The Executive Functions are a collection of higher order brain functions. Nevertheless, there exists much confusion on what they are and how they function. This dissertation explores the history, theory, and application of the Executive Functions as they apply to school psychologists. Topics such as the current leading theories of the Executive…

Suicide remains a leading cause of death among adolescents and exists in detectable rates for younger children as well. Underserved ethnic and racial groups face barriers to effective mental health care, making it critical that school psychologists be prepared to incorporate cultural considerations for suicide prevention and intervention. School…

Transdiagnostic interventions are efficient treatments for common youth mental health concerns and may be particularly well suited for school-based practice. Implementing them can potentially strengthen school psychologists' identity as mental health practitioners. Some student problems may benefit more from direct school psychological services…

COVID-19 has imposed physical, mental, and emotional isolation contributing to adverse mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. For school children struggling with trauma, the pandemic has both exacerbated existing symptoms and served as a source for trauma. Due to the increase in psychological distress, there has never been a higher…

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been evaluated in terms of efficacy; however, little is known about implementation factors of MBIs in schools. The purpose of the current study was to systematically review MBI studies published in school psychology journals. This systematic review examined peer-reviewed MBI literature in nine school…

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate and describe why alternating treatments design (ATD) researchers should consider employing a no-treatment series during the alternating treatments phase. To identify limitations associated with excluding this design element, we obtained examples of ATD studies published in five school psychology journals…

"Best Practices in School Psychology" is one of the most influential books in school psychology history. Originally published in 1985 by Thomas and Grimes, it was the first book offered by the National Association of School Psychologists. Its six editions have been revised every 5-8 years. Utilizing Publish or Perish as well as…

The study employed a qualitative research approach using a phenomenological research design since the lived experiences of educational psychologists in Masvingo Province were scrutinized with the intention of establishing the extent to which educational psychologists matched the laid down specifications pertaining to their professional operations…

Solution-focused (SF) approaches are widely used in schools. The present study examined the effects of a central SF technique--"scaling"--on female secondary students' improvement expectancy (IE) and commitment to improvement (CTI). Popular follow-up questions were also tested. In Experiment 1, 120 students were randomly assigned to a…

The current research sought to explore the utility of the Assessment for Intervention (AFI) model in bridging the gap between assessment and intervention, through the conceptual lens of Bio-Ecological Systems Theory (BEST) and Social Constructivist Theory (SCT). AFI is a five-stage assessment model that aims to provide useful and evidence-based…

The control-value theory (CVT) of achievement emotions is a well-established theoretical framework which delineates the predictive relationships among distal and proximal antecedents, academic emotions, and student engagement and achievement. Although most research anchored in CVT is conducted by educational psychologists, the theory is arguably…

As school psychologists help teachers plan and implement classroom behavior management interventions, teacher perspectives on these interventions are vital to consider. To better understand teacher perspectives on a well-established, effective intervention, this study analyzed teacher responses to the Good Behavior Game (GBG; Barrish et al.,…

Adolescence is a challenging time for the medical management of type 1 diabetes. Thus, a range of psychoeducational interventions have been developed to improve diabetes management among youth. Systematic reviews of this literature have emphasized the effectiveness of interventions for improving patient outcomes. However, knowledge beyond what…

The Ohio Internship Program in School Psychology was forced to adapt abruptly to the changing circumstances brought on by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic beginning in March 2020. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the school psychology internship outcomes were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in…

A survey of school psychology practice in Nova Scotia was conducted to update and extend previous work. Thirty-one school psychologists completed a survey about their practice across the six areas of competency identified by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) and their current versus preferred time in various areas of psychology…