TPC-Digests-V1-Issues-123

A b s t r a c t This study compared two psychosocial educational programs, the PEGS and ARK Programs, designed to help elementary school students with social skills development, problem behaviors, bullying, and self-esteem. Results revealed no differences between the programs and improvement on many indicators. Implications for school and school-based counselors are presented. June 22nd, 2011 Rebecca A. Newgent Kristin K. Higgins Stephanie E. Belk Bonni A. Nickens Behrend Kelly A. Dunbar P sychosocial P revention E ducation : A C omparison of T raditional vs . T hematic P revention P rogramming for Y outh Group work can be an effective means of counseling at-risks students. Group counseling allows students to develop connections while at the same time explore factors that may affect their achievement. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two selective intervention programs on measures of social skills, problem behaviors, teacher- and self-reports of peer relationships (bullying behaviors and peer victimization), self-esteem (self-worth, ability, self- satisfaction, and self-respect) and perception of self. Further, this study aimed to assess the impact of each of the intervention programs. While both the PEGS and the ARK Programs cover the same underlying psychosocial educational content, the primary difference is that the PEGS Program consists of traditional psychosocial education units while the ARK Program units are targeted toward peer victimization (i.e., bullying). The following research questions were tested: Link to Article TPC Digest