Training the Next Generation of School Psychologists to Deliver Evidence-Based Mental Health Practices: Current Challenges and Future Directions

Interactional quality in middle schools: Latent profiles and their associations with teacher, classroom, and school compositional factors

High quality teacher-student interactions are critical for the healthy social-emotional, behavioral, and academic development of middle school students. However, few studies have explored patterns of teacher-student interactions in middle school classrooms or the relation between teacher-, classroom-, and school-level factors and patterns of interaction. The current study employed latent profile analyses (LPA) to identify patterns of teacher-student interactional quality in a sample of 334 teachers from 41 schools serving middle school students within the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. Three distinct profiles of teacher-student interactional quality were identified that were characteristic of higher, lower, and intermediate quality and were differentially related to teacher, classroom, and school characteristics. Compared to classrooms with lower interactional quality, classrooms with "higher" or "intermediate" profiles were more likely to be taught by early career teachers, to have higher rates of observed student cooperation, and to be in schools in rural fringe areas. Classrooms with lower interactional quality were more likely to have larger student-to-teacher ratios and higher rates of student disruptive behaviors than classrooms with intermediate interactional quality and to be in schools with a higher percentage of out-of-school suspensions than classrooms with higher interactional quality. These findings suggest that interventions at the teacher, classroom, and school levels may promote positive teacher-student interactions, such as consultation to support teachers' effective classroom management, alternatives to out-of-school suspensions, and smaller student-to-teacher ratios.

The Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Instrument (School Version): Development and Initial Psychometrics of a New Interdisciplinary Scale

This article presents the psychometric properties of the evidence-based practice (EBP) instrument (School Version), a new interdisciplinary measure for understanding and measuring EBP use that can be understood and used across the three professions who provide the most mental health services in schools. The instrument was developed based on theory, review of the literature, expert review (N = 12), pilot study (N = 20), and national study (N = 303). While the measure may have applicability for other groups of mental health providers in other settings, this study focused on the perspectives of mental health providers in schools, specifically school psychologists, school counselors, and social workers. Initial psychometric examination resulted in a 13-item, one factor model and indicated preliminary evidence for strong validity and internal reliability. No significant difference in total score among groups of mental health professionals was found, suggesting similarities of comprehension and application of EBP regardless of professional discipline. This instrument is the only one of its kind and provides a helpful first step towards common language and common goals when conceptualizing what it means for mental health providers to use best practice. Implications for school professionals and future research are offered.

Researching the Effectiveness of Tree of Life: an Imbeleko Approach to Counseling Refugee Youth

With the growing worldwide refugee crisis, there is a need for evidence-based interventions that specifically deal with the consequences of cumulative trauma-exposure in refugee youth. Refugee children have unique service needs and differ from their non-refugee peers in terms of sociocultural trauma, language, culture, and educational barriers. This article explains the complexities associated with understanding refugee youth and presents a proposal for studying the possible benefits of Tree of Life therapy. At the present time, Tree of Life therapy has no evidence-base because the published studies of Tree of Life with refugee and/or immigrant youth have sample sizes of one, six, eight, and twenty-nine. As a culturally-grounded, strength-based group counseling approach, Tree of Life therapy addresses traumatic experiences, recognizes participants' cultural differences, highlights individual skills, and aids in instilling both confidence and hope for the future. Ncazelo Ncube, the co-founder and main developer of Tree of Life, describes this therapy as a collective narrative practice that considers cultural beliefs and values (2006, 2010, 2018, 2019). The proposed research design is to study the effectiveness of the Tree of Life in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. The research plan is to use pragmatic, group-randomized controlled trials in the "real world" settings of schools and agencies in each of the four countries. In addition, the article describes the development of the Roots and Wings Questionnaire for Children and Youth, a culturally relevant, child-friendly questionnaire. The Tree of Life is a readily available therapy with great potential for helping traumatized refugee youth as well as other trauma-impacted young people worldwide.

Schooling and Children's Mental Health: Realigning Resources to Reduce Disparities and Advance Public Health

Schools have long been the primary setting for children's mental health services but have neither the resources nor the expertise to manage these services independently. The critical importance of school success for children's adjustment provides a strong rationale for schooling as an essential component of children's mental health services. In this article, we review evidence for how schooling and mental health coalesce, suggesting an alignment of school and community mental health resources that prioritizes successful schooling as a key mental health outcome. We describe collaborative principles and ecological practices that advance a public health focus on children's mental health while also reducing the burden on schools to maintain mental health services. We close with a model of mental health services illustrating these principles and practices in high-poverty urban schools and propose future directions for research and practice to promote positive mental health for all children and youth.