American and Canadian Perceptions of the Acceptability of Conjoint Behavioural Consultation

Although the efficacy and acceptability of conjoint behaviour consultation (CBC) is well documented in the US, this method of intervention has not been widely studied in Canada. Thus, this study was designed to examine the perceptions of school psychologists and parents in Canada regarding the acceptability of CBC, as well as how consultant variables such as training and theoretical orientation impact upon these viewpoints. First, a survey was distributed to Canadian school psychologists and the results were compared to those of a previous study of American psychologists. Second, a similar questionnaire was completed by Canadian parents. Canadian psychologists rated CBC highly in regards to procedural acceptability and situational acceptability. Furthermore, CBC was rated as the preferred intervention for three common problem types: academic, behavioural and social-emotional. Direct service was rated as the second most-preferred method across problem types, followed by parent-only and teacher-only consultation. The perceptions of the Canadian psychologists were highly consistent with those of psychologists in the US. In both Canada and the US, the majority of respondents rated CBC as highly acceptable, and reported using a behavioural consultative framework. Parents likewise rated CBC as a highly acceptable intervention modality for their children. It is recommended that future research into the use of CBC in Canada, and in other countries, focus on clarifying the current practice of consultation and targeting areas for improvement, thus improving service delivery.