Evidence-based parent consultation with school-related outcomes

Abstract

In this article, 18 studies using parent consultation to effect a change in children's school-related behavior were evaluated according to guidelines set forth by the APA's Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology. Results indicate that parent consultation is an effective method of intervention delivery for a variety of school-related behavioral and emotional concerns with Caucasian students. The majority of studies yielded moderate to large treatment effects. Though a variety of parent consultation models were effective, the Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) model provided the strongest evidence for producing significant school-related outcomes. Noteworthy limitations of the evidence base for parent consultation are the lack of between-group designs and use of diverse populations. It is therefore recommended that the investigation of parent consultation effectiveness be expanded to include minority populations and between-group designs.