Behavioral Consultation Research Articles

Formal Assessment Tools for Dog Behavior Consultants

A review of formal and semiformal tools that have been developed to quantify and assess dog behaviors. Some have been validated by academic research, others have not been studied formally, but are in regular use in shelters. Pros and cons are listed for each tool, as well as potential applications for companion dog trainers and behavior consultants.

Environmental Considerations When Treating Feline Osteoarthritis

Our friendly feline companions are starting to live longer lives, and with longevity comes inevitable aging woes, such as feline osteoarthritis (OA, or shortened to ‘arthritis’). Animal care professionals (ACPs) such as veterinarians, behaviorists, behavior consultants, trainers, or even pet sitters may be positioned to be approached by clients who have specific questions about feline osteoarthritis, or they may be asked to offer advice when the diagnosis comes up. Providing environmental accommodations can tackle an aging cat’s mental and emotional needs while medical options are explored.

Supplemental Material for Examining Treatment Integrity in Conjoint Behavioral Consultation in Middle Schools: A Mixed Methods Study

Supplemental Material for Examining Treatment Integrity in Conjoint Behavioral Consultation in Middle Schools: A Mixed Methods Study

Unrealistic Breed Expectations: Approaching Breed-Based Conversations with Clients amid Paradigm Shifts

The effect a dog’s breed has on their behavior is partially determined by their genes, partially by their early puppyhood environment, and partially by their owner’s expectations of how a dog with that breed label is “supposed” to act. For dog behavior consultants, having some knowledge of all of these is important for working with clients and their dogs. As different breeds become more popular, consultants will need to learn about both a breed’s standard and the reason for its new-found popularity.

The fundamental role of social validity in behavioral consultation in school settings

AbstractSocial validity refers to the extent to which applied behavior analytic (ABA) treatment goals, methods, and/or outcomes are acceptable and meaningful to stakeholders. The aim of this conceptual paper is to suggest how social validity may be promoted during behavioral consultation in school systems and how the assessment of various aspects of social validity contributes to this throughout the consultation process. Literature pertaining to the concept of social validity, rapport‐building, collaboration with stakeholders in behavioral school consultation, and the assessment of social validity are reviewed and synthesized. Social validity may be promoted in several domains: communication with consultees, collaborative selection of treatment methods and student objectives, consultee training, and measurement of outcomes meaningful to stakeholders. Social validity assessment can occur in all of these domains and is ideally a continuous process that informs all phases of consultation. There is a particular need for direct measurement of the social significance of behavioral consultation services. Social validity is integral to all aspects of the behavioral school consultation process, and it may be facilitated by incorporating valid social validity assessments into every stage of the consultation process.

Examining long-term intervention effects to promote teacher problem-solving and communication skills in the rural context.

Conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC), a teacher-parent partnership intervention, has been shown to yield immediate improvements in problem-solving skills and communication quality with parents for kindergarten through third grade teachers in rural schools. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether CBC can yield maintained effects on teacher skills and communication over a 1-year follow-up period. We used an experimental design to examine maintenance effects of CBC (nCBC = 84, nControl = 68). Outcomes were assessed four times: baseline, 12-week posttest (immediate effects), and twice during a 1-year follow-up period (maintenance effects). Longitudinal growth modeling revealed that immediate improvements in perceived problem-solving competence and communication quality with parents for teachers in the CBC condition compared to teachers in the control condition were maintained 1-year postintervention. CBC appears to support teachers' professional practices over time. Implications for enhancing families' and schools' capacities to address student behavior concerns are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

An Examination of Training in Ecological-Positive Support Consultation

ABSTRACT Although the NASP 2020 Standards emphasize consultation as a core competency, few studies have examined consultation preservice training on consultant outcomes. This article describes the content and implementation of a training program focused on ecological-positive behavior consultation, called Positive Environment and Behavior for Building Learning and Engagement (PEBBLE). PEBBLE incorporates (a) didactic instruction related to consultation and ecological-positive support strategies, (b) evidence-based strategy and consultation implementation resources, and (c) supervised in-vivo practice. Outcome measures assessed both trainee outcomes, including self-reported efficacy, knowledge, and confidence, and classroom outcomes (direct observations). Results show PEBBLE led to statistically significant improvements in trainees’ self-reported efficacy, knowledge, and confidence and had a positive impact on classroom environments. Additionally, students who participated in PEBBLE in their first year of school psychology training had self-efficacy and competency ratings comparable to more advanced students. Implications for consultative training based on ecological-positive support approaches and future research are addressed.

The Effectiveness of Technology-Delivered Conjoint Behavioral Consultation: Addressing Rural Student and Family Needs

ABSTRACT Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) is an indirect intervention delivered by a consultant, wherein parents and teachers engage in collaborative problem-solving. This small-n study investigated the effects of remote videoconference delivery of CBC (Tele-CBC) in a rural region. The effectiveness of Tele-CBC was tested using a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design replicated across three participants in a staggered fashion. In addition to assessments of student outcomes, the acceptability of Tele-CBC and perceived effectiveness of the Tele-CBC consultant were evaluated. Results indicated the majority of students whose parents and teachers participated in Tele-CBC demonstrated a decrease in off-task behaviors at school and problem behaviors at home after a collaborative intervention plan was implemented. Parents and teachers rated Tele-CBC as highly acceptable and the Tele-CBC consultant as highly effective. This study indicates Tele-CBC offers promise as an intervention to increase access to consultation in underserved rural communities.

Parent, Teacher, and Student Perceptions of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation for Middle School Students

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to obtain perspectives of parents, teachers, and students about the contextual fit of conjoint behavioral consultation for supporting middle school students with emotional and behavior concerns. Participants were eight parents of middle school students with elevated behavior risk, eight middle school students with elevated behavior risk, and four middle school general education teachers. Participants responded to questions during focus groups and interviews regarding their perspectives about conjoint behavioral consultation. Results were analyzed using thematic coding to identify the themes from participant responses. Results suggested that parents, teachers, and students viewed aspects of CBC as relevant and useful. In addition, participants identified potential barriers to CBC implementation during middle school. Findings suggest implications for possible modifications to enhance CBC implementation during middle school. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Patient Digital Health Technologies to Support Primary Care Across Clinical Contexts: Survey of Primary Care Providers, Behavioral Health Consultants, and Nurses.

BackgroundThe acceptance of digital health technologies to support patient care for various clinical conditions among primary care providers and staff has not been explored.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore the extent of potential differences between major groups of providers and staff in primary care, including behavioral health consultants (BHCs; eg, psychologists, social workers, and counselors), primary care providers (PCPs; eg, physicians and nurse practitioners), and nurses (registered nurses and licensed practical nurses) in the acceptance of various health technologies (ie, mobile apps, wearables, live video, phone, email, instant chats, text messages, social media, and patient portals) to support patient care across a variety of clinical situations.MethodsWe surveyed 151 providers (51 BHCs, 52 PCPs, and 48 nurses) embedded in primary care clinics across the United States who volunteered to respond to a web-based survey distributed in December 2020 by a large health care market research company. Respondents indicated the technologies they consider appropriate to support patients’ health care needs across the following clinical contexts: acute and chronic disease, medication management, health-promoting behaviors, sleep, substance use, and common and serious mental health conditions. We used descriptive statistics to summarize the distribution of demographic characteristics by provider type. We used contingency tables to compile summaries of the proportion of provider types endorsing each technology within and across clinical contexts. This study was exploratory in nature, with the intent to inform future research.ResultsMost of the respondents were from urban and suburban settings (125/151, 82.8%), with 12.6% (n=19) practicing in rural or frontier settings and 4.6% (n=7) practicing in rural-serving clinics. Respondents were dispersed across the United States, including the Northeast (31/151, 20.5%), Midwest (n=32, 21.2%), South (n=49, 32.5%), and West (n=39, 25.8%). The highest acceptance for technologies across clinical contexts was among BHCs (32/51, 63%) and PCPs (30/52, 58%) for live video and among nurses for mobile apps (30/48, 63%). A higher percentage of nurses accepted all other technologies relative to BHCs and PCPs. Similarly, relative to other groups, PCPs indicated lower levels of acceptance. Within clinical contexts, the highest acceptance rates were reported among 80% (41/51) of BHCs and 69% (36/52) of PCPs endorsing live video for common mental health conditions and 75% (36/48) of nurses endorsing mobile apps for health-promoting behaviors. The lowest acceptance across providers was for social media in the context of medication management (9.3% [14/151] endorsement across provider type).ConclusionsThe survey suggests potential differences in the way primary care clinicians and staff envision using technologies to support patient care. Future work must attend to reasons for differences in the acceptance of various technologies across providers and clinical contexts. Such an understanding will help inform appropriate implementation strategies to increase acceptability and gain greater adoption of appropriate technologies across conditions and patient populations.

Effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PS128 on alleviating canine aggression and separation anxiety

Certain strains of Lactiplantibacillus were found to have a positive impact on host neuromodulation through the gut-brain axis and thus ameliorate emotional and behavioral problems. A number of researches have been performed on humans, mice and rats; however, studies on dogs are limited. Forty-five dogs with behavioral problems were enrolled in this study, including aggression (n = 22), separation anxiety (n = 15), compulsive disorder (n = 7) and unclassifiable inappropriate behavior (n = 1, excessive barking). The behavioral diagnosis was made based on the primary behavioral consultation questionnaires and the careful interrogations at interviews. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PS128 (PS128) probiotic was administered to these physically healthy dogs with behavioral problems over a course of two weeks to determine the probiotic effectiveness on canine behaviors. Dogs were evaluated and scored using the Evaluation of Dog’s Emotional and cognitive Disorders (EDED) scale and the Canine Behavioral Checklist (CBC) questionnaire at the visits before and after the probiotic treatment. Plasma serotonin levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography- electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) and the serotonin turnover ratios (5-HIAA/5-HT) were compared pre- and post-treatment. The results showed that the general behavioral stability was improved, and the problems of aggression and separation anxiety were ameliorated after treatment. A significant decrease in 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio was observed in dogs with separation anxiety, suggesting a serotonin-related mechanism. These results proved that PS128 was beneficial for emotional stabilization, which might be useful as a therapeutic supplement for canine aggression and separation anxiety.

Genital warts and condom use in HIV-positive patients referred to High-Risk Behaviors Consultation Center in Shiraz, Iran, between 2018 and 2019

ENWEndNote BIBJabRef, Mendeley RISPapers, Reference Manager, RefWorks, Zotero AMA Yazdanpanahi Z, Akbarzadeh M, Rastegari Z, Derakhshanpour S. Genital warts and condom use in HIV-positive patients referred to High-Risk Behaviors Consultation Center in Shiraz, Iran, between 2018 and 2019. HIV & AIDS Review. International Journal of HIV-Related Problems. 2022;21(2):169-174. doi:10.5114/hivar.2022.115761. APA Yazdanpanahi, Z., Akbarzadeh, M., Rastegari, Z., & Derakhshanpour, S. (2022). Genital warts and condom use in HIV-positive patients referred to High-Risk Behaviors Consultation Center in Shiraz, Iran, between 2018 and 2019. HIV & AIDS Review. International Journal of HIV-Related Problems, 21(2), 169-174. https://doi.org/10.5114/hivar.2022.115761 Chicago Yazdanpanahi, Zahra, Marzieh Akbarzadeh, Zahra Rastegari, and Setareh Derakhshanpour. 2022. "Genital warts and condom use in HIV-positive patients referred to High-Risk Behaviors Consultation Center in Shiraz, Iran, between 2018 and 2019". HIV & AIDS Review. International Journal of HIV-Related Problems 21 (2): 169-174. doi:10.5114/hivar.2022.115761. Harvard Yazdanpanahi, Z., Akbarzadeh, M., Rastegari, Z., and Derakhshanpour, S. (2022). Genital warts and condom use in HIV-positive patients referred to High-Risk Behaviors Consultation Center in Shiraz, Iran, between 2018 and 2019. HIV & AIDS Review. International Journal of HIV-Related Problems, 21(2), pp.169-174. https://doi.org/10.5114/hivar.2022.115761 MLA Yazdanpanahi, Zahra et al. "Genital warts and condom use in HIV-positive patients referred to High-Risk Behaviors Consultation Center in Shiraz, Iran, between 2018 and 2019." HIV & AIDS Review. International Journal of HIV-Related Problems, vol. 21, no. 2, 2022, pp. 169-174. doi:10.5114/hivar.2022.115761. Vancouver Yazdanpanahi Z, Akbarzadeh M, Rastegari Z, Derakhshanpour S. Genital warts and condom use in HIV-positive patients referred to High-Risk Behaviors Consultation Center in Shiraz, Iran, between 2018 and 2019. HIV & AIDS Review. International Journal of HIV-Related Problems. 2022;21(2):169-174. doi:10.5114/hivar.2022.115761.

The Impact of Integrated Support and Context on Treatment Implementation and Child Outcomes Following Behavioral Consultation.

Assuring treatment plan implementation following consultation is critically important because implementation is strongly related to outcomes. Treatment implementation has been hypothesized to be influenced by both the nature of the follow-up support provided and contextual variables. However, studies to date have not examined both issues while directly measuring implementation. This study examined treatment implementation following consultation for 48 teachers in public schools who had referred a student for intervention services in a randomized clinical field trial. Participating teachers in the experimental group received Integrated Support (IS). IS includes social influence, planning, and performance feedback elements. IS was compared to weekly follow-up meetings alone. Treatment implementation and child outcomes were markedly superior for IS as compared to weekly follow-up. Three school climate factors were found to be correlated with treatment implementation for the IS group, but not the weekly follow-up group. Participants rated treatment implementation, treatment acceptability, and consultant effectiveness positively and similarly across conditions. The implications of these findings for future work examining school culture, consultation and intervention are discussed.

Factors associated with the reproductive health of women living with HIV in Iran.

BackgroundInsight on reproductive health status in women living with HIV is associated with improved psychological well-being, health behaviors, and physical wellness. The overall aim of this paper is to gain insight into the reproductive health of women living with HIV and related factors.MethodAn analytical cross-sectional study was carried on women living with HIV (N = 112) attending high-risk behavior consultation centers in Rasht and Tehran, Iran. The sampling of respondents was in the form of consecutive and available. The data gathering including questionnaires that were divided into three parts: sociodemographic and health characteristics, reproductive behaviors information, and reproductive health assessment tool for women living with HIV.ResultThe sub-dimension of responsible behavior received the highest total mean score (54.27 ± 22.18). The mean scores in the sub-dimension of coping with the diagnosis, life instability, disease disclosure, disease-related concerns, and support needs for self-care were 50.14, 49.23, 44.27, 40.08, 38.25, and 33.25 respectively.ConclusionThe results clearly showed that the reproductive health situation of women living with HIV needs particular attention. Strategic planning and context-specific interventions are needed to improve women’s access and utilization of reproductive health services.

Utilization of telemedicine to support caregivers of young children with ASD and their Part C service providers: a comparison of intervention outcomes across three models of service delivery

BackgroundFamilies of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently experience barriers to accessing evidence-based early intervention services. Telemedicine presents an opportunity to increase access to these services, particularly for families in rural and under-resourced areas. The present article describes a brief behavioral intervention and support model for families of young children with concerns for ASD. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this service model shifted to telemedicine-only service delivery, resulting in an opportunity to analyze intervention outcomes from services delivered either via traditional in-person visits, telemedicine-only sessions, or a hybrid model including both in-person and telemedicine sessions.MethodsData are presented for 115 families with toddlers 16-33 months of age who participated in a six-session behavioral intervention and support service model either in-person, through telemedicine, or through a hybrid service model. This intervention was available for families referred for ASD evaluation through the state Part C early intervention program. Intervention feasibility, fidelity of implementation, child outcomes, and stakeholder satisfaction are compared across service delivery models.ResultsCaregivers, behavioral consultants, and Part C early intervention providers reported satisfaction with services, regardless of service delivery model. Caregivers and consultants also reported positive child outcomes. Statistically significant differences emerged for caregiver- and consultant-reported child outcomes in some domains, with stakeholders in the telemedicine-only group reporting slightly less improvement, compared to stakeholders in the in-person-only group. Caregivers and consultants in the telemedicine-only group also provided qualitative feedback on benefits and challenges related to telemedicine services.ConclusionsBoth caregivers and behavioral consultants reported positive outcomes following a brief behavioral intervention and support model targeted at families of young children with concern for ASD. Stakeholders reported improvement in child behavior and satisfaction with services across in-person, telemedicine-only, and hybrid models of service delivery. These results suggest that telemedicine presents a promising opportunity for increasing service access. Additional research is needed to continue optimizing the experience of telemedicine-based service delivery for both families and intervention providers.

An Approach for School Counselors: Behavioral Consultation with Parents of Youth with School Attendance Problems

apply to students with school attendance problems (SAPs). A school counselor adopted the rapid school return approach in a school-based behavioral consultation with parents of a 13-year-old Japanese male student who refused to attend school. After the parents implemented the approach, the student resumed his regular school attendance, which continued until the end of junior high school. The A–B design in a single case study was employed as the research design. Throughout the implementation of the approach, the findings indicated that: (a) school counselors should conduct behavioral consultation sessions with parents periodically; (b) school counselors and parents should discuss who is responsible for the escorting process; (c) school staff and school counselors should collect attendance accurate data of students with SAPs daily until the end of the academic year; and (d) school counselors should view SAPs as a persistent problem for students, which can relapse at certain points during compulsory school. This current case study suggests that behavioral consultation with parents of youth with SAPs can be effective in dealing with students who refuse to attend school and are unwilling to seek specialists’ help.

School Psychologists as Preschool Consultants: Scaling up Classroom-Based Program-Wide Positive Behavior Supports

ABSTRACT Implementation of multi-tiered frameworks for supporting staff behavior in preschools requires collaboration with skilled professionals. Given their training and skillset, school psychologists are uniquely equipped to fill this role; however, limited existing research guides practitioners in maximizing their potential as systems-level consultants in preschools, specifically through the application of systems-level behavioral consultation (BC). This paper provides a detailed description of how two school psychologists applied systems-level BC to address the needs of one preschool, resulting in the implementation of a classroom coaching intervention. Coaching, which focused on staff’s use of Pyramid Model practices in the classroom, consisted of systematic observations and performance feedback across 10 classrooms. Three skills were targeted for improvement: Teaching Expectations, Praise, and Teaching Social Skills. A multiple baseline design showed increases in staff’s skill implementation, and consultees found systems-level BC acceptable. Implications for school psychologists’ role as consultants in preschools are discussed.

The Role of Target Behaviors in Enhancing the Efficacy of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation

Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) is an evidence-based, indirect service delivery model that addresses children’s behavioral concerns across home and school. However, to date, researchers have not yet examined specific aspects of the intervention that maximize the effects of CBC. The current study examined whether a foundational aspect of consultation—the framing of target behaviors (i.e., positive behaviors to increase versus negative behaviors to decrease)—moderated the effects of CBC on children’s problem and adaptive behaviors. Participants were 267 children in Kindergarten through third grade (nCBC = 159, nControl = 108) and their parents and teachers. Results revealed positively framed target behaviors were associated with fewer behavior concerns at school for children who received CBC relative to other child participants. Children who received CBC and whose target behaviors were framed negatively showed more noncompliant behavior relative to all other participants. Implications of these findings for practice, study limitations, and areas for future research are discussed. Impact Statement In the absence of effective intervention, students with behavioral challenges face a lifetime of difficulty. Ample research documents the efficacy of conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) for promoting prosocial behaviors and ameliorating school difficulties. This study demonstrates that the effects of CBC can be amplified by intentionally framing target behaviors in a positive (i.e., desirable behaviors to improve) versus negative (i.e., undesirable behaviors to decrease) manner, providing a simple but significant method for improving practice.

Mixed-Method Examination of Latinx Teachers' Perceptions of Daily Behavioral Report Card Interventions to Support Students with ADHD.

Daily behavioral report cards (DRC) are an efficacious intervention for children with ADHD, yet there is little information on Latinx teachers' perceptions about ADHD and preferences related to behavioral treatment. The purpose of the current study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of behavioral consultation with Latinx teachers and students, with a particular focus on the DRC. Participants (n = 23) included elementary school teachers (100% Hispanic/Latinx, 96% female) working with predominantly Hispanic/Latinx students. We leveraged a convergent, mixed-method design to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, as well as several potentially associated factors (i.e., perceptual, practical/logistical, individual, and cultural factors). Quantitative and qualitative measures and analyses were guided by the Consolidated Framework for Intervention Research. We found that Latinx teachers' Daily Report Card (DRC) completion rates (80%) were comparable to previous studies with predominantly non-Latinx white teachers and students. Quantitative indicators of acceptability were also similar to the prior literature. Few variables were associated with DRC completion rates, with the exception of teacher self-report of stress and satisfaction, which were both positively associated with completion rates. Qualitative findings expanded quantitative trends; thematic analyses revealed two overarching themes, that (1) teachers' attitudes toward behavioral interventions matter a great deal, and that (2) teachers' perceived behavioral control over DRC implementation depends a lot on the environment. Findings highlight the importance of stakeholders' perspectives, including teachers, in translating research to practice in real world settings.

An examination of the effectiveness of a school-based behavioral consultation workshop.

An examination of the effectiveness of a school-based behavioral consultation workshop.