We documented the effects of training in behavioral consultation on 17 school psychology graduate students and on client outcomes. Training focused on: (a) principles and mastery of applied behavioral therapy and consultation, (b) relationship skills, and (c) systems entry issues. The dependent variables included indices of mastery of the behavioral consultation process, knowledge and attitude toward behavior modification, consumer satisfaction, and treatment outcomes. Each of the consultants achieved a predetermined minimum criterion of 80% of behavioral consultation interview objectives, which generalized to consultations in school settings. Training resulted in large increases in knowledge of behavioral consultation, small increments in already good knowledge of behavior modification, and no changes in attitude toward behavior modification. Consultations in school settings were initiated for 44 cases with a variety of academic and behavior problems exhibited by preschool and elementary school children. Treatment goals were attained in 11 cases, partially attained in 19 cases, unattained in 7 cases, and 9 cases were terminated prior to treatment implementation. Meta-analytic effect sizes were calculable for 23 cases, resulting in an average effect size of .95. Consultees and consultants expressed overall consumer satisfaction with the services and with training.The purpose of this research was to document the effects of training in behavioral consultation and therapy on psychology graduate students and their therapeutic services to child clients. Although there is strong support for a wide range of The authors express appreciation to the graduate students and teachers who participated in this research. Special appreciation is expressed to Mary Ann Ford and Pamela Carrington-Rotto for their assistance with the project. We also thank Karen O'Connell for her assistance with the project.

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Children who persistently exhibit social skills deficits experience both short and long-term negative consequences, and these negative consequences may often be precursors of more severe problems later in life. If untreated, researchers have indicated that social skills deficits in early childhood are relatively stable over time, related to poor academic performance and may be predictive of social adjustment problems and serious psychopathology in adolescence. Procedures for linking assessment and classification of social skills problems to treatments are briefly reviewed. A number of procedures have been identified as effective methods for treating social skills deficits. The myriad of procedures can be classified into three categories: (1) operant conditioning, (2) social learning, and (3) cognitive-behavioral procedures. In practice, behavioral rehearsal is often incorporated into treatments and most of the effective social skills interventions are combined procedures rather than a single technique. Guidelines for implementing major treatment components are discussed and an overall implementation plan is presented.

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