Review and Original Articles
I am impressed by the quality of articles we continue to receive on a range of critical topics in psychology and counselling in schools. This issue includes nine thought-provoking and well-written research articles from our global network of authors.
First up is a review paper describing a new compassion focussed framework for schools. Kirby and colleagues provide numerous relatable examples to explain how their framework operates in the classroom. The next six articles cover of an eclectic mix of interesting topics. Lee and Lee report on the relationship between student-teacher and peer relationships, and life satisfaction. Öngören explores the role of the school counsellor in children’s adjustment to preschool. Dawson et al. provide some insightful findings on differences in reporting of adolescent self-harm by comparing perceptions of teachers and school counsellors to those of adolescents themselves who are seeking treatment. Ginsburg et al. report on teachers’ strategies for students displaying anxiety-provoking avoidance behaviours. Karaman examined bullying, achievement motivation, and resilience in adolescent boys. Kocatürk and Çiçek shed some light on how childhood experiences play a role in the development of self-esteem and resilience in adolescence and young adulthood. The next two articles also make valuable contributions to this issue. Bignold and Anderson’s article on parents’ mental health literacy, school counselling and intention to follow up a referral highlights the importance of parents’ and guardians’ knowledge of adolescents’ mental health and help-seeking behaviours. Finally, Şensoy and İkiz report on some common ethical dilemmas in the context of school counselling.
I thank those who volunteered their time to peer review for this issue and hope the articles are interesting and relevant to your research and practice. Happy reading and take care.
Practitioner Papers
I am delighted to introduce and recommend two fascinating practitioner papers for this issue of Applied Practices.
Burns and Blundell examine narcolepsy, which was a new topic for me and undoubtedly for many other readers too. Although we will all be familiar with tired students, narcolepsy is far more significant and life impacting. The article explores the nature of narcolepsy, including possible causes, and its implications for an individual child. Intervention options are well described and organised, covering both medical and school-based supports, including an excellent table of classroom adjustments.
The second paper uses a structured teacher interview to ensure that the teacher’s role in managing challenging behaviour in classrooms is considered in depth, rather than a diagnosis for the child being put forward as a total explanation. Child behaviour issues are always interactive with teacher’s (and often peers’) behaviour in the complex setting of a classroom. Split and Koomen’s paper systematically reminds us of this basic truth, ideally leading to better management of and interventions for students’ difficult behaviours.
