An Evidence-Based Systems Approach to School Counseling (Family Systems Counseling: Innovations Then and Now)

This book presents strategies for using systemic theory and evidence-based practice in schools to support students, the adults in their lives, and their wider communities.

Beginning by introducing and explaining the Advocating Student-within-Environment (ASE) theory, each chapter then addresses a specific school-based issue, such as academic achievement, crisis, trauma, and resiliency, from a systemic and environmental lens. Practical and accessible, the chapters are filled with case examples, evidence-based interventions, and helpful tools to show how counselors can incorporate the approach into their practice. Extending beyond school and student problems, this text also explores greater system functioning, such as community outreach and state level intervention, discussing advocacy and political issues.

This book is essential for school-based professionals who are looking for new ways to work with students, families, and their communities. It will also be of interest to mental health professionals who work systemically, such as marriage and family therapists and community counselors.

Matthew E. Lemberger-Truelove is Professor of Counseling and Higher Education at the University of North Texas, U.S.A. He is the Editor of the Journal of Counseling and Development and the Associate Director for the Center for School Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation. His scholarship includes empirical and theoretical writing. His empirical work pertains to counseling practice with children and adolescents, especially in economically challenged K12 schools.

Hannah Bowers Parker is Associate Professor in the Department of Counselor Education at Florida Atlantic University, U.S.A. Bowers has been working with children and families for over a decade, both as a marriage and family therapist and a school counselor.