School-Centered Interventions

School is where therapeutic services for children and adolescents are most commonly delivered. When schools help children to develop their social, coping, and problem-solving skills, the children can readily use these skills in their daily interactions. And, interventions that take place where problems occur are more likely to be successful than those applied elsewhere.

As beneficial as school-based psychological interventions may be, it can be challenging for school psychologists and other school personnel to select the most appropriate ones, and to adapt them to the realities of the school environment.

This book presents a practical framework for delivering school-centered interventions that effectively target the most common psychological, social, and learning problems experienced by children and adolescents — from externalizing and internalizing disorders to the challenges posed by ADHD and autism spectrum disorder. For each symptom profile, the author examines the diagnostic and developmental considerations, the empirically supported intervention strategies, the instructional supports, crisis intervention protocols, and required family and systemic supports.

Throughout, the emphasis is on the school context and its implications. The result is a comprehensive, multi-tiered approach to meeting students' needs.

Series Foreword
David Shriberg

Acknowledgments

Introduction

I. Foundations of Mental Health Services in Schools

1. Advantages of Mental Health Work in Schools
2. Overview of Psychological Interventions for Children and Adolescents
3. Case Conceptualization in the Context of Evidence-Based Interventions: Linking Assessment to Intervention to Outcome

II. Therapeutic Interventions for Specific Child and Adolescent Psychological Disorders

4. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
5. Disruptive Behavior Disorders
6. Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
7. Depression
8. Anxiety and Related Disorders
9. Autism Spectrum Disorder

Afterword: Comprehensive Multitiered Services in Schools

Appendix: Case Conceptualization Flow Chart

References

Index

About the Author

Dennis J. Simon, PhD, is a licensed clinical and school psychologist with more than 3 decades of experience within elementary and secondary schools.

For 14 years, he was director of NSSEO Timber Ridge Therapeutic Day School, a zero-reject public program serving the Chicago area. His career has centered on program development and psychological interventions for children and adolescents experiencing social, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Currently, he teaches courses at Loyola University of Chicago on therapeutic interventions, clinical supervision, and consultation for systems change.

Dr. Simon is the lead author of the developmental/ecological/problem-solving model of clinical supervision that supports training in evidence-based intervention practices.

The text surpassed my highest expectations by proving to be a superior, comprehensive resource for a school-based practitioner seeking to utilize EBIs with my students and also in terms of its usefulness as a tool for an instructor of higher education.
—Communique

Simon has written a very convincing book and essential guide to evidence-based practices in school. He gives readers a thorough description and analysis of therapeutic approaches that are likely to work best with students. His opinions are fully informed by high quality research and empirical documentation.
—New England Psychologist