Group Interventions in Schools: A Guide for Practitioners

by Jennifer P. Keperling MA, LCPC, Wendy M. Reinke PhD, Dana Marchese PhD, Nicholas Ialongo PhD

Overview

Numerous group interventions have been shown to be effective for helping K-8 students who are struggling with—or at risk for—a wide range of mental health and behavior problems. This unique book gives school practitioners indispensable tools for making any evidence-based group intervention more successful. It addresses the real-world implementation challenges that many manuals overlook, such as how to engage children and parents and sustain their participation, manage behavior in groups, and troubleshoot crisis situations. In a convenient large-size format, the book includes case examples, reflection questions, role-play scenarios, and 31 reproducible forms and handouts; the print book has a large-size format for easy photocopying. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.

This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by Sandra M. Chafouleas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462529452
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	03/09/2017
Series:	The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series
Edition description:	Lay-Flat Paperback
Pages:	196
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 10.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jennifer P. Keperling, MA, LCPC, is a Faculty Member and Research Associate in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has extensive experience implementing evidence-based group interventions in school settings with students and families and coaching teachers in implementing evidence-based techniques in classrooms. She also coordinates schoolwide initiatives aimed at reducing risks for mental health disorders in Baltimore City Public Schools.

Wendy M. Reinke, PhD, is Associate Professor in School Psychology at the University of Missouri and Co-Director of the Missouri Prevention Center. She developed the Classroom Check-Up, an assessment-based, classwide teacher consultation model. Her research focuses on preventing disruptive behavior problems in children and increasing school-based implementation of evidence-based practices. She is Associate Editor of School Psychology Quarterly and serves on the editorial boards of several other scholarly journals. Dr. Reinke presents nationally, has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, and has coauthored five books on teacher consultation and effective practices in schools.

Dana Marchese, PhD, is a Research Associate in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Marchese coordinates and implements evidence-based interventions with children and families in Baltimore City Public Schools. She has extensive experience coaching and consulting with teachers to increase implementation of evidence-based practices in the classroom.

Nicholas Ialongo, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he is also Director of the Center for Prevention and Early Intervention. Dr. Ialongo has a particular interest in adolescent mental health promotion and is the author of numerous publications in this area.

Table of Contents

1. Facilitating Successful Child and Parent Groups
2. Locating Evidence-Based Group Interventions
3. Recruiting for Child and Parent Groups
4. Planning, Organizing, and Establishing the Group
5. Managing Behaviors in Child Groups
6. Managing Behaviors in Parent Groups
7. Engaging Group Members 
8. Abuse, Neglect, Crisis Situations, and Suicidal Ideation
9. Data-Based Decision Making and Planning for Termination
Appendices
Reproducible Forms
References
Index
 

Interviews

School psychologists and counselors working with children ages 5-13 (grades K-8); school social workers; other school-based mental health clinicians; behavior specialists; special educators. May serve as a supplemental text in graduate-level courses.
 

Editorial Reviews

"Drawing from more than a decade of experience in implementing evidence-based group interventions to promote students' positive social, emotional, and behavioral functioning, this is the definitive resource on the topic. No other book offers this kind of pragmatic, step-by-step guidance on all aspects of planning, implementing, and evaluating group interventions for children and youth. It includes sample dialogues, frequently asked questions, tips for promoting engagement and managing behavior, reproducible tools, ways to handle common challenges, and more. Congratulations to the authors for this invaluable contribution, which no doubt will increase the successful implementation and positive impacts of evidence-based group interventions in schools."—Mark D. Weist, PhD, Clinical–Community and School Psychology Programs, University of South Carolina

"Fills a gap in our ability to effectively implement manualized group intervention programs in the 'real world.' Reading this book is like being in a conversation with experienced group therapists who are providing nuggets of good practice based on their extensive experience. Especially valuable chapters address specific ways to manage difficult problems during group sessions—for example, how to provide consequences when children break group rules. Uniquely engaging aspects of the book are the end-of-chapter reflection questions and role-play scenarios. The role-plays include example scripted answers that allow clinicians to 'listen in' on how the authors would have handled challenging situations. This book is very useful for trainees learning how to run groups in school settings, as well as for experienced clinicians."—John E. Lochman, PhD, ABPP, Professor and Doddridge Saxon Chairholder in Clinical Psychology, University of Alabama

"The book spells out detailed instructions for flawless group implementation. All of the nuances of running groups are covered. I wish this one-of-a-kind, easy-to-follow book had been available when I was first conducting groups in the school setting, and I highly recommend it to other professionals. It would be perfect for use in the field or as part of a graduate course."—Kimberly David, PhD, private practice, Lafayette, Louisiana

"An excellent addition to the group therapy literature. This book is unique in that it provides specific information about how to conduct group therapy in schools, with students as well as caregivers. The text is the ideal entry point to group therapy for graduate students enrolled in counseling/therapy skills courses, as well as clinical practica or internship placements. Students will gain knowledge by reading the text outside of class and they will gain competence through in-class discussion and role-plays. At the same time, practicing clinicians who are new to school-based group therapy will find information and ideas that can immediately be put to use."—Kimberly D. Becker, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine

From the Publisher

Practitioners will find this useful resource helpful and engaging. Reproducible handouts are in the book and available on the web; the handouts and worksheets for in-group tasks, homework sheets, and documents such as sample letters and permission forms. The level of detail in the book sufficiently addresses specific issues and tasks in the group process. These are thoroughly and thoughtfully addressed beginning with the planning of a group and garnering interest in it, and continuing through each step in the process to conclusion of the group and its evaluation….Although it appears that the primary audience for this book is school psychologists, clinical psychologists will benefit from this book because attention is given to navigating the school setting, which is a practice setting that noticeably differs from clinical and community settings….Group Interventions in Schools is a well-thought-out guide and resource for practitioners. Direction is given for managing the challenges of groups and avoiding their pitfalls….A welcome addition to the professional libraries of practitioners and could be used as a text in academic training programs as well as externships and internships.

PsycCRITIQUES

"The authors provide detailed strategies for practitioners who wish to implement a parent and student group concurrently, although the tools can be used for those that may need to run separate parent or student groups….The text functions as an easy-to-read how-to guide for professionals who wish to incorporate group interventions within their practice. The authors provide a layout that is easy to navigate, so practitioners with a range of experience with group interventions could utilize the text to address their specific needs. The text can serve as a helpful troubleshooting guide for practitioners, as the authors make efforts to discuss common barriers to implementation (e.g., lack of group participation, when parents do not return consent forms). Overall, this text can be useful for early career practitioners and more seasoned professionals who wish to incorporate group interventions within their practice.

NASP Communiqué

"The authors provide detailed strategies for practitioners who wish to implement a parent and student group concurrently, although the tools can be used for those that may need to run separate parent or student groups….The text functions as an easy-to-read how-to guide for professionals who wish to incorporate group interventions within their practice. The authors provide a layout that is easy to navigate, so practitioners with a range of experience with group interventions could utilize the text to address their specific needs. The text can serve as a helpful troubleshooting guide for practitioners, as the authors make efforts to discuss common barriers to implementation (e.g., lack of group participation, when parents do not return consent forms). Overall, this text can be useful for early career practitioners and more seasoned professionals who wish to incorporate group interventions within their practice.

NASP Communiqué