Many school psychologists will work with a student with a medical condition in their careers, and information on the student's condition is crucial to understanding their individual needs. One type of medical condition that a school psychologist may encounter is childhood-onset autoimmune disease, such as pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus…

There is probably no more difficult aspect of school-based mental health practice than navigating assessment, prevention, and postvention related to youth suicide. Although many schools follow best practices and respond appropriately, there are important lessons to be learned from cases that resulted in litigation. This article reviews key cases…

Safe, stable, nurturing relationships between students and school personnel are essential for students' psychosocial development. All students should have access to these relationships, regardless of their background, race, gender, or disability status. Over the past several years, young people have experienced an extraordinary amount of social…

School psychologists are uniquely qualified to provide direct and indirect support to students, parents, educators, schools, and districts. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Practice Model outlines the 10 domains that interact with each other to meet the needs of students, schools, and communities, and demonstrate the broad…

With the recent media coverage of lead exposure in cities like Flint, Baltimore, and Newark, it is critical that school psychologists familiarize themselves with the symptoms, assessment, and intervention of lead exposure since schools will likely work with children and families exposed to lead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC,…

Research reveals that students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) often do not feel safe at school as a result of higher rates of bullying in comparison to their heterosexual peers (Kann et al., 2016; Kosciw, Greytak, Palmer, & Boesen, 2014; Russell, Clarke, & Lamb, 2009). Compared to general…

Positive school climate and supportive learning environments have a significant effect on a range of student outcomes. There are a number of assessment instruments that districts can use to measure school climate. These instruments are available from and recommended by national organizations that promote and support school climate interventions.

Many students in schools have experienced traumatic events and struggle to deal with emotional, social, behavioral, and learning problems. School psychologists can be effective leaders in the school to establish trauma-informed practices within schools. By promoting awareness of trauma and its impact on students, school psychologists can help…

Awareness of peer victimization and resilience among LGBT youth is important to the practice of competent school psychologists. Research illustrates the negative effects attributable to peer victimization and social risk. This paper highlights how building resiliency and fostering protective factors can help reduce peer victimization and its…

In this article, the author will review data documenting the significant and painful burden mental illness places on children and review the burden mental illness places on the school and society. In addition, the author will offer that school psychologists are perfectly positioned to promote mental wellness and qualified to address the challenges…

This article outlines Boston Public School (BPS) district's systematic effort to implement an integrated approach to address school behavioral health--the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model (CBHM). Behavioral health is intricately connected to academic and social success at school and a growing body of research demonstrates the association…

With the intention of increasing school safety, across the country, law enforcement officers have been deployed to work on school grounds. After the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) developed a new program called COPS in Schools (CIS) that was a mechanism…

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) has been an effective, evidence-based intervention in treating externalizing behaviors in children ages 2-7. PCIT can be adapted in a classroom setting to become Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT), wherein the principles of PCIT are applied to the teacher-student relationship. This article describes…

Youth suicidal behavior is a significant public health problem, and schools can play an important role in youth suicide prevention. However, schools cannot do this alone; they need the student's family members and peers, and other professionals and community members, to do their part. School personnel, and particularly school-employed mental…

The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, CT (USA) has brought the conversation about how to reduce violence, make schools safer, improve school climate, and increase access to mental health services to the forefront of the national conversation. Advocating for comprehensive initiatives to address school safety, school climate, and…