Whether someone at school suggested a group or you're just curious, you're in the right place.
It's 45 minutes a week with a small group of students and two adults who are there to help. You'll talk about things like stress, tough experiences, and ways to handle what life throws at you. No grades, no judgment, and no pressure to have everything figured out.
Six to eight students, same room, same time each week. You'll probably know a face or two. First session is mostly ground rules and introductions.
Share what you want. You're in control. Some weeks are an activity, some weeks are just talking. Nobody is going to force you to share everything. How much you share is up to you.
Usually one thing you can actually use before the next session. A way to fall asleep. A way to say what you mean to your family or friends.
Your counselor, and your group. Not your whole grade. Not your teachers' lounge.
Not affected. This isn't on your transcript and it isn't a disciplinary anything.
Stays in the room. A safe space means no gossip and trust in the group. This is key to being part of the group.
You and your counselor will figure out which group fits. Here are some of the groups that run at participating schools.
Figure out what's stressing you out and find ways of handling it that work for you.
1x a week · 8 weeksA space for anyone who has lost someone. Go at your own pace.
1x a week · 6 weeksBeen through something scary, upsetting, or traumatic? Learn how those experiences can affect your thoughts and feelings, and build skills to feel safer and more in control.
1x a week · 10 weeksReal students, in their own words.
No score goes anywhere. Nobody sees this but you. Most people get question 4 wrong.
Works in a bathroom stall, on the bus, at 1am. No app, no login.
Four in, hold four, four out. Follow the circle.
Drag it. Naming the feeling is half the work.
Okay is a real answer. If you want to nudge it up, move for five minutes, no phone.
Head to toes, about two minutes. Tap through.
Unclench it. Let your teeth come apart and your tongue drop off the roof of your mouth. Most people are holding their jaw right now and don't know it.
Interested in joining a group? Stop by your school's Student Services office or reach out to your school counselor. They'll help you figure out which group might be right for you and what happens next.
You don't need to have been recommended for a group to ask about joining.
Whether your child was recommended for a group after a school screening or you're looking for extra support for them, you're in the right place.
Our small, counselor-led groups help students navigate stress, difficult experiences, grief, and other challenges. Groups meet during the school day, at no cost to families.
A recommendation is not a diagnosis, and participating in a group does not go on a student's permanent academic record.
Middle and high school students were screened.
Students met with trained school staff for a follow-up conversation.
Support groups were held in schools.
of students in a support group showed fewer symptoms when they were screened again at the end.
Nothing. School-based groups are funded through the district partnership and grant support, so there is no bill to your family, no insurance claim, and no copay. If your student later needs individual services outside of school, we would talk that through with you first, including sliding-scale options.
One 45-minute session a week. Groups are scheduled at a time that attempts to avoid core instruction. Sometimes we are able to stagger the meeting time to avoid missing the same class weekly. Your student is responsible for any work missed, and group facilitators coordinate with teachers when a conflict comes up, like a test day.
Groups are co-facilitated by a school staff member and a counselor from Journey or a partner agency. All facilitators complete background checks, mandated reporter training, and group-facilitation training specific to adolescents. You are welcome to ask for the name and organization of your student's facilitator before you consent.
Sessions follow a consistent structure: check-in, a skill or topic, practice, and a closing round. Topics include stress, sleep, conflict with family and friends, coping skills, and identity. You will receive a summary of the group's focus, plus a check-in at the midpoint and end of the cycle. What your student shares in the room stays in the room, with the standard exceptions we are legally required to act on: risk of harm to self or others, and abuse or neglect. We tell students this on day one, in plain language.
Nothing about group is a mystery. This is the same structure every week.
Every student gives a number or a word for how the week went. Passing is allowed. This takes the temperature of the room.
The facilitator revisits last week's skill and asks who tried it. Nobody is put on the spot for not trying it.
One focused topic: managing a spiral, sleep, handling conflict, or setting a boundary. Usually taught with an activity rather than a lecture.
Students apply it to a real situation, sometimes in pairs. This is where most of the actual value shows up.
One takeaway each and a reminder of how to reach the facilitator between sessions.
Journey also offers individual therapy and family services for children and teens.
Received a recommendation? Your school will follow up with next steps.
Not sure if your child's school offers groups? Ask your school's Student Services office or school counselor about groups and other mental health resources available to students.
Don't see your child's school listed? Reach out to your school's Student Services office or school counselor to ask about other mental health resources and support available to students.
Questions? Contact Journey's school-based services team at 608-280-2700, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Interpretation available.
Call the school's main office and ask for the school counselor. You can say: "I'd like to learn about the support groups at school."
Don't see your child's school listed? Reach out to your school's Student Services office or school counselor to ask about other mental health resources and support available to students.