The history of interventions in school psychology

Abstract

Treatment interventions by school psychologists may be classified as (a) interventions aimed at modifying the way in which or what a child is taught or how he or she behaves in the classroom, (b) direct interventions aimed at changing a child's self-perception and self-understanding through some form of psychotherapy or counseling, and (c) interventions directed at modifying the general environment or system in which a child must function. This article traces the kinds of intervention that have been recommended and implemented by school psychologists over the last century. These interventions have followed from the theory and research interest of the psychologists of the time, and this relationship is traced for each type of int4ervention. A dominant tension in school psychology has been between behavioral-theory-based interventions and process-based interventions. Behavior- theory-based interventions have been well validated over the last three decades. Interventions based on cognitive and developmental theory show promise for guiding intervention in the future. Given the centrality of intervention, the research reported in the school psychology literature on the topic is surprisingly thin. Since intervention must follow from good research and theory, scientist-practitioners must constantly upgrade their knowledge of psychology.