Family assessment in K‐12 settings: Understanding family systems to provide effective,collaborative services

Professional school counselors, school psychologists, and other professionals working in K‐12 settings have a complex job of meeting the needs of all students. Often, referral to outside counseling is necessary; however, an effective and comprehensive counseling model advocates for school mental health professionals to employ a wide variety of techniques to ensure equitable distribution of services to all students and their families. This article explores using family assessment tools to support both students' academic achievement and their families within a school context. A case study illustrates how a professional school counselor could employ and collaborate with family assessment tools to support the student, family, and school systems. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.