Jennifer D. Burt

Conjoint Behavioral Consultation in Practice: Working with Diverse Families

important child-related goals by establishing and strengthening partnerships among primary systems that support development. Given its joint foci on content (the tangible implementation of evidence-based interventions for socially valid targets) and process (the intangible mechanisms used in practice to achieve optimal outcomes), no two consultation interactions or relationships are identical. Rather, within the structure of the CBC model, delivery of services can be responsive to individual needs, circumstances, and priorities. The flexibility to adapt to situations that are inherently idiosyncratic is particularly important when working with families and children from diverse backgrounds and cultures, which is the focus of this chapter. American educators are faced with challenges to meet the unique needs of increasingly diverse classrooms. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education reported that 60.3% of students were White, non-Hispanic; 17.2% Black, non-Hispanic; 17.1% Hispanic; 4.2% Asian/Pacific Islander; and 1.2% American Indian/Alaska Native. In addition, the number of children in immigrant families has grown rapidly in nearly every state across the country. According to the 2000 Census, one of every five children in the U.S. is an immigrant or a child of immigrant parents (Hernandez, 2004). Educators and mental health service providers are challenged more than ever before to be knowledgeable and responsive to the diverse needs of their students while remaining sensitive to individual needs. CBC has the potential for practitioners to implement culturally sensitive services in which important individual differences are recognized, including family strengths and individual needs (Marti, Bevins, & Sheridan, 2005; Marti, Burt, Sheridan, Clarke, & Rohlk, 2004; Sheridan, 2000; Sheridan, Eagle, & Doll, 2006). As described in Chapter 3, CBC embodies a complementary relationship between families and educators that facilitates communication, fosters trust and mutual awareness, and allows the strengths of the diverse families to be utilized effectively in plan development. These and other elements inherent within CBC are consistent with those suggested for culturally relevant services. 4 Conjoint Behavioral Consultation in Practice: Working with Diverse Families