Newton Public Schools, Newton. M APsychologists working in schools spend much time conducting psychological evaluations and reporting their findings to parents, who often do not follow through upon the recommendations made. Conceptualization of a child's problem integrating a family systems perspective with the individual assessment data enables the school psychologist to make an effective intervention in the single session meeting with parents following the evaluation. Application of the paradoxical technique "reframing," borrowed from the family systems strategic model, gives the school psychologist a tool for mobilizing increased commitment on the part of the parents toward resolving a child's problem as a joint endeavor. The family is offered a formulation of the child's problem in interactional terms, with no one held to blame. A proposition is offered that connotes the underlying motivation in a positive light, and gives the family a new definition of the situation. Three case examples are given to illustrate application of this technique in a school setting.Parents who come to confer with the school psychologist upon the completion of a psychological evaluation of their child typically are anxious and on the defensive, expecting to be held responsible for the child's problems. The school psychologist, in this postassessment meeting with parents, customarily summarizes the findings and makes recommendations for home and school. At this time, the concept of "reframing" may prove particularly useful as a way of explaining the data through redefining the situation in a way that encourages parents to follow through on recommendations made. The function of reframing is to offer a different perspective that simultaneously validates the family's difficulty, while also providing new insights and possible new ways of interacting within a supportive environment.Reframing is a paradoxical technique that we believe has potential for useful application by the school psychologist. The conceptual model from which this technique derives is a systemic one wherein dysfunctional transactions within a family are looked at in circular-sequential ways, as compared to a linear cause-effect hypothesis of etiology. Green and Fine (1980) made a sound case for training school psychologists to conceptualize the child's problem within the context of the family, enabling the one or two session meetings with parents to have therapeutic benefits. Recognizing the realistic limitations upon the psychologist working in a school setting (which works against getting whole families together for meetings because of time, space, and attitudes), an argument can be made for borrowing strategies from family therapists, with some appropriate modifications. As a paradoxical technique, the attempt is made to alter existing patterns by dealing with them in an indirect manner, so as not to threaten parental investment in the status quo. Despite the fact that most parents are motivated to act for their child's best interests, they are naturally protective...
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