The case for integrating trauma informed family therapy clinical practice within the school context

Abstract

ABSTRACTCounselling services are an integral part of a school's pastoral response to children and adolescents experiencing mental health or behavioural challenges. Professional practice documents published within Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America uniformly articulate the capacity of the counsellor to intervene when presented with a student experiencing emotional, psychological or behavioural distress. However, there are some referral concerns that call for a systemic approach that not only engages with parents but extends further to conceptualise the family as the system in need of change. This paper will suggest that the increasing shift towards the application of principles underpinning trauma-informed practice – particularly attachment and systemic constructs – within the classroom must be mirrored within the counselling space from which these theories originate. This paper will conclude with a description of common school based counselling referral criteria that are well suited to family therapy responses. In doing so, this paper will address the concern that the need to attend to the theoretical approach adopted by the school based counsellor represents an important logistical consideration [Zirkelback & Reese, 2010, p. 1095. A review of psychotherapy outcome research: Considerations for school-based mental health providers. Psychology in the Schools, 47(10), 1084–1100].