Interpersonal Process Group Counseling for Educationally Marginalized Youth: The MAGNIFY Program

Youth mental health is an area of profound disparity between the demand and supply of services, particularly in schools that serve students at risk of school dropout. This article describes the conceptual foundations and implementation of "MAGNIFY", a program that provides free group counseling to small alternative schools with students who have a history of behavioral problems in school or have been labeled at risk of dropping out of school. MAGNIFY is a non-structured program that uses school counseling graduate students to facilitate weekly school-based interpersonal process groups and is financially supported by local businesses and donors. Program components, finances, limitations, and implications are discussed.