Conjoint Behavioral Consultation Research and Practice: Taking Stock and Looking Toward the Future

ABSTRACT

Family engagement and family–school partnership interventions present significant opportunities to support students who experience identified disabilities or academic or social-emotional challenges. One intervention that brings families and educators together via a collaborative problem-solving process and joint decision-making consultation framework is Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC). Decades of research has documented the efficacy of CBC for promoting positive outcomes for students through the relationship established between teachers and parents. Parent and teacher competencies and practices also improve significantly as a function of CBC. In this paper, we summarize recent research related to CBC’s efficacy for students with or at risk for developing disabilities, articulate important practices aimed at promoting and supporting collaborative partnerships, and lay out an agenda for future work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences.

Notes on contributors

Susan Sheridan

Susan Sheridan, PhD, is the Director of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A member of the National Academy of Education, she received APA Division 16’s 1993 Lightner Witmer Award for early career achievements and 2015 Senior Scientist Award. Her research focuses on family-school partnerships, social-behavioral strategies, rural education and early childhood interventions.

Amanda Witte

Amanda Witte, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor in the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research centers on contexts and mechanisms that influence student social-behavioral outcomes, including rural education, family-school partnerships, teacher retention, and multi-tiered systems of support.

Elizabeth Brower

Elizabeth Brower, MS, MA, BCBA is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Elizabeth is interested in research focusing on family-school partnerships and the use of behavioral interventions across school, home, and healthcare settings.