The objective of this article is to outline factors for consideration in the successful engagement of adolescents in therapy. Adolescents face a number of barriers that can affect their ability to successfully engage with mental health clinicians (Booth, et al., 2004). Those working with this population should have a keen awareness of these barriers and their impact. As a first step, preparation for the initial interview with an adolescent is vital. Careful thought should be given to those involved in the assessment process and the manner of their involvement, giving the adolescent as much input as possible. The importance of an honest and respectful attitude should not be underestimated.

The social integration (sociometric status) of 22 mainstreamed handicapped high school children was compared with that of their non-handicapped peers.

Results indicated that in friendship and work oriented situations the handicapped were less socially accepted than their nonhandicapped peers, more frequently identified as stars, and female handicapped students were more popular and accepted than the male handicapped.

A limitation of the study was its small sample size.

This study was a qualitative examination of the stress responses and coping strategies of 21 teachers (12 women & 9 men), and school response mechanisms following a critical incident involving the death of a student or colleague. In order to explore the possibility that deaths of a relatively common nature can evoke high stress and grief responses, exceptional or large scale events, or those generating widespread public or media attention, were excluded. Findings showed that the impact on participants was high, and included cognitive, emotional, functional and physiological responses. Six discrete wellness factors, considered to contribute to effective coping, were identified: emotional and practical support, active involvement, responding according to individual need, access to information, readiness, and leadership. A salutogenic (wellness) approach to critical incident management was considered to provide a comprehensive and effective model for supporting individual teachers and the school in mobilising coping and restorative strategies and mechanisms. Implications for critical incident management in schools, and directions for further study, are discussed.

Adolescence is believed to be a highly problematic period when depression is prevalent. This study aims to investigate the relationship between adolescents' depression states and their feelings of guilt and shame in respect to gender, age, school performance and parental education levels. The participants consisted of 187 teenagers; 88 (47.1%) girls and 99 (52.9%) boys. Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), the Guilt and Shame Scale (GES, Şahin), and a personal information form developed by the researcher were used as instruments. The study found a relationship between guilt and shame, that levels of depression were higher in 17-year-olds, and also that levels of depression, guilt and shame were found to be higher in girls than in boys. There was also a negative relationship seen between increased guilt and shame, and a decrease in mothers' education level.

This paper describes an Adventure Based Counselling (ABC) program that aimed to improve sixth grade student behaviour in the classroom. In particular, this paper focuses on the ABC debriefing strategy, as summarised in the “What?” “So What?” and “Now What?” format. This debriefing process was employed with both students and ABC program facilitators. While there is extensive literature concerned with the application of the ABC debrief with the target group, an ABC debrief with the facilitators of the program is lacking in the applied literature. The strategies and sample questions employed in the ABC format, as applied to both groups, are described in detail. The procedure was highly effective for both behavioural intervention with students and for maximising learning of the ABC facilitators.

Adoption as a social phenomenon has always given rise to emotional controversy and the over-representation of adopted children at clinics and mental heath facilities has lead to studies which have focussed on the concept of psychological risk associated with adoption. Referral for assistance requires that counsellors and therapists appreciate the unique circumstances and vulnerabilities of adoptive families and are able to differentiate between normal transitional crises and adoption issues. To this end an overview of adoption concerns and, in particular, a developmental approach to adoption, is presented as a guide for those health professionals working with adoptive families.

Adoption has provided a fertile area of investigation into family attachment and functioning, and in particular the relative impact of nurture versus nature in human growth and development, although the secrecy surrounding adoption and the sensitivity of the process has created methodological problems and made it difficult to conduct representative large-scale studies. A re-occurring question has been whether the process of adoption itself is a stressor which predisposes adoptive families to psychological distress and maladjustment, and if so how does this manifest itself?

During the transition from secondary school to university many students experience stress associated with academic concerns and difficulties in coping with new academic and social demands. The present study investigated first year university students' level of academic stress across first semester and evaluated the coping strategies employed by students to deal with academic concerns. Students' level of academic stress was greater at the beginning of semester, during the transition period than at the end of semester, prior to the examination period. A positive relationship between academic stress and non-productive coping was also revealed. It was concluded that effective and timely assistance needs to be provided to students prior to, or during the transition period to make the commencement of university a positive experience.

The professional experience of school counsellors in training in Australia is subject to different supervisor-supervisee relationships and school settings. The current study explored the first-year New South Wales school counsellor in training professional experience via an adapted qualitative content and framework analysis approach. Participants were students undertaking their first professional experience as part of the Master of Teaching (School Counselling) at the University of Sydney. The most common descriptive reflections explored professional psychological learning, followed by system- and process-related knowledge of the school setting. Emergent themes highlighted that professional experience prepared students for the role, which varied based on supervisor and school setting, and helped the students form professional identities via observing rich ethical and professional practice. Future professional experiences may be enriched with explicit reflections, peer-to-peer learning and support to foster working supervisor-supervisee relationships.

This study compared the effects on behavioural interactions and achievement of (a) cooperative learning in which members were trained to collaborate to facilitate each other's learning and (b) cooperative learning in which members were not trained but were merely told to help each other. One hundred and ninetytwo, Year 6 children participated in the study. Stratified random assignment occurred so that each four-person group consisted of one high-, two medium-, and one low-ability student. All groups were gender balanced. The children worked in their groups on the same social studies unit, three times a week for 12 weeks The results indicated that the children in the Trained groups were consistently more cooperative and helpful to each other, they used language which was more inclusive, and they gave more explanations to assist each other as they worked together. Furthermore, the children in the Trained groups achieved higher learning outcomes than their peers in the Untrained groups.

This article describes the history, development and status of MindMatters Plus (MM+). MM+ is a project developed within the context of MindMatters (MM), an ongoing initiative which aims to promote mental health within Australian secondary schools. MM+ is an integral component of the MM suite of initiatives and is consistent with its underlying philosophy of developing student resilience through a “whole of school”, capacity-building approach. The specific goal of MM+ is to develop best practice approaches to improving the mental health outcomes of secondary school students with high support mental health needs (SWHSNs) and is achieved in several ways: (1) assisting schools in early identification; (2) facilitating the implementation of preventative and other interventions; (3) developing new initiatives and refining existing processes, policies and strategies and; (4) encouraging the development of timely and accessible networks of care with external agencies and community partnerships.

Supervision is a mechanism for providing support for school counsellors, and peer group supervision has been found to be beneficial. Indeed, supervision is most often conducted in face-to-face interactions. However, advances in technology have opened up new possibilities for supervision via use of the Internet. The present study evaluates a structured peer group supervision program conducted for school counsellors using email. The findings indicate that email can be an effective medium through which to conduct supervision and that the use of a structured peer group supervision process is helpful.

Research in the area of adolescent sexuality suggests that young people use and trust school counsellors as a source of information about sexual issues. Interviews were conducted with 23 counsellors in 19 Australian high schools to explore the messages about sexual behaviour and sexual responsibility given to young people during counselling sessions. The main sexuality issues presenting in a counselling session were concerns about relationship breakdown, sexually transmitted infections after having unsafe sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, harassment and sexual abuse. Messages given to young people included ones of valuing oneself, making choices without coercion, being informed about consequences and risks, and being safe and responsible if sexually active. A sexual relationship was portrayed as a normal part of life and adolescents were encouraged to talk with their parents. Strategies that these counsellors adopt to help young people are discussed and recommendations are made.

This article advocates for proactive, dynamic and comprehensive psycho-educational assessments for children and young people who have a history of complex trauma, because of its known effects on development and learning. A case study is shared of a young woman with a history of complex trauma because of exposure to parental neglect, multiple foster care placements, and abuse while in the care system. Background information on the impact of both early developmental trauma and interruptions to attachment with an early caregiver on learning and development is discussed, along with the benefits of using dynamic assessment. In particular, the case will expose how delays in thorough, high quality psycho-educational assessment not only impacts on educational outcomes, but also care outcomes. It also illustrates the importance of including measures of social emotional functioning as part of psycho-educational assessments when, as in this case, a review of developmental and learning needs is required in preparation for transition to high school, to assist funding applications for additional support, and to contribute to case planning towards reunification with siblings. Best practice protocols are shared that promote both multi-professional and multi-dimensional assessment, including working between agencies, systems, group and individual assessment, and, most importantly, tools that facilitate both transformation of teaching practice and the voice of the young person; all serving to promote mental health and wellbeing.

Cybermentoring refers to virtual peer support in which young people themselves are trained as cybermentors and interact with those needing help and advice (cybermentees) online. This article describes the training in, and implementation of, a cross-national cybermentoring scheme, Beatbullying Europe, developed in the United Kingdom. It involved train-the-trainer workshops for partners and life mentors in six European countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic) in 2013–2014, followed by training sessions for pupil cybermentors aged 11–16 years. Although BeatBullying went into liquidation in November 2014, the project was largely completed. We (1) report an evaluation of the training of the life mentors and mentors, via questionnaire survey; and (2) discuss findings about the implementation of the scheme and its potential at a cross-national level, via partner interviews during and at the end of the project. The training was found to be highly rated in all respects, and in all six countries involved. The overall consensus from the data available is that there was a positive impact for the schools and professionals involved; some challenges encountered are discussed. The BeatBullying Europe project, despite being unfinished, was promising, and a similar approach deserves further support and evaluation in the future.