Promoting Psychological Well-Being in an Urban School Using the Participatory Culture-Specific Intervention Model

Abstract

School psychology has recently reconceptualized its service provision model to include multitiered systems of academic and psychosocial promotion, prevention, and intervention. The availability of evidence-based programs and advances in school consultation theory accompany the paradigm shift of the field. Despite these advances, implementing multitiered systems of support into school settings is teeming with challenges and often results in program abandonment. One often cited reason for such failures is the inattention to local priorities and culture. This article discusses the use of the participatory culture-specific intervention model (Nastasi, Moore, & Varjas, 2004) to build comprehensive systems of support in an elementary school in New Orleans. Co-authored by both researcher-consultants and school administrators, the article highlights the research, consultation, intervention, and collaborative decision-making activities over a 4-year period in a continuing university–school partnership. The discussion focuses on the process, challenges, and successes in consulting to build multitiered systems of support.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Patrick B. Bell

Patrick B. Bell, MS, is a doctoral student from Tulane University and is currently on an APA-approved internship for school psychology. He has experience as a classroom teacher and an assistant principal and became interested in psychology because of a need for systems-level supports for social-emotional and behavioral competence in urban public schools. His future career goals include working with school systems to actualize Tier 1 psychosocial prevention programs. He plans to continue a research agenda in practice by assessing the process and outcomes of using participatory consultation models (that include student and parent voices) to build multitiered systems of psychosocial support.

Meredith A. Summerville

Meredith A. Summerville, MS, EdM, is a doctoral student from Tulane University. Before entering the field of school psychology, she worked as a public school teacher, assistant principal, teacher trainer, and contributed to program and policy development in a major urban school district. Her research and career interests include integrating psychosocial supports into schools where a majority of students have experienced trauma, and developing schools that provide challenging, personalized learning opportunities for diverse learners.

Bonnie K. Nastasi

Bonnie K. Nastasi, PhD (Kent State University, 1986, School Psychology & Early Childhood Education), is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, School of Science and Engineering at Tulane University. Dr. Nastasi's research focuses on the use of mixed methods designs to develop and evaluate culturally appropriate assessment and intervention approaches for promoting mental health and reducing health risks within the United States and internationally. She has worked in Sri Lanka since 1995 on development of school-based programs to promote psychological well-being, and directed a multi-country study of psychological well-being of children and adolescents with research partners in 12 countries from 2008–2013. She is active in promotion of child rights and social justice within the profession of school psychology. Dr. Nastasi is a past-president of APA's Division 16 and 2013–2014 Co-Chair of APA's Committee on International Relations in Psychology.

Julie Patterson

Julie Patterson was working on the leadership team of the Elementary Charter in New Orleans (ECNO) at the time of the study and has since returned to the classroom as the lead teacher in a 4th grade inclusion classroom. She continues to support and teach students at ECNO. While obviously concerned with the academic achievement of her students, she continues to be equally as concerned with their emotional health and well-being.

Elizabeth Earnshaw

Elizabeth Earnshaw, MFT, MS, was the Director of Student Support at ECNO, where she collaborated on the development of social-emotional programming and developmentally appropriate discipline systems, as well as provided counseling services. Elizabeth has a BA in education and adult organizational development and has experience working in classrooms in Baltimore, New Orleans, and Brazil. Elizabeth returned to school to become a therapist after recognizing the importance of attention on social and emotional issues within the school and the family. Elizabeth currently runs a private practice servicing Philadelphia families that are struggling with trauma, grief, and other stressful events.

Note: The authors report that to the best of their knowledge neither they nor their affiliated institutions have financial relationships or affiliations that could influence or bias the opinions, decisions, or work presented in this article.