Garry Squires

Using Cognitive Behavioural Psychology with Groups of Pupils to Improve Self-Control of Behaviour

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, derived from the work of Beck and Emery (Beck et al., 1979, 1990; Beck, 1985; Emery, 1985) has proved useful within a clinical context. In this paper, the author will report on a six-session project based on CBT and conducted within a mainstream setting that led to measured improvement in teacher ratings of behaviour and pupil ratings of self-control. Anecdotal evidence suggests that improvements were made in peer relationships and self-concept, and that all changes seem to be long lasting and to extend beyond the classroom to other aspects of the childs functioning.

Achievement for all: improving psychosocial outcomes for students with special educational needs and disabilities

Students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are at a greatly increased risk of experiencing poor psychosocial outcomes. Developing effective interventions that address the cause of these outcomes has therefore become a major policy priority in recent years. We report on a national evaluation of the Achievement for All (AfA) programme that was designed to improve outcomes for students with SEND through: (1) academic assessment, tracking and intervention, (2) structured conversations with parents, and (3) developing provision to improve wider outcomes (e.g. positive relationships). Using a quasi-experimental, pre-test-post-test control group design, we assessed the impact of AfA on teacher ratings of the behaviour problems, positive relationships and bullying of students with SEND over an 18-month period. Participants were 4758 students with SEND drawn from 323 schools across England. Our main impact analysis demonstrated that AfA had a significant impact on all three response variables when compared to usual practice. Hierarchical linear modelling of data from the intervention group highlighted a range of school-level contextual factors and implementation activities and student-level individual differences that moderated the impact of AfA on our study outcomes. The implications of our findings are discussed, and study strengths and limitations are noted.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapies and their implications for applied educational psychology practice

This paper critically considers the growing interest in the use of Cognitive Behaviour Therapies to support children and young people presenting with a wide range of social‐emotional difficulties. This focus has emerged since the prevalence of such difficulties in children and young people has increased over the past four decades, and the application of such approaches is no longer seen as being the sole preserve of specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), counsellors or therapists. To develop a critical understanding of the principles and core components of Cognitive Behaviour Therapies, two prominent approaches are reviewed. These are Ellis’s Rational‐Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), and Beck’s Cognitive Therapy (CT). The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the ways in which Educational Pychologists can directly and/or indirectly support the delivery of Cognitive Behaviour Therapies in their work.

Educational Psychologists' contribution to the Every Child Matters agenda: the parents' view

In the DfES review of the role and contribution of educational psychologists (2006) the views of a range of different stakeholders were surveyed about the work that EPs do. As part of this process, questionnaires were devised and sent out to 300 parents, 30 from 10 local authorities (LA), distributed by the principal educational psychologist in each LA. Thirty per cent of parents completed the questionnaires and their responses indicated that they valued highly the contribution made by EPs to the outcomes for their child. Their responses also illustrate the broad range of work in which EPs are involved and the multiprofessional nature of support that is available. In this paper, the main findings from the survey are discussed and consideration is given to their implications for the future development of EP services.

The role of school and individual differences in the academic attainment of learners with special educational needs and disabilities: a multi-level analysis

Students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are at a greatly increased risk of poor academic outcomes. Understanding the factors that influence their attainment is a crucial first step towards developing more effective provision. In the current study we present a multi-level, natural variation analysis which highlights important determinants at school and individual levels in two core academic subjects (English and Maths) using a nationally representative sample of over 15,000 students with SEND attending more than 400 schools across England. We found that at the school level, inclusivity, attainment, free school meal (FSM) eligibility, behaviour (in primary schools) and linguistic diversity (secondary schools), and at the student level, age, sex, FSM eligibility, SEND provision, SEND primary need, attendance, behaviour and positive relationships each contributed to the distribution of academic attainment. Implications of these findings are discussed and study limitations are noted.

Facilitators and barriers to the provision of therapeutic interventions by school psychologists

There is growing concern internationally about the prevalence of mental health problems among school-aged children and their access to specialist services. School psychologists (SPs) may be one group of professionals well-positioned to support the well-being of children and young people, due to their position as applied psychologists working within educational settings and their capability to deliver therapeutic interventions. This research considers findings from a large scale, United Kingdom (UK)-wide survey of the views of SPs (N = 455) about facilitators and barriers to the provision of therapeutic interventions to children and young people. Principal Components Analyses of ranked questionnaire responses yielded three components: The role of the SP; training and practice; and support and psychology service context. Quantitative findings were then triangulated, using qualitative responses from the survey. Greater direction and clarification of the role of the SP as a provider of therapeutic interventions is recommended, particularly given the diverse roles undertaken by SPs and competing demands, particularly from assessment activities.

Embedding Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training in practice: facilitators and barriers for trainee educational psychologists (TEPs)

At the national level there has been a call for more therapeutic interventions and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has been identified as one approach that can be used. The training of educational psychologists (EPs) has been extended to three years and this provides an opportunity to increase the depth of knowledge of particular therapeutic models and their use in educational settings. This paper reports developments within two UK educational psychology initial professional training programmes, involving the design of units with a specific emphasis on the development of CBT competencies with children and young people. It details an evaluation of trainee educational psychologists’ (TEPs’) experiences of undertaking CBT case‐work during their placements within educational psychology services. Focus groups were run on each programme using a common script, transcribed and then responses coded using ATLAS.ti. This led to the development of a conceptual framework that gives an understanding of the main barriers and facilitators to implementing CBT interventions within schools. There are implications for educational psychology services, trainers and service users as well as the TEPs themselves.

Countering the argument that educational psychologists need specific training to use cognitive behavioural therapy

Large numbers of adults and children have emotional difficulties that are severe enough to be classified as mental health problems. This places a current and future economic drain on society and prevents individuals from leading fulfilling lives and has led to a call for more therapists to work with those affected. However, there are insufficient professionals working in mental health services to meet demand. This paper will explore the case for educational psychologists (EPs) engaging in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in their role as applied psychologists. This discussion paper adds to the debate about the level of training needed to be deemed competent to deliver individual CBT. For example, would EPs have ‘appropriate levels of training’ suggested by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the treatment of depression? Six arguments are presented discussing some of the issues of professional competence leading to the conclusion that EPs are well placed to deliver a cognitive behavioural psychology service to schools, pupils and families.

Effective delivery of therapeutic interventions: findings from four site visits

This project follows a survey into the role of UK educational psychologists (EPs) in delivering therapeutic interventions to children and young people. Four educational psychology services (EPSs) that identified themselves as providing effective therapeutic practice were selected on the basis of their qualitative responses to the survey. Site visits included analysis of service documentation, an interview with the Principal Educational Psychologist (PEP) and focus groups with EPs and with stakeholders, multi-agency partners and commissioners of EPSs. Thematic analysis yielded a number of key themes. Those relating to how the service context can support the delivery of therapeutic interventions included: contracting and promoting; leadership; opportunities to practice; supervision; time and resources; and training.

A cluster randomized controlled trial of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the efficacy of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies curriculum (PATHS; Kusche & Greenberg, 1994) as a means to improve childrens social–emotional competence (assessed via the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS); Gresham & Elliot, 2008) and mental health outcomes (assessed via the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ); Goodman, 1997). Forty-five schools in Greater Manchester, England, were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Allocation was balanced by proportions of children eligible for free school meals and speaking English as an additional language via minimization. Children (N = 4516) aged 7–9 years at baseline in the participating schools were the target cohort. During the two-year trial period, teachers of this cohort in schools allocated to the intervention group delivered the PATHS curriculum, while their counterparts in the control group continued their usual provision. Teachers in PATHS schools received initial training and on-going support and assistance from trained coaches. Hierarchical linear modeling of outcome data was undertaken to identify both primary (e.g., for all children) and secondary (e.g., for children classified as “at-risk”) intervention effects. A primary effect of the PATHS curriculum was found, demonstrating increases in teacher ratings of changes in childrens social–emotional competence. Additionally, secondary effects of PATHS were identified, showing reductions in teacher ratings of emotional symptoms and increases in pro-social behavior and child ratings of engagement among children identified as at-risk at baseline. However, our analyses also identified primary effects favoring the usual provision group, showing reductions in teacher ratings of peer problems and emotional symptoms, and secondary effects demonstrating reductions in teacher ratings of conduct problems and child ratings of co-operation among at-risk children. Effect sizes were small in all cases. These mixed findings suggest that social and emotional learning interventions such as PATHS may not be as efficacious when implemented outside their country of origin and evaluated in independent trials.