The principles and practices of positive psychology are gaining wider acceptance among school psychologists (Gilman, Huebner, & Furlong, 2009). Unlike traditional assessment and intervention practices that focus primarily on what is wrong and missing with students, positive practices focus on what is right and working with students--strengths,…

As professionals who often know the most about psychology in school settings and education in clinical settings and because of the importance of addressing both academic and mental health needs in anxious youth, school psychologists are uniquely positioned to assist anxious students. School psychologists possess a dynamic skill set that can be…

Approximately 20% of children in the United States experience significant mental, emotional, or behavioral symptoms that would qualify them for a psychiatric diagnosis (Burns et al., 1995; Costello et al., 2003). Unfortunately, only 15%-30% of these children receive any type of help or support (Ringel & Sturm, 2001; United States Public Health…

This article describes Getting to Outcomes (GTO), a 10-step framework for accountability designed to facilitate effective implementation of evidence-based programs and improvement of home-grown practices (Getting to Outcomes and GTO are trademarks registered by the University of South Carolina and RAND; Wandersman, Imm, Chinman, & Kaftarian,…

A tragic school shooting occurred in Brazil on April 7, 2011. A young adult male returned to the school that he had previously attended, Tasso da Silveira in Realengo, and shot and killed 13 and wounded another 20 students or teachers. Realengo, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, is composed of hard working lower and middle class families with strong…

Learning how to manage emotions such as frustration and disappointment is an important task of childhood. Although it is common for very young children to have temper tantrums when they cannot get their way, these reactions tend to decrease in frequency and intensity for most children as they develop skills to help them respond in more adaptive…

The notion that development influences children's responses to traumatic stress is not novel. Chronological age and maturity level interact with environmental factors to mediate responses to trauma. Clinicians and researchers have confirmed that children can experience the full range of traumatic stress reactions seen in adults, and many youth…

As use of the Internet becomes more prevalent in society and daily living, there has been increased attention to the risks, especially threats that young people may face. One of these risks is online sexual solicitation, in which an individual contacts a minor over the Internet, generally with the intent of making face-to-face sexual contact.…

School psychologists are often in the position of seeing a situation, a system, or a common strategy for working with students that might be approached from a different perspective. Knowing this themselves is rarely good enough, though; they work in teams and as consultants to teachers and parents who generally work most closely with the students.…

Improved medical care and legislative mandates have increased the degree to which students with neuromuscular disorders (NMD) are educated in general education environments. However, many practitioners remain largely unaware of the diverse presentations of disorders and challenges that students with NMD face. Despite the fact that school…