Using conjoint behavioral consultation to implement evidence-based practices for students in low-income urban schools

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) can be used by school behavioral health programs within the Interactive Systems Framework (ISF) as a tool for developing and supporting intervention plans that integrate mental health evidence-based practices (EBPs). External behavioral health consultants trained and supported school personnel from two low-income urban K–8 schools in the implementation of CBC with EBPs employing ISF. Three cases highlight how the ISF can inform modifications to CBC to increase the fit between EBPs, urban school settings, and children living in low-income urban environments to implement with fidelity and produce positive outcomes. Case study data suggest that CBC can be used to support implementation of EBPs, and that interventions can be effective and acceptable.

KEYWORDS:

• Conjoint behavioral consultation
• evidence-based practices
• family–school partnerships
• interactive systems framework
• urban schools

Additional information

Notes on contributors

S. Andrew Garbacz

S. Andrew Garbacz is an assistant professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research focuses on developing and testing ecological prevention and intervention programs in applied settings to improve social-emotional, behavior, and education outcomes and decrease growth in problem behavior for children and adolescents.

Natasha D. Watkins

Natasha D. Watkins is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Purdue University. Her research and teaching interests are in the areas of positive youth development, community-based programming, and intercultural competence.

Yamalis Diaz

Yamalis Diaz is a clinical assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine and a licensed clinical psychologist at the New York University Child Study Center. Her current interests include clinical training and dissemination of empirically supported treatment to real-world settings.

Ernesto R. Barnabas,

Ernesto R. Barnabas, Jr. is a nationally certified school psychologist and licensed behavior specialist consultant working in southeastern Pennsylvania. His current interests include pediatric school psychology, parent training, conjoint behavioral consultation, and improving links between assessment and intervention across school, family, and community mental health support systems.

Billie Schwartz

Billie Schwartz is a clinical and pediatric psychologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Her current research interests include disseminating and implementing evidence-based practices into community settings, including school mental health and pediatric primary care.

Ricardo Eiraldi

Ricardo Eiraldi is an associate professor of clinical psychology in the Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. His research focuses on the application of help-seeking behavior models in the study of health disparities among ethnic minority children and families, and the development of strategies for addressing mental health services disparities in nontraditional settings.