The effects of an interpersonally based problem-solving process on consultation outcomes

The relationship was examined between the extent to which school psychologists incorporated an interpersonally based problem-solving process (IBPSP) in their consultation and several defined outcomes of consultation. The study also investigated the degree to which utilizing and IBPSP correlated with other variables that have been either empirically or theoretically identified in the literature as having an impact on the outcomes of consultation.

A highly significant positive relationship exists between the IBPS Scale and each of the four criterion variables: general behavior change, teacher satisfaction, problem-in-resolution and professional growth. Moreover, the IBPS Scale correlates more highly with each of the dependent variables than do the other predictor variables.     

School psychologists as perceived by school personnel: Support for a consultant model

Questionaires distributed by 12 school psychologists to school personnel with whom they had been consulting for six months were completed and returned by 73 teachers, counselors, and principals. The information provided by the respondents indicated the frequencies with which the school psychologists engaged in consulting and child study activities, the school personnel's evaluations of nine different school psychologist skills, and the preferences of the respondents for the different school psychologist functions in their schools. The data showed that: (1) school psychologists were doing more consulting than evaluations of individual children, (2) school personnel tended to perceive their psychologists as cooperative, knowledgeable, and skillful, though relatively inefficient and undependable, and (3) school personnel preferred consulting activities to psychometric activities. It was concluded that the consultant model had been shown to be operative and that it was more highly valued than the psychometric model by the consumers of psychological services.     

College students' acceptance of potential treatments for ADHD

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the influence that the professional occupation of a consultant making a treatment recommendation may have on college students' (82 women and 52 men) acceptance of a proposed treatment for a child displaying characteristics of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Consultants were special education teachers, school psychologists, or physicians. The study also examined college students' ratings of treatment acceptability associated with three frequently implemented interventions of either nonspecific medication, token economy with response cost, or time-out for children with characteristics of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Analysis indicated college students found a token economy intervention was the least acceptable recommendation by a physician.     

The Family and the School: Utilizing Human Resources to Promote Learning

There is a continuing challenge in our complex society to bridge the gaps that exist between various subsystems. Only by overcoming segmentation can common problems be mutually addressed and the full resources of each subsystem be utilized in finding viable solutions. The project described here brings together members of the family with public school professional staff and a consultant from a family therapy unit. Each system learns from and about the others in an open, sharing environment. The processes of family therapy are utilized with the goals of reversing maladaptive school behavior of children and facilitating constructive interactions both between the family and the school and among school personnel.
The uniqueness in this effort lies in the treatment of the staff of a school as a live, dynamic, interacting system having some of the characteristics of a family. The need for mutual respect on the part of consultant and school personnel is documented. Defining and observing boundaries, clarifying roles and creating a non-critical atmosphere provide the security that permits and encourages individuals to share relevant material within agreed-upon parameters.
Changes in traditional practices have been achieved. School psychologists have taken on new roles while principals and staffs have learned new techniques and skills for relating to each other and for approaching family-based school learning problems. The non-blaming approach recognizes the child as a member of both a family and school organization. Bringing the family and the school together for dialogue and planning unburdens the child as a conveyor of information and values between the two systems. Thus far, there have been substantial benefits from the project to the schools, to the families, and to the body of professional knowledge from which we all learn and grow.     

Treating boys with low school achievement and behavior problems: comparison of two kinds of intervention

Children with low school achievement frequently have behavior problems and interpersonal difficulties that pose a risk for psychosocial maladjustment. 39 boys were assessed and randomly assigned to one of two group treatment conditions: (a) interpersonal cognitive problem-solving for whom training was provided through oral and written language activities that met children's social and academic needs and (b) a language workshop, during which only academic difficulties were treated. Parents of children in both groups received group attention. Posttreatment assessments indicated that boys in both conditions showed significant improvements on school achievement and behavior problems, as they were measured by behavior scales reported by mothers and by an academic achievement test. Children in the problem-solving group improved significantly more than the other group on most measures. These results suggest that work with interpersonal cognitive problem-solving skills combined with reading and writing activities is a useful means to produce improvements in child behavior and school achievement.     

一例一般心理问题的咨询案例分析报告

本文详细介绍了一例因为英语四级考试没有通过引发的一般心理问题的咨询过程。来访者韩某,女,20岁,是一名大二学生,因为英语四级考试没有通过而出现了睡眠质量差,学习效率下降,情绪低落等症状,来访者主动求助于校心理健康中心,迫切希望改变现状,能够正常的学习生活。咨询师在和来访者商议后根据其个性特征和问题的特点采用了合理情绪疗法对其进行干预,帮助她改变了其非理性的信念,经过咨询,来访者情绪好转,可以正确看待困难,取得了比较好的咨询效果。     

Integrating consultation and program evaluation in school psychology

Consultation approaches to providing psychological services are widely used by school psychologists. Recently, the need for school psychologists to be proficient in educational program evaluation has been recognized. The present paper discusses how school psychologists can use their existing consultation skills as an approach to program evaluation. The integration of consultation skills with evaluation results in an approach to program evaluation that is particularly useful where program goals and objectives are broad and nonspecific (as in many educational innovations). Also, the consultation approach to evaluation is easier for school psychologists to blend with their other roles in schools than the assessment-oriented evaluator role of some evaluation models. The consultation approach to evaluation is illustrated using a federally sponsored training program for school teachers and administrators.     

A comparison of the personal values and operative goals of school psychologists and school superintendents

A survey of 96 school psychologists and 75 school superintendents throughout the state of Ohio showed the two groups to have generally similar personal value systems and to be in overall agreement in their respective rankings of school psychology goals. Both groups held the traditional school psychologist's goal of conducting individual testing to be lower relevance than acting as an internal consultant or resource person. Of those differences identified, superintendents assigned greater relevance to values which were consistent with their administrative concerns, while psychologists held values preferring individualism as more relevant. Superintendents held goals associated with increased learning efficiency and interacting with community agencies as more relevant, while psychologists assigned higher relevance to goals associated with parent-psychologist interactions.     

Relation between social problem-solving ability and subsequent level of psychological stress in college students.

A prospective design was used to examine the relation between social problem-solving ability and later psychological stress in college students during the first semester of the academic year. A new social problem-solving inventory measured not only general ability, but also more specific components of the problem-solving process (e.g., problem orientation, problem-solving skills; D'Zurilla & Nezu, 1990). The results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that general problem-solving ability was negatively related to later stress, even after prior stress level and number of life problems were controlled. More specific analyses indicated that subjects' problem orientation was a better predictor of stress than their problem-solving skills. Results are discussed in terms of the possible stress-reducing effects of perceived control and successful problem resolution.     

Stress,social support,and problem-solving appraisal/skills: Prediction of suicide severity within a college sample

This study assessed whether stress, social support, and interpersonal problem-solving appraisal/skills were predictive of level of suicidality within a chronic suicidal college sample. Stepwise regression analyses were used to assess whether stress, social support, and problem-solving were independently predictive of severity of suicide ideation. In addition, hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the mediational nature of social support and problem-solving in the stress-suicidality relationship. Problem-solving confidence was found to be a significant predictor of severity of suicide ideation. In addition, both perceived problem-solving skills and social support mediated the relationship between stress and level of suicide ideation. However, only one of the two perceived problem-solving skills interactions was in the expected direction. This study provided support for the importance of problem-solving confidence and the interaction of stress and social support in the prediction of suicide severity. Unlike previous studies, this study did not find problem-solving skills/deficits to mediate the stress-suicidality relationship.This research was supported by NIMH Grant 1-18MH48133.     

Preparation of school psychologists for school-based consultation: A training activity and a service to community schools

Presents a set of training experiences to develop school-based consultation skills in preservice school psychologists and discusses problems in implementing this model of service. Based on their experience in training school psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley, the authors report on preparing students to deal with teacher and principal expectations. Also discussed are methods for mobilizing teachers to plan more precisely to meet the needs of individual pupils in the classroom. A distinction is made in the paper between school-based and community-based mental health consultation.     

Conceptualization and Treatment of Social Withdrawal in the Schools

Social withdrawal represents a class of behavior problems that are not as frequently referred by teachers in school settings as are disruptive, acting-out behaviors. Approximately 15% of all children referred to school psychologists and other mental health professionals in the schools are socially withdrawn. This paper provides several definitions of social withdrawal from a social skills perspective and presents a four-fold classification system of children's social skills deficits. Assessment procedures for identifying socially withdrawn children are briefly reviewed. Four social skills training strategies (i.e., modeling, coaching, peer-mediated interventions, and group contingencies) are reviewd and the relative efficacy of each are evaluated. Several commercially-available social skills training curricula designed for school settings are described at the conclusion of this paper.     

Administrator Perceptions of Actual and Desired Time Spent by School Psychologists in Different Roles and Satisfaction with School Psychologists

Abstract

A total of 512 elementary and secondary administrators in Ohio were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the time spent by school psychologists in 15 role functions, the percentage of time they desired school psychologists to spend in these 15 roles, and their satisfaction with their school psychologist. Results indicated that administrators desired school psychologists to spend less time in assessment and administrative activities than they were perceived to be spending in these areas, and desired school psychologists to spend more time than they were perceived to be spending in all other roles surveyed. Six variables were found to be significant predictors of administrator satisfaction: discrepancy between actual and desired time spent administering and interpreting psychoeducational tests (negatively related), discrepancy between actual and desired time spent providing services to prevent student problems (negatively related), percentage of time spent working with parents and families (positively related), discrepancy between actual and desired time spent performing administrative duties (negatively related), discrepancy between actual and desired time spent conducting inservice activities (positively related), and discrepancy between actual and desired time spent counseling for career/vocational issues (negatively related). Results are discussed in terms of their implication for role expansion in school psychology.     

National Study of School Psychologists’ Use of Evidence-Based Assessment in Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study aimed to better understand predictors of evidence-based assessment practices for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Nationwide, 402 school psychologists were surveyed for their knowledge of and training and experience with ASD on assessment practices, including reported areas of training needs. The majority of school psychologists reported that they did not engage in comprehensive assessment of ASD, which was defined as assessments that consider all areas of development in addition to the use of ASD-specific instruments. Results from logistic regression revealed that experience and training, working with young children with ASD, and geographic location predicted use of evidence-based assessment practices. Experience and training with ASD was the strongest predictor of evidence-based assessment. No differences in training needs were indicated by school psychologists whose practices were consistent with evidence-based assessment and those whose practices were not. Overall, the results identified gaps between best and current practices by school psychologists and highlight areas of need for additional training and professional development.     

The effects of behavior rehearsal and feedback on the acquisition of problem-solving skills in distressed and nondistressed couples

Couples who were paid to participate in an experimental marital enrichment program were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions or to a control group. All groups received training in solving marital problems, but the groups differed according to how they were trained; some received feedback (FB) on their previous taped performances, some had the opportunity to practice the skills suggested by the therapist (BR), some had both (complete treatment), and some simply were presented with instructions. Changes in problem-solving skills were assessed by behavioral observations of the frequency of positive problem-solving behavior before and after treatment, and global ratings of problem-solving effectiveness made by trained raters. In general, the complete treatment condition produced greater changes from pre- to post-test than any other condition. Couples in this condition showed significantly greater increases in positive behavior than any other group, and on global ratings of problem-solving skills they evidenced the greatest improvement, although on this measure they did not improve significantly more than BR couples.     

An expanded etiological model for suicide behavior in adolescents: Evidence for its specificity relative to depression

This study tests both the stress/social support and the stress/problem-solving etiological models for suicidality while controlling for depression. To this end, a depressed, high-suicide-ideating sample (N=68) was compared to a depressed, low-suicide-ideating sample (N=64). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to test the unique contributions of stress, problem-solving orientation, problem-solving skills, and perceived level of social support in predicting level of suicidality. Hierarchical regression analyses were also used to test the interactive contributions of problem-solving × stress and social support × stress in predicting level of suicidality. Regression models were generated separately for men, women, and the entire sample using all factors. The results clearly support the importance of social support as an independent predictor of suicidality for men, women, and the entire sample. Ability to generate alternatives to identified problems predicted suicidality, but only for women and the entire sample. Problem-solving orientation was not uniquely predictive of suicidality and may affect suicidal behavior via its relationship to depression.     

Relative frequency of consultee lack of knowledge,skills, confidence,and objectivity in school settings

Caplan (1963, 1970) specifies consultee lack of knowledge, skills, confidence, and objectivity as the “four common reasons for the work difficulties that underlie the need for consultation” (p. 127). Although Caplan hypothesizes that the majority of consultation cases result from consultee lack of objectivity, there has been no empirical examination of the relative frequency with which consulting school psychologists encounter each type of consultee difficulty. To assess this, ten school psychology consultants rated the primary consultee problem for each consulation case they had. Contrary to Caplan's assumption, data analyses indicated that significantly more consultation cases resulted from colsultee lack of knowledge, skills, and confidence than from consultee lack of objectivity, which accounted for only 7% of the cases. These findings call into question the practical utility of psychodynamically oriented Caplanian techniques for consulting school psychologists. Because the preponderance of consultation cases develop from consultee lack of knowledge, skills, and confidence, school psychologists would be best advised to focus primarily upon the development and utilization of problem solving, behavior analysis, and sophisticated communication skills as their principal consultative strategies.     

Preparing psychologists for evidence-based school practice: lessons learned and challenges ahead

The evidence-based practice (EBP) movement has the potential to significantly advance the quality of psychological and educational services provided by psychologists working in schools. Training psychologists in EBP has challenged the profession and caused faculty in graduate programs to reevaluate and retool professional training curricula and instructional practices. Four domains of challenges in graduate training are identified: (a) integrating the EBP knowledge base into the curriculum, (b) expanding models of research training, (c) expanding training in prevention science, and (d) expanding training in problem-solving consultation and school contextual issues. For each of these, the author discusses the range and scope of the challenge and possible solutions for advancing graduate training in psychology relevant to school practice.