Girls' Circle

Girls' Circle is a structured support group that addresses the specialized needs of girls ages 9-18 by integrating relational-cultural theory (RCT), resiliency practices, and skills training into a specific format designed to increase positive connection, personal and collective strengths, and competence in girls. It aims to counteract social and interpersonal forces that impede girls' growth and development and has been used since 1994 in a broad spectrum of settings with diverse female populations and programs.

The program consists of a 10-week curriculum. Each week a group of girls of similar age and development meets with a facilitator for either 90- or 120-minute sessions. During this time, the girls take turns talking and listening to one another respectfully about their concerns and interests. They further express themselves through creative or directed activities such as role-playing, drama, journaling, poetry, drama, dance, drawing, collage, and clay. Gender-specific themes and topics are introduced that relate to the girls' lives, such as body image, goals, sexuality, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, competition, decision-making, friendships, and trusting oneself. A key component in the model is the council-type format of one group member speaking at a time, with the expectation of attentive listening from other participants. This form of communication intends to increase empathy skills and mutual understanding among the whole group. The primary feature, rather than a structure marked by separateness and autonomy, is an increase of empathic responsiveness in the context of interpersonal mutuality.

The goal of Girls' Circles is to enhance girls' abilities so they are able to take full advantage of their talents, academic interests, career pursuits, and potential for healthy relationships.

The program has shown statistically significant improvements for girls in Girls Circle programs with the following outcomes: increases in self-efficacy, attachment to school, positive body image, and social support, and decreases in self-harming behavior and alcohol use rates.

An evaluation study of the program used a single-group quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest measures. The evaluation results revealed significant increases (compared with pretest scores) in posttest body image scores, perceived social support (from 58.29 to 65.06), and level of self-efficacy (from 27.42 to 30.55). The evaluation found evidence supporting the hypothesis that the Girls' Circle curriculum 1) provides a positive impact on a girl's sense of self-reliance or resiliency, 2) helps strengthen a girl's physical self-image, and 3) promotes a girl's sense of belonging and connectedness. No such improvement occurred for measures of self-esteem or locus of control. The results provide quantitative data showing significant positive changes for girls in key areas of their development: their sense of belonging, their perception and acceptance of their own bodies, and their belief in their ability to accomplish meaningful actions and goals in their lives.

In the replicate/extension studies, 89 participating girls' sets of pretest and posttest surveys were analyzed. Outcome data revealed significant gains in self-efficacy, body image, and perceived social support. Girls who have been involved in the juvenile justice system are more likely to experience gains in perceived social support than girls who have not been involved in the juvenile justice system.

Another study published in 2015 used a random sample (n=168) obtained from the Juvenile Probation and Court Services Department (JPCSD) of the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago, Ill. The treatment group received the Girls Circle program services,
while the control group received traditional non–gender-specific probation services. Results demonstrated that the Girls Circle group reduced recidivism, but these findings
were strongly moderated by the number of sessions the participants attended. As attendance in the Girls Circle group increased, average condom use, educational aspirations, and educational expectations significantly increased; additionally, average self-control scores significantly decreased.