Handouts for “Pediatric school psychology service delivery: Benefits and barriers”

Handouts for “Pediatric school psychology service delivery: Benefits and barriers

The roles of school psychologists working within a pediatric setting.

• With an increasing number of children presenting with health conditions, pediatric care has expanded from solely a medical definition to a more comprehensive service delivery approach that includes psychology and education (Perrin, 1999). • An interdisciplinary, inter-systemic approach is necessary to meet the needs of children across systems (Power, Shapiro, & DuPaul, 2003). • School psychologists are uniquely qualified to facilitate collaboration between settings and systems due to their expertise in consultation and intervention. • Roles in pediatric school psychology include: advocating for children’s educational and social needs; consulting with care providers, families, and educators; and facilitating collaboration among these individuals (Power & Parrish, 1995). • Conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC): o A structured, indirect model wherein a consultant works with a parent and teacher to promote collaborative, problem-solving partnerships across home and school (Sheridan, Kratochwill, & Bergan, 1996). o Effective in addressing a range of concerns across home and school (Sheridan, et al., 2001); high levels of parent and teacher acceptability and satisfaction reported (Freer & Watson, 1999; Sheridan & Steck, 1995). • Other roles: Individualized Education Plan (IEP) consultation, parent- or teacher-only consultation, observations, and provision of resources/referrals. • To date, no research has explored the conditions in which CBC is warranted in a pediatric medical setting and ones in which other services are appropriate

Handouts for “The roles of school psychologists working within a pediatric setting”

RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. What clinical services are pediatric school psychologists providing and for whom are they providing them? 2. What types of referral concerns are pediatric school psychologists addressing and which of those are associated with CBC service delivery? 3. Under what conditions are CBC services desirable and appropriate in medical settings and when are such services not warranted