Article in The Professional Counselor by Ulash Thakore-Dunlap and Patricia Van Velsor
Group Counseling with South Asian Immigrant High School Girls: Reflections and Commentary of a Group Facilitator by and Patricia Van Velsor
The diversity of the U.S. school population speaks to a need to provide support for youth from various backgrounds. As a school-based mental health counselor, the first author observed that the South Asian immigrant students at her school did not utilize any of the counseling services provided. Because South Asians are typically collectivistic, the counselor chose group counseling as a potential intervention and hoped to provide a place for the students to address issues related to orienting to a new school in a new country. In this article, the authors weave information about the South Asian population into the first author's reflections and commentary on initiating and conducting a group with South Asian high school girls. Recommendations for group counseling in schools with South Asian immigrants are provided.
Keywords: South Asian, immigrant, youth, schools, group counseling