School counselors experience various emotions, such as anxiety, when in the role of mandated reporter of child abuse. This manuscript addresses how early career school counselors might experience distress because of the lack of established child abuse reporting procedures, fear of repercussions for the school counselor or student, and limited…

For this sixth article in a series reviewing recent court decisions concerning appropriate school psychology practice from both professional and legal perspectives, the author summarizes a case in which an Oregon school psychologist provided foster care for a child with severe behavior problems and subsequently was reported for gross neglect of…

Child maltreatment remains a relevant issue for school psychologists. This special issue was designed to provide school psychology practitioners, researchers, and other school personnel with current, empirically sound information about child maltreatment. This introduction provides context for the articles in this volume, including definitions of…

Summer and winter breaks from school can be highly anticipated times for students and educators. However, for students living in poverty, the break from school can bring hidden challenges that school psychologists should be aware of when preparing for vacation. Research has shown that school breaks affect students from varying socioeconomic status…

School psychologists encounter children regularly who have been affected by abuse and neglect. Maltreatment adversely affects the mental health status and academic achievement of youth, thereby making the topic an area of concern for school psychologists. More recently, child protection laws have been expanded to include mandatory child abuse…

Confidentiality presents particular challenges to practitioners working with young people, on account of the latter's vulnerability and emotional immaturity. Ethical codes place a key importance on confidentiality, from deontological and teleological perspectives. However, young clients may rely on a more pragmatic approach in deciding whether to…

This article addresses what, if any, psychotherapeutic interventions should be provided to meet the emotional and clinical needs of alleged child victims of sexual abuse while they await judicial determinations from the family, dependency, or criminal courts. The discussion emphasizes that to minimize iatrogenic outcomes, professionals involved in…

The process of reporting abuse can be challenging, traumatic, and at times, overwhelming. In order for school counselors to be effective helpers for children, it is essential that they know how to recognize and prevent child abuse and neglect. The purpose of this article is to provide professional school counselors with information they can use to…

The purpose of this article is to summarize aspects of theory and research on child sexual abuse that suggest best practices for identifying and addressing abuse involving elementary school children. Teachers and school counselors often have the most interaction with children this age, yet they may feel inadequately prepared to intervene…

School counselors have a duty to formulate strategies that aid in the detection and prevention of child sexual abuse (American School Counselor Association, 2003). School counselors are charged with helping sexually abused children by recognizing sexual abuse indicators based on a child's symptomatology and/or behavior, and understanding how this…

Describes sexual abuse prevention program designed to inform elementary school children about various aspects of child sexual abuse. Discusses implementation process and program components for implementation with second, fourth, and sixth graders. Various activity summaries are included. (NB)

Presents guidelines for developing a team approach, involving both school and social service personnel, in dealing with child abuse. A case study is presented to illustrate the approach. (BL)

Public policy can be a powerful tool for children and their families. Accordingly, this article addresses how psychologists and other child-oriented researchers can leverage this tool to ensure that child and family issues, specifically issues related to child abuse and neglect, receive adequate attention. We encourage a bidirectional relationship…

Describes behavioral signs of family violence (i.e., child abuse, wife abuse), assessment techniques, and implications for counselors. (BL)

School counselors working with hearing-impaired students are introduced to the preventive legal audit strategy to avoid common civil and criminal liability situations. Sample legal audit questions concern negligence/malpractice, confidentiality/privileged communication, child abuse, testing, Public Law 94-142, and other civil and criminal…