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…

Persistent school non-attendance (PSNA) is a widely acknowledged problem. Family coaches work intensively with families where a child or young person (CYP) has persistently poor or no school attendance and there is unemployment or anti-social behaviour. Their work extends across different systems, which gives them a unique, multi-factored…

This study introduces a pilot project--the creation of a Student and Family Office to reduce school violence--and suggests the benefits of the combined use of different strategies to decrease peer aggression and victimisation. The programme was implemented over a two-and-a-half-year period and included 132 Portuguese adolescents attending the…

This article aims to contribute to an emancipatory conceptual framework for EPs to draw upon when called to work with and/or speak of individuals labelled autistic. First, the widespread adherence to medicalised, inherently deficit-based discourses surrounding autism is critiqued, and considered as not uniformly beneficial for "clients"…

This article reflects on the experience of applying a person-centred approach to promote organisational change in an educational context. A detailed example is drawn from a Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope (PATH) process with a group of school staff. The article considers existing research into person-centred approaches and explores key…

Considering the prevalence of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and the known association with poor academic performance and social, emotional and mental health, it is surprising that two-thirds of children with primary SLCN go unidentified. Although educational psychologists (EPs) are well positioned to support schools in improving…

This research paper summarises the findings of a small-scale study that explored the experiences of emotional literacy support assistants (ELSAs) and the children with whom they work. Eight ELSAs and seven children were interviewed and a thematic analysis of the transcripts elicited key themes. The findings indicated that the ELSA-child…

This paper describes a therapeutic intervention within an eco-systemic approach used to support a pupil's return to school following an acquired brain injury (ABI). The outcomes suggest that there were three key facilitative factors during the reintegration back into school. These were: the psychological formulation of the individual's needs and…

Nurture Groups (NGs) are a short term, psychotherapeutic intervention aiming to provide reparative attachment experiences for children within an educational setting. The social skills of 16 children (aged between 6.0 and 9.75 years) were assessed through teacher ratings and children's self-report to hypothetical and challenging social situations.…

Educational outcomes for looked after children (LAC) in the UK are a priority for national and local government. This study explored the impact of the ARROW literacy intervention with LAC who had been identified by their schools as requiring literacy support. ARROW is a multi-sensory, computer-based programme, designed to increase spelling and…

Research evidences the benefit of students holding a growth mindset. There is also increasing recognition of the influence of teachers' beliefs on how students perceive their own abilities. Teacher and student beliefs are linked: despite this, there is sparse research investigating teacher mindsets. This research sought to evaluate training aimed…

Although evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been identified in recent systematic literature reviews, the extent to which the practice of educational psychologists (EPs) in the UK and Ireland is informed by these is unknown. This study presents the results of a questionnaire that surveyed 146 EP…

This article explores the application of the genogram in educational psychology (EP) practice. It provides a brief overview of the historical and theoretical development of the genogram. It then reviews and critiques some of the current literature regarding clinical application of the genogram in casework with children and adolescents and their…

This study examined the effectiveness of an integrated training programme (ITP) in reducing female students' test anxiety with a view to the mothers' perfectionism as a moderating factor. A total of 60 primary school students (30 mothers with perfectionism trait and 30 mothers without perfectionism) were randomly selected using multi-stage cluster…

Guidance for schools regarding the promotion and enhancement of psychological wellbeing represents an invitation to intervene to promote effective, evidence-informed, whole-school approaches for school staff, students and parents. With its transdiagnostic approach and evidence from empirical literature, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is…