Resilience Circle Group Planner
Tier 2 SEL Intervention
Resilience Circle
9-Session Small Group Curriculum & Clinical Planner
Format: School Social Work Portal Target Grades: 3-5 / 6-8
Facilitator
Meeting Day / Time
Location
Target Core Skills Self-Regulation & Coping
Student Profile & Goal Alignment
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9-Session Developmental Roadmap
This small-group curriculum utilizes evidence-based strategies from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Collaborative Problem Solving. It is structured into three progressive clinical phases:
Phase 1: Sessions 1-3
Foundation & Identity
Focus on safety, rapport, somatic emotional awareness, and identifying physical feelings.
• S1: Cohesion & Agreements • S2: Granular Vocabulary • S3: Somatic Indicators
Phase 2: Sessions 4-6
Coping & Regulation
Focus on the cognitive triad, emotional down-regulation tools, and problem-size mapping.
• S4: Cognitive Reframing • S5: My Coping Toolbox • S6: Problem-Reaction Scale
Phase 3: Sessions 7-9
Integration & Transition
Focus on active empathy, assertive boundaries, growth consolidation, and termination.
• S7: Empathy & Perspective • S8: Boundary Alignment • S9: Growth & Celebration
Clinical Guidelines for Group Facilitation
Maintain standard school confidentiality boundaries. Ensure parent consent forms are archived prior to Session 1. Administer the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) or a targeted SEL self-assessment as the pre-intervention screener, repeated at completion.
Phase 1
Foundation & Self-Awareness
Sessions 1-3
Session 1: Connection & Community
Primary Focus: Group Safety, Rapport, and Personal Goal Co-Creation
30-40 Mins
Clinical Routine & Activity
- Check-in: Name and "One word describing my current emotional weather."
- Structured Activity: Create a Group Norms Agreement. Collaborate on rules using poster boards (e.g., "What stays in the circle, stays in the circle").
- Closing: Pass a soft stress ball—each shares a hope for the group.
Clinical Observations & Prompts
Reflective Prompt: "What makes a group feel safe for you? How can we make sure everyone is heard?"
Observational Target: Note child dynamics, hesitation, dominant behaviors, and sensory responses within the novel setting.
Session 2: Inside Out
Primary Focus: Expanding Emotional Vocabulary & Identifying Intensity Scales
30-40 Mins
Clinical Routine & Activity
- Check-in: Emotion Wheel Quick-Point. Identify standard root emotions.
- Structured Activity: "The Emotion Thermometer". Map high-intensity and low-intensity synonyms (e.g., mad → annoyed, furious, outraged).
- Closing: High/Low check-out from the past week.
Clinical Observations & Prompts
Reflective Prompt: "What is the difference between feeling annoyed and feeling completely overwhelmed?"
Observational Target: Track student ease in identifying sub-emotions. Identify individuals exhibiting restrictive emotional expression.
Session 3: Somatic Interception (Body Signals)
Primary Focus: Identifying Physical Warning Signs of Strong Emotions
30-40 Mins
Clinical Routine & Activity
- Check-in: Mindful Body Scan. Identify points of physical tension.
- Structured Activity: "My Body Map". Color a human outline template indicating physical somatic states (e.g., tight chest, clenched jaw, racing heartbeat).
- Closing: Pass the "Squeeze" (hand squeeze around the circle).
Clinical Observations & Prompts
Reflective Prompt: "Where does your body store anger or worry before your brain even notices it?"
Observational Target: Evaluate somatic awareness; identify students with flat affect or difficulty linking feelings to physical states.
Resilience Circle • Facilitator's Lesson Blueprint Page 2 of 5
Phase 2
Coping & Self-Regulation
Sessions 4-6
Session 4: Thought Detectives
Primary Focus: Uncovering and Challenging Automatic Unhelpful Thoughts
30-40 Mins
Clinical Routine & Activity
- Check-in: Rate mental energy scale (1-10) using a visual slider.
- Structured Activity: "Thought Flipping." Map unhelpful thoughts ("I'll fail this test") onto a clinical CBT layout to rewrite them objectively.
- Closing: Reflective group sound check (collective exhale).
Clinical Observations & Prompts
Reflective Prompt: "How does a thoughts-feelings-actions triangle shape our school day?"
Observational Target: Assess student insight levels. Note resistance to cognitive reframing or highly fixed mindsets.
Session 5: My Coping Toolbox
Primary Focus: Practicing and Selecting Individualized Down-Regulation Strategies
30-40 Mins
Clinical Routine & Activity
- Check-in: Current breathing assessment (shallow, normal, deep).
- Structured Activity: Sensory stations rotation. Practice Box Breathing (4x4), progressive muscle relaxation, and the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique.
- Closing: Select one strategy for their pocket coping card.
Clinical Observations & Prompts
Reflective Prompt: "Which calming strategy feels natural in your body? Which one feels hard?"
Observational Target: Note physiological responsiveness to breathing exercises and ease of somatic engagement.
Session 6: Scaling Obstacles
Primary Focus: Matching Reaction Size to Real Problem Size
30-40 Mins
Clinical Routine & Activity
- Check-in: Scale of 1-5 mood rating.
- Structured Activity: "The Reaction Match". Classify common scenarios (e.g., losing a pencil vs. emergency) as small, medium, or large.
- Closing: Group discussion on "glitch solutions."
Clinical Observations & Prompts
Reflective Prompt: "What happens when a small glitch gets a giant reaction? How does it impact others?"
Observational Target: Watch for overreacting tendencies or students struggling to identify realistic problem sizes.
Resilience Circle • Facilitator's Lesson Blueprint Page 3 of 5
Phase 3
Social Connection & Graduation
Sessions 7-9
Session 7: The Empathy Bridge
Primary Focus: Perspective Taking & Intentional Active Listening
30-40 Mins
Clinical Routine & Activity
- Check-in: Compliment circle (give a genuine validation to left neighbor).
- Structured Activity: "In Their Shoes". Roll-play scenarios using specialized empathy cards to guess the underlying emotional perspective of characters.
- Closing: Reflect on "how it felt to have someone listen completely."
Clinical Observations & Prompts
Reflective Prompt: "How does perspective-taking help prevent misunderstandings during recess?"
Observational Target: Note empathy thresholds. Assess capability to identify emotional cues in others without personalization.
Session 8: Boundary Builders
Primary Focus: Creating Assertive Boundaries & Using Clean I-Statements
30-40 Mins
Clinical Routine & Activity
- Check-in: Boundary comfort rating (personal space bubble).
- Structured Activity: "I-Statement Lab." Practice constructing statements: "I feel [feeling] when [behavior] because [reason]. Next time, please [request]."
- Closing: Group chant emphasizing self-worth and boundary rights.
Clinical Observations & Prompts
Reflective Prompt: "What makes saying 'no' or setting a boundary feel scary? How does it save relationships?"
Observational Target: Notice passive or aggressive responses. Support students who demonstrate high compliance behaviors.
Session 9: Looking Forward
Primary Focus: Growth Celebration, Termination Processing, & Safety Planning
30-40 Mins
Clinical Routine & Activity
- Check-in: One word representing my group growth.
- Structured Activity: "The Shield of Strength." Design a shield detailing their top coping skills, supportive adults, and positive character traits.
- Closing: Distribute growth certificates; complete post-assessments.
Clinical Observations & Prompts
Reflective Prompt: "How will you carry this circle's strength with you back into the school building?"
Observational Target: Process termination anxiety or grief behaviors that occasionally surface during concluding sessions.
Resilience Circle • Facilitator's Lesson Blueprint Page 4 of 5
Session Progress Monitor
Clinical Record Template
| Session | Key Skill Focus | Attendance Quick-Check | Group Cohesion | Clinical Observations & Next Steps |
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| S1 | Norms & Cohesion | ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ | Low ▢ ▢ ▢ High | |
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| S2 | Emotional Scaling | ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ | Low ▢ ▢ ▢ High | |
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| S3 | Somatic Cues | ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ | Low ▢ ▢ ▢ High |
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| S4 | CBT Triangle | ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ | Low ▢ ▢ ▢ High |
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| S5 | Coping Strategies | ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ | Low ▢ ▢ ▢ High |
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| S6 | Problem Scale | ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ | Low ▢ ▢ ▢ High |
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| S7 | Active Empathy | ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ | Low ▢ ▢ ▢ High |
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| S8 | I-Statements | ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ | Low ▢ ▢ ▢ High |
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| S9 | Graduation | ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ | Low ▢ ▢ ▢ High |
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Individual Student Breakthroughs & Case Notes
Student 1 Notes
Student 2 Notes
Student 3 Notes
Student 4 Notes
Student 5 Notes
Student 6 Notes
Pre-Group Actions
Identify & select students based on tier screening
Send and obtain signed Parent Consent letters
Send pre-intervention Teacher Survey (BASC-3/SDQ)
Post-Group Termination
Administer post-curriculum Student Self-Reflection
Send post-intervention Teacher Survey (BASC-3/SDQ)
File summary clinical progress reports in student folder
