School consultation: The training needs of teachers and school psychologists

This paper describes the roles of teachers and school psychologists and presents an overview of current and prospective methods of providing services to special needs children. On the basis of the literature and professional experience, it is suggested that changes are needed in the provision of special education services. The consultative relationship between teachers and school psychologists is viewed as the key to successful classroom intervention for special needs children. Although each profession brings expertise into the consultative relationship, better training is needed for teachers and school psychologists to ensure that effective intervention strategies are developed.     

Enhancing School-Based Mental Health Services With a Preventive and Promotive Approach to Universal Screening for Complete Mental Health

Universal screening for complete mental health is proposed as a key step in service delivery reform to move school-based psychological services from the back of the service delivery system to the front, which will increase emphasis on prevention, early intervention, and promotion. A sample of 2,240 high school students participated in a schoolwide universal screening to identify behavioral and emotional distress as well as personal strengths. School psychologists, as part of a multidisciplinary team, coordinated the use of these screening data to engage in preventive consultation with administration to make decisions regarding the refinement and expansion of mental health service delivery options. Schoolwide and individual student prevention and intervention activities were tailored according to screening results. The roles of the school psychologist and multidisciplinary team members are discussed as critical components of this approach to service delivery change. Implications for future consultation research, practice, and training are provided.     

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS AS MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS: THE IMPACT OF STAFFING RATIOS AND MEDICAID ON SERVICE PROVISIONS

As one out of five children in the United States demonstrate some type of mental or behavioral health concern warranting additional intervention, federal policies have emphasized the need for school‐based mental health (SBMH) services and an expansion of Medicaid reimbursement for eligible children and families. Most youth access mental health services at school; therefore, it is important to evaluate how staffing ratios, credentialing, and state Medicaid policies may influence school psychologists’ involvement in the delivery of SBMH services. A survey of 192 school psychologists found that as practitioner to student ratios increased, the availability and provision of SBMH services decreased. As state Medicaid policies have been found to influence the provision of mental health services at school, current study results demonstrate an association between state level Medicaid policies and the number of school psychologists qualified to bill for Medicaid‐reimbursable services. Implications for service delivery and policy development are discussed.     

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE ACCEPTABILITY OF VIDEOCONFERENCING WITHIN A SCHOOL‐BASED BEHAVIORAL CONSULTATION FRAMEWORK

School‐based behavioral consultation with classroom teachers is one of the primary ways school psychologists deliver intervention services to students. The present study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of videoconferencing (VC) with teachers as an alternative medium of consultative communication. Specifically, problem identification interviews (PIIs) were conducted with 60 classroom teachers to simulate a typical consultation interaction. Each teacher completed two PIIs with the researcher consultants, one in a traditional face‐to‐face (FtF) format and one in a videoconference (VC) format Teachers completed two brief pre‐post measures, the Fast Form of the Technology Acceptability Model (FF‐TAM) and the Distance Communication Comfort Scale (DCCS) to evaluate the acceptability of VC. Demographic moderators of the acceptability of VC were evaluated using a multiple regression analysis. The results suggest that although teachers rated VC as an acceptable communication medium prior to participating in the VC interview, teacher acceptability ratings increased to “highly acceptable” after participating in the study. Finally, no variables were identified that significantly moderated the relationship between teachers' acceptability rating of VC and their demographic variables. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

When Is Teleconsultation Acceptable to School Psychologists?

ABSTRACT

School psychologists report a desire to increase consultation with teachers but are limited by competing job demands. Consultation via videoconference (i.e., teleconsultation) offers one possible means of increasing consultant availability to teachers, but little is known about the acceptability of this technology in actual practice. In this exploratory study, we conducted an online survey to assess the conditions under which school consultants would use teleconsultation to assist teachers remotely. Sixty-two school psychology practitioners, trainers, and trainees completed a choice-based conjoint survey designed to assess teleconsultation acceptability in the context of varying commute times, consultee comfort levels, and student problem severities. Findings suggest important differences in teleconsultation acceptability in the context of real-world tradeoffs. Implications of these results are discussed, as well as the potential for using conjoint analysis to better understand technology decisions among school consultants.     

Behavioral objectives for psychological consultation in the school as evaluated by teachers and school psychologists

A set of behavioral objectives was developed for the consultant role of the school psychologist, based on Meyers' consultation model. A Likert-type questionnaire was developed to assess the degree to which teachers and school psychologists agreed upon the desirability and the actual accomplishment of these objectives. Based on a sample of 120 teachers and 83 school psychologists, it was found that both groups perceived a difference between the “desired” role and the role that school psychologists actually fulfill. However, there were also significant differences between teachers' and school psychologists' rating of the “actual” role, the school psychologists' rating agreeing more with the consultation model. Examination of individual items showed greater acceptance of objectives relating to Meyers' level of indirect service to the child, and less acceptance of Meyers' levels of direct service to the teacher and service to the school system.     

The effects of three school psychological consultation modes on selected teacher and pupil outcomes

Six Kansas school psychologists structured their teacher consultation in terms of three consultative modes which varied primarily in the number of follow-up contacts. The findings indicated that follow-up contacts led to greater teacher implementation of recommendations, greater perceived pupil behavior improvement, and greater sense of cooperative planning by the teachers. These outcome differences occurred between follow-up contacts and no follow-up contacts, with outcome differences not occurring between more and less extensive contacts.     

Consultation in school psychology: Changes from 1981 to 1984

In order to assess changes in consultation activities by practicing school psychologists, questionnaires were sent to a nationwide sample of practitioners engaging in consultation on a regular basis. Responses were received from 225 school psychologists, for a return rate of 58%. These responses were compared to their previous responses in 181-82 and revealed a significant increase in both the actual amount of time spent in consultation and the amount of time desired for consultation. School psychologist to student ratio was significantly lower, as was overall satisfaction with the profession, compared to the 1981-82 results. Sex differences were found for perceived competency in teacher consultation. The results and their implications for the field of school psychology are discussed.     

Comprehensive school-linked services: Implications for school psychologists

This article reviews the primary concepts underlying the current movement toward the provision of comprehensive school-linked services for children and families in low-income communities and the implications of this movement for school psychologists. The development of collaborative partnerships involving schools, public, and community-based agencies is an attempt to increase the availability and accessibility of needed services to children and families. The adoption of collaborative governance and a case management system is intended to offer an alternative to the proliferation of separate categorical programs and the associated lack of coordination among programs. The hope is to emphasize prevention and efficient early intervention. Collaborative efforts can provide an opportunity for role expansion among school psychologists. This possibility is discussed within a consultation model of service delivery that is consistent with the collaborative nature of school-linked services and with the preventive stance that orginated them. School psychologists are in a position to contribute to team consultation, case management, and needs assessment. Implications for training are drawn.     

Reasons and rationales for neuropsychological tests in a multitier system of school services

Many contemporary learning disabilities (LD) experts advocate a multitiered service delivery system. Included in this formulation is the obligation to deliver for each struggling student increasingly sophisticated and intensive services before special education is considered. For students who evidence failed response to intervention, an evaluation, suggested by some to comprise minimal cognitive and extensive achievement testing, typically ensues and helps to determine special education eligibility. We argue that neuropsychological tools are essential at this point in the process. In contrast to minimal standardized testing, use of these tools permits school psychologists to perform their most important mission – to understand, predict, and control (improve) student behavior and development by identifying learning syndromes, rather than discrete academic deficits. This article argues for neuropsychological tests as a way for school psychologists to recognize patterns of learning problems reported in the peer‐reviewed literature, which in turn promotes effective planning and intervention. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Integrating Models of Collaborative Consultation and Systems Change to Implement Forgiveness-Focused Bullying Interventions

Through collaborative consultation with school staff, school psychologists have increasingly helped schools add bullying prevention and intervention programming to their service delivery systems. As schools search for ways to lessen the impact of bullying on the social-emotional health and academic achievement of students, forgiveness education is an area that may offer another perspective to bullying prevention and intervention. In order to infuse forgiveness education into schools' current tiered-service delivery systems, school psychologists and their district partners can use the frameworks of collaborative strategic planning (CSP) and the concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) in tandem to guide the development and implementation of forgiveness-focused bullying interventions at the core, supplementary, and intensive levels of a multitiered system of service delivery.     

A survey of school psychologists' knowledge and training in child psychopharmacology

A national sample of 320 school‐based, practicing members of the National Association of School Psychologists provided information on (a) their caseloads receiving medications, (b) types of school psychopharmacology training opportunities available and perceptions of their current training in child psychopharmacology, and (c) information about consultative efforts in monitoring medication effects on school functioning. Results indicated that almost one of every four cases seen by survey participants were being treated with psychotropic medications; nearly all respondents have engaged in consultation related to medication evaluations. Professional workshops and independent reading were the most utilized training opportunities, and participant responses indicated an overwhelming need for basic educational training to improve knowledge and consultation in this area. Implications of these findings on training in evidence‐based interventions and current practice are discussed as school psychologists experience legislative pressure to diminish their collaborative involvement in medication treatment consideration and evaluation. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 623–633, 2006.     

Traditional Assessment,Consultation, and Intervention Practices: Urban School Psychologists' Use,Importance, and Competence Ratings

This article examines the practices of school psychologists who work within an urban school district. Participants (N = 86) rated 20 specific practices on their current use, their importance, and their level of competence. Overall the school psychologists rated their involvement in traditional assessment activities as significantly more common than consultation/collaboration and prevention/intervention; however, they indicated consultation and prevention/intervention activities as significantly more valued than traditional assessment practices. Participants also noted prevention, intervention, and functional assessment as their top priorities for professional development. Thus, a practice gap was noted with regard to what this group of school psychologists' value and what they do. Results are discussed within the context of current educational reform initiatives.     

Early-Career School Psychologists’ Perceptions of Consultative Service Delivery: The More Things Change,the More They Stay the Same

School consultation is practiced in rapidly changing educational settings, including increasing student diversity and the implementation of a multitiered system of supports. This changing context may shift the boundaries of what it means to consult and how best to achieve change through consultation. The purpose of this study was to explore how early-career school psychologists (ECSPs) defined and implemented consultation and what barriers and facilitators influenced their perceived ability to achieve change through consultation. Triangulated quantitative and qualitative data from a national survey of 262 ECSPs indicated gaps between historical, aspirational views of consultation in school psychology and what these practitioners reported is happening in the field. Tensions in the data are explored with consideration given to implications for consultation practice in current school contexts and in the early career.     

School psychology goes to college: The emerging role of school psychology in college communities

Many college students display academic and social‐emotional needs that are not being addressed by extant university supports. School psychologists who work in postsecondary settings and have expertise in providing psychoeducational services may be uniquely positioned to help many of these students. However, few school psychologists currently work with or serve college students. To address unmet student needs and illustrate the fruitful role of school psychology in college communities, this article discusses ways university‐based or ‐affiliated school psychologists can expand their current roles. Additionally, a multitiered framework is included that encourages the provision of interventions at universal, selective, and targeted service delivery levels. Although many of the interventions and ideas discussed in this article are not yet widely implemented, they warrant consideration and further elaboration because of their potential to impact college students and the practice of school psychology. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

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.     

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.     

Participants’ evaluation of consultation: implications for training in school psychology

Evaluation of graduate students’ consultation skills is essential to competent practice in school settings. Congruence of evaluation of the consultation experience has been shown as an important factor in the development of competent consultants in other, related disciplines. The current study analysed student consultant and teacher consultee perspectives on several dimensions, including school system entry, knowledge gaps, territorial concerns, role ambivalence, and problems inherent in student–staff member interaction. Results of tests for congruence of ratings of providers and recipients of consultation services suggest a number of concerns regarding the preparation of graduate student consultants for successful practise in school settings, including inadequate preparation for systems entry, conflict over shared problem solving and the need to balance expertise with collaboration, and graduate student’s lack of knowledge of instructional practices. Implications for training graduate students in school-based consultation are discussed.