This systematic literature review explored how educational psychologists (EPs) use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) interventions within school settings, with whom and to what effect. The information available on the intervention design and delivery was benchmarked against Fuggle et al.'s framework that identified CBT competencies required for…

The role of educational psychologists (EPs) in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is increasingly being recognised in light of pressures on support services, and the identified importance of school-based provision. At the same time, EP practice has benefitted from psychological practice frameworks which support…

Recent years have seen a revived interest in therapeutic educational psychology practice. The aim of this research is to identify the range of therapeutic approaches being delivered by Educational Psychologists (EPs) in an Irish context and to elicit the views of practitioners on the facilitators and barriers to therapeutic provision. Twelve…

Research has shown that rates of clinical anxiety levels are higher among young people with an ASD than their typically developing peers. This study conducted an exploratory investigation into the impact of a specifically tailored CBT group programme on anxiety levels in young people with ASD. The 12 week CBT programme was delivered to 12 children…

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has evolved a considerable evidence-base in recent years. One area wherein the model has demonstrated strong empirical support is through its application within the workplace. However, little empirical work has been carried out within the educational workforce and even less has been done with school leaders…

"FRIENDS for Life" is a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme which aims to reduce anxiety and promote resilience among children. This study evaluated the "FRIENDS for Life" (FRIENDS) programme used as an intervention for seven children between the ages of 10 and 11 presenting with high functioning autism spectrum…

Promoting mental health and well-being for children and young people in the UK has attracted increasing prominence in recent years and has been a focus for government strategy within health and education. Training and practice in educational psychology has increasingly focused on developing skills and expertise to provide therapeutic support…

This paper looks at current research into how thinking influences learning. How people explain to themselves "why" they fail and succeed inevitably impacts on how well they learn new skills. Researchers have been developing attribution retraining programmes targeted at improving student academic achievement and learning experience…

"FRIENDS for life" is a manualised, 10 week, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) based programme designed to be run in school and community settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of "FRIENDS for life" when implemented in a mainstream secondary school by school staff. Data regarding implementation of the…

This pilot study examined the impact of a 10 session, group-based, early-intervention cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme (Cool Connections) on anxiety, depression and self-concept in nine 8-11 year old pupils in Northern Ireland. The intervention was facilitated by a teacher, education welfare officer and two classroom assistants, with…

In preparing children to deal with life in an increasingly complex society, it is important that schools devote attention to well-organised and theoretically sound programmes employing a preventive approach to mental health. Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), as indicated in its name, incorporates changes to thought processes and…

Following changes to educational psychology training, the research aimed to examine whether the new training is considered "fit for purpose", using a mixed-methods design. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected via semi-structured online questionnaires completed by recently qualified educational psychologists (RQEPs) who…

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…

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…

Educational psychology has recently experienced something of a revival in the provision of psychological therapy. This revival has aligned with general developments in evidence-based psychology. A product of this has been more frequent delivery of empirically supported therapies in practice settings, for example, anxiety reduction programmes in…