Depression,suicide, and the gifted student: A primer for the school psychologist

Growing up gifted often means growing up “different.” As schools struggle to provide appropriately designed interventions for student mental health issues, the role of the school psychologist is becoming increasingly important. In the present article, the role of the school psychologist is discussed, particularly as related to helping gifted students who may be manifesting symptoms of depression, suicidal ideation, and potentially suicidal behavior. Further, a holistic intervention approach is advocated and that accounts for four growth factors—intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental/contextual, and developmental. Importantly, the specific strategies discussed are designed to help the school psychologist in their many capacities of helping gifted students thrive. Increasingly, however, it must also be recognized that the role of the school psychologist has expanded in recent years, and thus many of the intervention strategies offered may require a team of professionals to effectively implement. Regardless, the strategies discussed are designed to help gifted students thrive in the school setting.     

The elementary learning disability process group and the school psychologist

This paper proposes a model of a process group conducted with elemetary learning disabled students. The school psychologist is proposed as leader of the group. Five goals are identified and the process of the group is discussed. Specific procedures are mentioned to enable the school psychologist to conduct a process group. The process group can be an effective addition to the various intervention strategies used with learning disabled children.     

Encountering the family system in school-related behavior problems

Traditional roles of the school psychologist have not included the use of the family system for the intervention of school-related behavior problems. Because the child's symptom serves as a vital part of the family equilibrium, assessment and intervention must be considered within this context. Psychodynamic conceptualizations and Gestalt approaches to treating the family are presented. The expanding role of the school psychologist may become more potent by incorporating family treatment in cases of educationally relevant behavior problems.     

Family systems theory and school psychology: Implications for training and practice

The purpose of this article is to: (a) present an overview of family systems perspectives as they relate to the functioning of the school psychologist, (b) review briefly current available levels of family intervention, and (c) present guidelines for training school psychologists in family dynamics and family therapy. The position is taken that a family systems approach is complex and necessitates extensive coursework in family theory and therapy approaches, practica, and field supervision. As a result, while a family systems perspective is essential, family therapy will not in all probability be standard in entry level training programs, but should be a specialty level or doctoral level option.     

A five level intervention model: division of professional labor and implication for school counseling

Mental-health services can contribute substantially to many areas of school life, but the nature and effectiveness of these contributions depend to a large degree on the willingness of the personnel involved to work as a team and to develop new perspectives and practices. This article presents a five level model of mental-health intervention in the school setting and posits a division of responsibility for that intervention among the school psychologist, the school guidance counselor and the teacher. Implications for a school-counselor preparation program are discussed.     

Consultation With Culturally Diverse Families

The traditional role of the school psychologist has focused primarily on providing services to school-age children. However, the implementation of Public Law 99-457 has resulted in an increased need for psychologists who are knowledgeable about infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities and their families (Short, Simeonsson, &; Huntington, 1990). There is also an increased demand for school psychologists to provide consultation, intervention, and parent training services that are necessary components of early intervention programs.     

School psychologists' perceptions of physically aggressive student behavior as a referral concern in nonurban districts

This survey questioned practicing school psychologists in the state of Wisconsin regarding their experience with the number of behavioral referrals for which physically aggressive behavior was the principal concern. Increases of at least a moderate degree were perceived by school psychologists across grade levels. Survey items further investigated school psychologists' perceptions regarding the stability of teacher-assault incidences and weapons violations over the past 10 years. Implications for an expanded role for the school psychologist in prevention and intervention procedures are discussed.     

Pilot evaluation of the Whole Inclusive School Empowerment (WISE) project in kindergartens in Hong Kong: A mixed method approach

This pilot study used a quasiexperimental design to evaluate the Whole Inclusive School Empowerment (WISE) project providing educational psychology services to kindergartens to support students with diverse learning needs. There were eight intervention kindergartens that received WISE educational psychology services and eight control kindergartens without the service. The intervention kindergartens were provided with a 0.125 educational psychologist and 0.7 teacher coordinator. In January and June 2017, teachers in intervention and control kindergartens completed questionnaires assessing student behavior, school readiness, and their own teaching efficacy. Focus group sessions involving teachers and school principals were conducted in July 2017. The results indicated a greater improvement in prosocial behavior and school readiness in intervention kindergartens compared with control kindergartens. Teachers and principals reported that they were better equipped in supporting diverse learning needs. The results provided initial evidence supporting the effectiveness of educational psychology services for kindergartens in improving student outcomes.     

“Reframing:” A tool for the school psychologist

Psychologists working in schools spend much time conducting psychological evaluations and reporting their findings to parents, who often do not follow through upon the recommendations made. Conceptualization of a child's problem integrating a family systems perspective with the individual assessment data enables the school psychologist to make an effective intervention in the single session meeting with parents following the evaluation. Application of the paradoxical technique “reframing,” borrowed from the family systems strategic model, gives the school psychologist a tool for mobilizing increased commitment on the part of the parents toward resolving a child's problem as a joint endeavor. The family is offered a formulation of the child's problem in interactional terms, with no one held to blame. A proposition is offered that connotes the underlying motivation in a positive light, and gives the family a new definition of the situation. Three case examples are given to illustrate application of this technique in a school setting.     

A Change in Teacher‐Child Interaction Through Paradoxical Intervention

The aim of this case study is to describe an intervention program using paradoxical strategies to help a teacher cope with hyperactivity in the classroom. In line with the ecological model, the focus of change is not the hyperactive child, but the teacher; the study provides a novel perspective on the work of the school psychologist.     

Intervention with the selectively mute child

The term selectively mute describes children who actively choose to speak to a few people in selected environments. It is most commonly used to describe nonverbal behavior in the school setting. In this paper, the literature from both the psychoanalytic and learning theory approaches is first reviewed and then the intervention strategies used with two selectively mute children are presented in terms of the underlying principles upon which the interventions were based. Implications for the school psychologist are discussed.     

Play therapy in elementary schools

Because the child's world is a world of action and activity, play therapy provides the psychologist in elementary‐school settings with an opportunity to enter the child's world. In the play therapy relationship, toys are like the child's words and play is the child's language. Therefore, children play out their problems, experiences, concerns, and feelings in a manner that is similar to the process of talk therapy. This article provides practical information for developing a play therapy program, a discussion of the skills needed by the psychologist, how to involve parents and teachers in the treatment process, and a review of impressive effect sizes found in play therapy research studies. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Consistency of administrators' and psychologists' actual and ideal perceptions of school psychologists' activities

Questionnaires asking for actual and ideal perceptions of the role of the school psychologist were completed by 80 school psychologists, 37 directors of pupil personnel services, and 29 superintendents in Virginia public schools. Administrators and school psychologists are in substantial agreement regarding the amount of time the psychologist actually devotes to different job activities. Approximately 75% of the psychologist's time is spent in Meyers' Level I activities (Meyers, 1973). All groups desire a reduction in the time spent in assessment, but they differ as to what intervention levels should be increased. Psychologists see the saved time most appropriately spent in interventions at the system level. Discrepancy between actual and desired roles is discussed in terms of the impact of P.L. 94–142. The consistency of psychologists' actual and ideal perceptions correlated significantly and negatively with their job satisfaction. This relationship is discussed in terms of role conflict, and a comparison is made of actual roles with the emphasis in two professional journals.     

Operant Techniques in School Psychology

In recent years there has been increasing recognition of the fact that the role of the school psychologist in this country is changing. The conception of the school psychologist as psychometrician and clinician has given way to the notion that the school psychologist may best serve school needs by functioning as a consultant to the school (Derner, 1965; Leton, 1964; McDaniel & Ahr, 1965; Schmidt & Pena, 1964). A major part of consultant service involves work with teachers regarding the problems of children. The purpose of the present article is to describe the usefulness of operant techniques in enabling the school psychologist to implement effectively this aspect of his newly acquired consultant role. In a child's environment events precede and follow behavior. Events subsequent to behavior may accelerate the behavior, decelerate the behavior, or have no observable effect. Most subsequent events in a child's environment occur unsystematically. When the school psychologist aids teachers in arranging planned schedules of particular events to follow specific child behavior the operant approach is being employed. Figure 1 illustrates the operant paradigm.     

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Acceptability of Teleconsultation

School-based psychological services are typically provided through a triadic model of consultation in which a school psychologist works directly with a teacher or school staff member to address the academic, behavioral, or mental health concerns of a student. With advances in current technology, school psychologists have the capacity to use videoconferencing to engage in their consultative responsibilities. Teleconsultation has the potential to improve the provision of consultative services by increasing school psychologists’ efficiency and providing individuals, especially those in rural areas, access to greater service. The current study evaluated the effectiveness and acceptability of teleconsultation as a means to deliver behavioral consultation services to three teachers and their students. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across subjects was used. Results showed that consultants could develop a behavioral intervention with a teacher and effectively implement the intervention to improve student outcomes. Teachers also rated teleconsultation as an acceptable means for service delivery.     

School staff perceptions of well-being and experience of an intervention to promote well-being

An intervention was carried out with primary school staff to promote well-being with weekly sessions of a project which became known as Chill and Chat. Data were gathered via questionnaires completed before and after the project and from three focus groups (before, during and after the intervention), and were analysed using thematic analysis. Results suggested that well-being was seen as important; however, colleagues with poor mental well-being were “pathologised”, with “learning” to cope and maintaining positive well-being perceived as the sole responsibility of the staff member. Staff perceived the informality of provision to promote well-being as important and valued time to develop better relationships with colleagues rather than just “working relationships”. Staff also reported perceptions of greater classroom efficacy, increased job satisfaction and feeling calmer. Implications for educational psychologist (EP) practice in helping school staff reflect on their well-being and actions to work as a team to promote well-being in school are discussed.     

大学生社交焦虑的团体认知行为干预方案设计

探讨了认知行为疗法对社交焦虑的干预,并根据美国心理学家Stefan G.Hofmann提出的社交焦虑的认知行为治疗模型,采用演讲暴露、心理教育、认知重建以及现实暴露等认知行为的干预技术,设计出符合我国大学生的社交焦虑的团体干预方案。该团体治疗方案共八次,以切实可行的不断增加难度的演讲暴露为主要暴露方式。实践证明,对于大学生社交焦虑的症状改善具有显著效果,易于推广。     

Two alternative roles for the school psychologist in the treatment of emotionally disturbed and autistic children

This paper will describe two alternative roles for the school psychologist working with programs for autistic children or programs for emotionally disturbed children. The first approach is concerned with behavior management of children either by consultation to program staff or by direct work with the child, as well as support of staff through continuous feedback of classroom behavior management techniques. The second approach encompasses all of the first approach, in addition to the psychologist serving as corrdinator for the program and thereby assuming greater responsibility for cooperation between the school and the home, as well as for ongoing program development. A major difference in these two roles of the school psychologist, compared to the traditional role, is an intense involvement with a small number of children and a high level of input into the management, structure, and techniques used in a small number of classrooms. The paper will present a model for both of the two alternative approaches for the school psychologist. The model will include: a format for ongoing behavior assessment, suggestions for the structure of teacher-psychologist feedback sessions, methods of school and home cooperation, and a proposal for a horizontal administrative structure of programs for emotionally disturbed and for autistic children. The concept that is advocated is a team of professionals (teacher and psychologist) planning for the holistic development of the child.     

EVOLUTION,NOT REVOLUTION: SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS’ CHANGING PRACTICES IN DETERMINING SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES

The profession of school psychology has been impacted by the response to intervention (RTI) model in various ways. RTI data are being used to make decisions regarding academic and behavioral interventions and to make eligibility determinations in comprehensive evaluations conducted by multidisciplinary teams. A survey of almost 400 school psychologist practitioners reveals a changing landscape in terms of school psychologists’ methods of determining eligibility for specific learning disabilities (SLD) in RTI site and non‐RTI site schools. The survey also brings to light differences between numbers of initial evaluations and levels of challenge and job satisfaction. Implications of these changes and future directions for research are discussed.     

Teaching Parents to Teach Reading

The PAIRS Project, a new venture with primary school parents in Walsall, is described by Phil White, educational psychologist, Wiltshire LEA, Jonathan Solity and Chris Reeve, educational psychologist and principal educational psychologist respectively, Walsall LEA