eat alone. Many girls who did not even have a "best friend" avoided all extracurricular activities because they did not have anyone with whom to go. The most obvious symptoms exhibited by these girls were loneliness and low self-esteem.

When this situation became apparent, one of the female counselors initiated an experimental group counseling sequence for eight girls.

They were all "socially withdrawn" and three different tribes were represented in the group. They met for one hour per week around a table. The counselor acted as group leader and directed the group sessions as needed. However, the group usually followed a line of discussion set up by the girls. On some occasions the girls requested discussion or information on a certain topic for the following meeting. The counselor then prepared some notes on the subject and presented them at the next session. No topic was considered taboo. If a girl was interested in self-exploration, the group members would discuss their reactions to her in front of her.

The usual techniques of reflection, interpretation, confrontation and positive reinforcement were used throughout the series of meetings. However, the key to initial success appeared to reside in the facilitating techniques that were employed. Since the girls were so shy, they were most reluctant to talk or be the center of attention. At the beginning of the second session the counselor provided a deck of cards and taught the girls how to play Concentration and Fish. They enjoyed this and played enthusiastically although without conversation during the first session of play. By the second session they were talking while they played and by the fourth session they chose to talk instead of play cards. The card playing appeared to give them a chance to size up the leader and to feel comfortable in the group. As another facilitating technique, the counselor placed several bottles of nail polish on the table and invited the girls to use it whenever they wished. One girl after another polished her nails as the sessions continued.

At the fourth meeting the counselor asked the girls to respond to a simple self-evaluation form (see below). They were told that the information was for their own use and that they did not have to share it with anyone. However, the counselor told them that she would be interested in reading any of them that the girls made available. The result of this was that each girl wanted the counselor to read hers. The counselor then summarized the results and talked to the girls about the composite information. This provided considerable discussion material for future meetings. A later facilitating device was the presentation of the filmstrip "Sex: A Moral Dilemma." This opened up several avenues of enthusiastic discussion.

The girls came to the group counseling session from their physical education class. Attendance was not mandatory after the first two meetings, but attendance was 100% throughout the entire three months that the group met. The last meeting, near the end of the school year, was a trip to a local ice cream store for treats. Two days later the members of the entire group came back to the counseling center and asked if they could meet again, as they had been excused from physical education class.

Evaluation of results was essentially subjective and based on observation. One indication of some form of success was certainly the rate of attendance and the fact that the girls returned for a further meeting after the group sessions were completed. The members of the group appeared to develop a strong kinship for each other and several of the girls established friendships across tribal lines, a rather rare occurrence among Indian students. Some of the girls who had not attended any school activities prior to their participation in this group started going to dances, movies, etc.

A considerable growth in counseling readiness was noted. None of the girls had previously visited the counselor voluntarily for any reason. During and following the period in which the group was meeting, most of the girls referred themselves to the counselor for the discussion of personal problems.

A side benefit was gained when, after the group had been operating for several weeks, other counselors dropped in singly and joined the group discussions. It helped them see these students in a new light and served to help the students feel more comfortable with other counselors and in the Counseling Center setting.

It would not be appropriate to draw precise conclusions or make dogmatic recommendations on the basis of the subjective evaluation of this group counseling effort. However, it was the opinion of the counselor that a maximum of six or eight students would be most appropriate for this type of endeavor with socially-withdrawn students. Even in this small a group, there appeared to be a tendency for a more overt girl to dominate the group. This did not seem to pose a serious problem, however. In fact, the presence of one girl who was willing to verbalize seemed to be an asset as she usually sparked enthusiasm and encouraged conversation.

It appears likely that this type of group counseling may offer real promise for socially-withdrawn students. This problem is fairly common at Indian boarding schools, and such techniques employed on a broad scale may resolve many of the other problems that seem to stem from social withdrawal. The key appears to be properly handled, facilitating techniques that draw the students into a warm, candid relationship whereby genuine friendships can become established and from which self-confidence can grow.