School-based Counseling Research Articles

Study protocol for a pragmatic randomised multiple baseline trial evaluating Knowledge Insight Tools (KIT), a cognitive behavioural therapy-informed school-based counselling intervention for children and young people in UK secondary schools with low mood and anxiety.

There is a pressing need to offer more accessible, evidence-based psychological interventions to secondary school students who are increasingly reporting difficulties with anxiety and low mood. The aim of this pragmatic randomised multiple baseline trial is to evaluate the efficacy of a school-based counselling intervention called Knowledge Insight Tools (KIT) for reducing anxiety and low mood in UK secondary school students. KIT is a flexible intervention delivered individually and informed by cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). We will use a randomised multiple baseline design whereby young people will be randomly allocated to a baseline wait period of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 weekly measurements, followed by receiving up to 10 weekly sessions of KIT delivered by trained, school-based practitioners. We aim to recruit 60 young people aged 11-18 who are primarily experiencing problems with low mood and/or anxiety from secondary schools across England and Scotland. We will assess child-reported anxiety, mood, and general psychological distress/coping with the Young Person's Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (YP-CORE), recorded at each session during the baseline and intervention phases. We will also assess child-reported anxiety and low mood with the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) at the beginning and end of treatment; practitioner-reported treatment fidelity with the KIT Fidelity Checklist; and practitioner-reported feasibility with an end-of-treatment Implementation Survey. We will analyse within-person and between-person change in YP-CORE scores across the baseline and intervention phases using visual analysis and piecewise multilevel growth curve models. We will also analyse pre-post changes in YP-CORE scores using randomisation tests, and reliable and clinically significant change using the RCADS scores. The KIT trial is a pragmatic, randomised multiple baseline trial aimed at evaluating a school-based, individual CBTcounselling intervention for reducing anxiety and low mood in UK secondary school students. Results will directly inform the provision of KIT in school-based counselling services, as well as the growing evidence-base for school-based CBT interventions. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06188962. Retrospectively registered on 02/01/24.

Understanding school-based counselling services in complex systems: Developing a whole system approach

Understanding school-based counselling services in complex systems: Developing a whole system approach

The Prevalence of Complicated Grief Among Children Who Have Lost Loved Ones in Selected Public Primary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

The inability of children to comprehend and process death due to factors like chronological age, attachment of the child to the deceased, nature of death, and family support, might lead to delayed or prolonged grief and consequently complicated grief (CG). Complicated grief in a child’s life can affect his/her social and cognitive functioning manifesting in antisocial behaviours. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of complicated grief among children who had lost loved ones in selected public primary schools in Nairobi County. This study was guided by Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory. Multistage sampling, purposive sampling, inclusion, and exclusion criteria were used to select 259 pupils aged 10-13 years who had lost a loved one in the last year. Purposive sampling was also used to select 22 class teachers of the bereaved pupils who participated in the study. The study employed a convergent mixed-method design. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires (SDQ, ICG, and STAB) and interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS Version 25.0. The findings indicated that the prevalence of complicated grief was 26.1%. The study concluded that complicated grief was prevalent among children who had lost a loved one. Therefore, the study recommends that the Ministry of Education introduce a school-based counseling program incorporating grief intervention techniques in public primary schools. During grief, a child’s world changes unexpectedly from conversant, predictable, and safe, to chaotic and dreadful. Parents and caregivers are also implored to brace up and talk about death to children, and involve them during funeral preparations.

A Rites of Passage Counseling Group: Black Panther as a Metaphor of Strength and Resiliency for Young Black Males

Comic book characters (CBCs) provide an escapism from reality while still confronting real issues. However, for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) there is a lack of characters that look, talk, and think like them. Black Panther is an example of a character more inclusive of BIPOC populations, especially Black males. What differentiates Black Panther is the CBC can be a metaphor for issues Black males face, such as racism/discrimination. The superhero has several positive attributes, such as a strong sense of self, dignity, and strength/resiliency. Furthermore, one of the more appealing cultural aspects of Black Panther is he must undergo several rites of passages to claim his inheritance. Rites of passages are gaining recognition as a culturally responsive group method to use with Black males in school settings. Thus, a rites of passages counseling group centered on the attributes of Black Panther can offer a contemporary, school-based counseling intervention.

Guidance and Counseling in Colleges and Universities in Taiwan: Challenges and Perspectives

<p>本文旨在探討臺灣大專校院諮商輔導工作歷經超過60年之發展，輔導工作現況、挑戰與展望。本文採文獻分析法與文件分析，以學生輔導法為依歸，依三級輔導機制、輔導組織定位與資源人力配置，以及績效評估與自我改善機制等三面向探討，並提出如下展望：(1)大專校院諮輔單位之專業形象與組織定位、角色功能宜再定義與明確化；(2)建立校園生態系統合作模式，型塑正向輔導氛圍，共同推動三級輔導工作；(3)建立資料庫或大數據平台，以利掌握現況資訊及趨勢脈動。(4)在績效展現部分，宜結合校務研究建立證據導向與持續改善機制之校本輔導工作特色與品保系統；(5)發展嚴謹、具公信力之諮商輔導認證機制。(6)同時為因應與日俱增之輔導工作需求與挑戰負荷,宜提升區域平台之功能，確保輔導工作品質與效能；(7)網路及後疫情時代宜善用科技，使諮商輔導工作與時俱進。</p> <p> </p><p>This study aimed to explore the development, implications, challenges, and prospects of counseling work at Taiwan’s colleges and universities for more than 60 years. This study employed the literature analysis and document analysis methods to explore the current situation and challenges from three aspects of counseling, namely organizational position and manpower allocation, three levels of guidance and counseling and transition mechanism, and performance evaluation and self-improvement mechanism. It anticipated the following prospects: redefine and clarify the professional image and organizational position and role and function of guidance and counseling units in colleges and universities. Additionally, according to the comprehensive professional definition and by integrating the division of work, a campus ecological system based on a cooperation model should be established, fostering a positive counseling image and collectively promoting the three levels of guidance and counseling. It is recommended that government or academic organizations establish a database or big data platform to acquire current information and trends to expand and improve guidance and counseling work. Regarding performance, it is advisable to incorporate institutional research to establish an evidence-oriented and continuous improvement mechanism for school-based counseling characteristics and quality assurance systems and develop an authentic and rigorous guidance and counseling credential-awarded mechanism. Guidance and counseling professional associations should promote effectiveness evaluation, performance presentation, and counseling work quality assurance system of each school, broadening the implications and scope of colleges and universities’ counseling. Simultaneously, to cope with the ever-increasing needs and challenges of counseling, it is advisable to enhance the functions of the regional platform to ensure the quality and effectiveness of counseling work. Guidance and counseling in the post-epidemic era should be integrated with emerging technologies to develop technological consultation work that can align with current trends.</p> <p> </p>

Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling and pastoral care as usual: analysis of qualitative data from the experience of service questionnaire

ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study was to explore and compare helpful and unhelpful factors reported by young people who received either schoolbased humanistic counselling and the school’s usual pastoral care (SBHC + PCAU) or pastoral care alone (PCAU) as part of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of school-based counselling. Participants (N = 305) were 13–16 years of age and had answered one or more of the three free-text questions in the Experience of Service Questionnaire (ESQ). A thematic analysis was conducted to identify helpful and unhelpful factors, and a quantitative comparative analysis was subsequently used to assess differences between the SBHC+PCAU and PCAU groups. The identified helpful and unhelpful factors were consistent with previous research on school-based counselling, which indicated that having an opportunity to talk and be listened to by a supportive adult, who can offer appropriate guidance, is helpful for young people. Significant differences were found between the SBHC+PCAU and PCAU groups regarding three helpful themes (having a positive experience, having an opportunity to talk, and being offered guidance) and one unhelpful theme (the adult wasn’t directive enough). The identified helpful and unhelpful factors were not particularly unique to school-based counselling; rather, they represented a more general statement of what young people believed to be helpful and unhelpful in their interactions with adults.

Implementing the DSM-5 parent/guardian-rated level 1 cross-cutting symptom measure child 6-17 in a community mental health clinic.

Despite their relevance to assessment and clinical decision-making in behavioral health, measurement tools are still rarely used in clinical settings. With an increase in undiagnosed and untreated mental health problems in children and adolescents, a southeastern US Community Health System was the ideal setting for the implementation of a behavioral health assessment tool. This quality improvement project was conducted to address the question: "Among mental health clinicians at the Community Health System, will the use of the DSM-5 parent/guardian-rated level 1 cross-cutting symptom measure 6-17 (CCSM) improve diagnosis and treatment choices of children with mental health conditions, over a 4-week period?" A convenience sample was recruited from among behavioral health counselors working at various out-patient clinics and school-based counseling sites in the Community Health System. After nurse-led training on use of the CCSM, including a PowerPoint intervention and individual coaching sessions, the five clinical participants were encouraged to use the CCSM screening tool on their patients presenting for mental health assessment. Knowledge of the tool was assessed using a pre- and post-training survey. Completed screening tools were collected from participants over the 4-week duration of the project. A chart audit comparing the project period with the previous year showed an increase in diagnosis and treatment in 6-17 year-old patients at the outpatient clinic. This project demonstrated the usefulness of the CCSM for behavioral health assessment in the child/adolescent population at the Community Health System and supported use of the intervention in other clinics.

School-Based Counselling Practices and Learning Behaviors of Pupils with Learning Difficulties: A Case of Centre Scolaire George Defour

This study focuses on counselling practices for learners with learning difficulties in Centre Scolaire George Defour. The specific objectives were to establish the ways of identifying learners with learning difficulties at CSGD, to find out the behavioural factors influencing learning difficulties among learners and to assess the impact of school based counselling practices to pupils with learning difficulties. A descriptive survey design was used. The study targeted a total of 180 parents of pupils with learning difficulties, 16 teacher-counsellors and 4 administration members were simply randomly and purposively selected respectively. Data were collected by use of questionnaires and document review for teachers, students and school administrators. Data were analysed using SPSS. The coefficient of multiple regression R was 0.177 and its percentage square was 3.1% implying that there was a positive but very weak relationship between school counselling and pupils’ behaviours and learning difficulties. The findings revealed that Poor class performance was one of the ways of identifying learners with learning difficulties at the extend of 40%, one of forms of misbehaviour is rudeness to teachers which formed 70%. From the respondents most of misbehaviours issues originate from family background (51.5%), counselling practices used to address learning difficulties were peer learning and reward system to encourage hard work on about 30%, talk therapy takes 26%, modelling to foster good behaviour is 8.5% and individual counselling is the last one with 5.%. All respondents (100%) strongly agree that counselling practices help to develop a very free and friendly environment and it improves pupils learning habits and increases performance (100%). This study recommends that counsellors, teachers, head teachers and parents should be in alliance as stakeholders to solve problems of students with learning difficulties.

Welcome to our world: Lessons that the mental health community can learn from sex education advocates.

School-based instruction and services can effectively support both reproductive and mental health for youth, complementing family and community efforts. Though favored by a large majority of families, school-based sex education can engender controversy, and recently, mental health advocates have begun to face similar challenges around topics such as social-emotional learning and school-based counseling services. This article provides an overview of the emerging trend of opposition to school-based mental health instruction and services, which shares many similarities with opposition to sexual health instruction. In light of these trends, cross-sectoral partnerships in support of health education become all the more crucial. Additionally, the mental health community can benefit from lessons learned by sex education advocates.

The prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among tertiary level students in Bangladesh: A survey in Rajshahi district

• A remarkable number of adoloscents have been suffering from depression in Rajshahi district. • Urban adoloscnets are more likely to get depression than rural adoloscnets. • Family size is a promising care for mental health of adolescents. • Mother's education can also play a vital role for mental health of adoloscents. • Students having migraine problem have higher odds of getting depression. Depression is a common problem around the world that increases the risk of unhealthy lifestyle behavior. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of depressive symptoms among tertiary level (college) students in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. A cross sectional study was conducted among 400 college students in Rajshahi district. Samples were collected using two-stage random sampling. Nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to measure depressive symptoms of tertiary level students. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its associated factors. A value of p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant in the analysis. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among tertiary level students was 30.7%, with a greater proportion in urban (40.70%) than rural (21.40%) areas of Rajshahi district. A binary logistic regression model established five main factors of depressive symptoms among tertiary level students in Bangladesh: (1) family members ≤4 (AOR= 2.27; CI: 1.21-4.26, p<0.05); (ii) BMI status [underweight (AOR= 1.70; CI: 1.05-2.74, p<0.05) and overweight (AOR= 5.91; CI: 2.42-14.43, p<0.10)]; (iii) migraine (AOR: 3.35; CI: 1.75-6.43, p<0.05); (iv) existence of chronic disease (AOR= 1.96; CI, 1.04-3.70, p<0.05); and (v) illiterate mothers (AOR= 2.38; CI, 1.16-4.86, p<0.05). About one-third of the tertiary level students were suffering from depressive symptoms in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. Some prevention programs like school-based counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal approaches, and family-based prevention strategies should be taken for preventing depressive symptoms of adolescent students; our findings would help for this purpose.

‘It’s whether or not you got people’: school-based social support to address adolescent sexual and reproductive health inequities

ABSTRACT Efforts to address adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) inequities often aim to improve school-based sexuality education and reduce individual risk behaviours. Structural determinants are more rarely the focus of interventions. The youth service providers who formed the community advisory board for this community-based participatory research project identified school-based opportunities to improve ASRH by mitigating the impact of social determinants and structural violence on adolescent health. Semi-structured interviews with board members revealed four areas of potential social support intervention that could mitigate these structural determinants, including mentorship, especially for young people who lack supportive relationships at home; small adult-facilitated groups and clubs at school; staffing and training to meet the needs of historically marginalised students; and school-based counselling. These findings indicate the need for school-based programmes that transcend conventional and short-term didactic forms of sexuality education, to foster social support and address interconnected structural factors affecting ASRH.

Depression, anxiety and stress among high school students: A cross-sectional study in an urban municipality of Kathmandu, Nepal.

Depression and anxiety are the most widely recognized mental issues affecting youths. It is extremely important to investigate the burden and associated risk factors of these common mental disorders to combat them. Therefore, this study was undertaken with the aim to estimate the prevalence and identify factors associated with depression, anxiety, and stress among high school students in an urban municipality of Kathmandu, Nepal. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 453 students of five randomly selected high schools in Tokha Municipality of Kathmandu. Previously validated Nepali version of depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) was used to assess the level of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress (DAS). Multivariable logistic regression was carried out to decide statistically significant variables of symptoms of DAS at p-value<0.05. The overall prevalence of DAS was found to be 56.5% (95% CI: 51.8%, 61.1%), 55.6% (95%CI: 50.9%, 60.2%) and 32.9% (95%CI: 28.6%, 37.4%) respectively. In the multivariable model, nuclear family type, students from science or humanities faculty, presence of perceived academic stress, and being electronically bullied were found to be significantly associated with depression. Female sex, having mother with no formal education, students from science or humanities faculty and presence of perceived academic stress were significantly associated with anxiety. Likewise, female sex, currently living without parents, and presence of perceived academic stress were significantly associated with stress. Prevention and control activities such as school-based counseling services focusing to reduce and manage academic stress and electronic bullying are recommended in considering the findings of this research.

From a child who IS a problem to a child who HAS a problem: fixed period school exclusions and mental health outcomes from routine outcome monitoring among children and young people attending school counselling.

Exclusion from school is a disciplinary tool with an increasingly recognised relationship to poor mental health among children and young people. We explored the relationship between mental health and school exclusion for a cohort of children and young people receiving one to one counselling. We analysed routinely collected data from a diverse UK sample of children and young people aged between four and 16 years old and receiving school-based counselling (n = 6712 students from 308 primary and 61 secondary schools). Fixed period school exclusion rates (number of sessions) were compared between the academic year before and the academic year in which the child attended counselling. Mental health (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) was compared at baseline and at the end of the intervention (after between 16-22 counselling sessions depending on the phase of education). Despite more complex and severe initial difficulties, and facing greater adversity, children and young people who experienced school exclusion prior to counselling demonstrated a significant reduction in subsequent sessions of school exclusion in the academic year that the counselling took place (from two full school weeks to half a school week). Moreover, over 74% of the students had fewer reported exclusions and more than half (56.14%) did not have any further subsequent exclusions. They also had better mental health measured by the teacher reported SDQ (pre-intervention M = 18.94, SD = 6.83 vs. postintervention M = 15.67, SD = 7.56, t(310) = 8.23, p < .001) or by the parents (pre-intervention M = 18.09, SD = 6.42 vs. postintervention M = 14.0, SD = 6.99, t(171) = 7.71, p < .001). School-based mental health interventions may positively influence educational engagement as well as mental health. Providers should, therefore, monitor both to explore the impact of their interventions. The identification of poor mental health may alter staff perceptions and management of challenging pupils, which future studies should explore.

Factors influencing the spread of cyberbullying among adolescents in private schools: Kuwait

Cyberbullying has risen at an extraordinary speed in the educational sector in recent years. There is a shortage of published research in various social-cultural settings in developing countries, with the majority of the literature coming from developed and/or western countries. In this context, this study aims to determine the prevalence of cyberbullying and investigate factors associated with cyberbullying in Kuwaiti private high schools, such as age, parental role, school role, educational level, and educational performance factors. The study was carried out on a sample of 700 students aged 14 to 18 and the results indicate that cyberbullying is common in Kuwaiti private schools and is age-related. Several students, however, indicated that cyberbullying had no impact on academic success. Furthermore, the study found that cyberbullying has a detrimental effect on cyberbullying victims' psychological well-being. Furthermore, positively engaged and considerate parents and schools contribute to the reduction of cyberbullying. According to the study's results, school-based counselling centres are required to deal with cyberbullying situations. Anti-bullying activities should be developed and implemented in these facilities. They should also raise students' awareness of prevention and coping strategies.

“You Kind of Find Yourself Helpless”: Teens’ Identity Constructions and Responses to Childhood Trauma

Innovations in the trauma-informed care (TIC) field have promised to transform youth-serving institutions by asking practitioners to pay attention to the developmental needs of young people facing maltreatment. Despite notable TIC innovations, our knowledge about childhood trauma tends to be adult-centric, presenting youth as passive recipients of (rather than active agents responding to) harm. How 27 high school students made sense of childhood trauma emerged during an 11-year ethnographic study of students in a school-based counseling program in Oahu, Hawai‘i. To overcome hardships, the teens constructed what they believed to be strong, resilient, and respectable identities, although teens’ identity performances differed. Adolescents’ narratives highlight sociological understandings of trauma survival whereby youth creatively negotiated their sense of self and drew from ideologies embedded in larger institutional contexts.

Re-Envisioning School-Based Counseling: Sports-Based Group Therapy for Elementary School Students Exposed to Trauma

Mixed-methods were used to investigate treatment outcomes for youth enrolled in an innovative sports-based group therapy intervention. Chart review was conducted for 65 youth, aged 5 to 13 years over one academic year at an elementary school serving high-needs youth in an urban district. Analysis revealed symptom reduction for 72% of participants. For a subset of students ( n = 34) with available Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Assessments, the average number of adverse experiences was 2.74 ( SD: 2.11). Qualitative coding of progress notes and discharge summaries was used to assess symptom presentation and treatment outcomes. This sports-based group therapy intervention promotes access to services while minimizing stigma.

Longer-term effects of school-based counselling in UK primary schools.

Children’s mental health is deteriorating while access to child and adolescent mental health services is decreasing. Recent UK policy has focused on schools as a setting for the provision of mental health services, and counselling is the most common type of school-based mental health provision. This study examined the longer-term effectiveness of one-to-one school-based counselling delivered to children in UK primary schools. Data were drawn from a sample of children who received school-based counselling in the UK in the 2015/16 academic year, delivered by a national charitable organisation. Mental health was assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and approximately 1 year post-intervention, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) completed by teachers and parents. Paired t tests compared post-intervention and follow-up SDQ total difficulties scores with baseline values. Propensity score matching was then used to identify a comparator group of children from a national population survey, and linear mixed effects models compared trajectories of SDQ scores in the two groups. In the intervention group, teacher and parent SDQ total difficulties scores were lower at post-intervention and longer-term follow-up compared to baseline (teacher: baseline 14.42 (SD 7.18); post-intervention 11.09 (6.93), t(739) = 13.78, p < 0.001; follow-up 11.27 (7.27), t(739) = 11.92, p < 0.001; parent: baseline 15.64 (6.49); post-intervention 11.90 (6.78), t(361 = 11.29, p < 0.001); follow-up 11.32 (7.19), t(361) = 11.29, p < 0.001). The reduction in SDQ scores was greater in the intervention compared to the comparator group (likelihood ratio test comparing models with time only versus time plus group-by-time interaction: χ2 (3) = 24.09, p < 0.001), and model-predicted SDQ scores were lower in the intervention than comparator group for 2 years post-baseline. A one-to-one counselling intervention delivered to children in UK primary schools predicted improvements in mental health that were maintained over a 2 year follow-up period.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00787-021-01802-w.

Humanistic Counseling with Latinx Youth from Low-income Communities

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the influence of a humanistic school-based mental health counseling intervention (HSBMHCI) on Latinx students’ (N = 18) behavioral and emotional problems at three Title I elementary schools. Upon completion of the 10-week HSBMHCI, the study employed a single-group, pretest-posttest design to examine change in the participants’ scores for internalizing and externalizing behaviors per both parent and teacher reports. Results identified that based on Child Behavior Checklist parent reports, the participants’ internalizing (ƞ2 = .497), externalizing (ƞ2 = .401), and total problem (ƞ2 = .575) scores exhibited significant improvement over time. However, teacher reports identified no change in the participants’ problem scores. In addition, no correlation was identified between parent and teacher report scores at posttest.

Do teaching staff in primary schools perceive any impacts of school-based counselling on school engagement?

ABSTRACT Teaching assistants and teachers (N = 186) in Cambridgeshire primary schools in the UK were invited to participate in a survey to explore the perceived impact of school-based counselling (SBC) on pupils’ cognitive, social, and emotional engagement. Participants were also asked which of these factors they believed were most important to a child’s educational progress. T-tests and one-way ANOVAs were conducted to explore the findings. Perceived effects of SBC were greatest on pupils’ social engagement (M = 18.05, SD = 4.17), followed by emotional engagement (M = 16.71, SD = 5.24) and cognitive engagement (M = 15.08, SD = 3.96). Emotional engagement was reported as the most important factor in a child’s educational progress χ 2 (2, n = 169) = 77.834, p < .0001.

Improving well-being and behavior in adolescents utilizing a school-based positive psychology intervention

ABSTRACT This study is a multi-component Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI) with the goal of improving daily happiness and classroom behavior in a sample at-risk high-school students. PPIs have increasingly been used in school settings to enhance student well-being, student success, and to increase positive affect. The current study utilized a multiple baseline design, across five adolescents, to examine whether a manualized PPI implemented in individual school-based counseling sessions with at-risk high-school students, would lead to increased happiness, improved classroom behavior, and life satisfaction, measured through a Daily Happiness survey, the Direct Behavior Rating (DBR), General Happiness Scale, Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale, and the Student Life Satisfaction Scale. Results demonstrated high variability in the data and an overall null effect of the intervention on the two dependent variables of daily happiness and classroom behavior. Limitations included individual impacts of outside factors on student reports and behavior. Due to the small scale of the study and lack of observed intervention effects, more research is needed to draw conclusions about the application of the intervention. However, social validity data revealed that school-based mental health professionals may still consider this intervention to teach students strategies to improve life satisfaction.