The success of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) interventions is thought to rely on teacher social emotional competency, student-teacher relationships, and the readiness of the school environment. From an evolutionary motivational systems perspective, an underlying driver behind these aspects is the motivational state of students and teachers. Providing a foundational framework for supporting SEL development may be a critical differentiating factor in successfully incorporating SEL into curriculum to enhance individual and group-level wellbeing. This article presents compassion as a motivational framework that can be used to support SEL. We review theoretical perspectives and empirical research applying compassion to help regulate emotional experience and provide a series of possible suggestions on how to integrate compassion into classrooms. Specifically, we provide a series of suggestions on how compassion can help with student and staff wellbeing. A compassionate approach to establishing a positive classroom environment and incorporating simple activities adapted from compassion-focused therapy may provide a baseline conducive context in which SEL is accepted and thrives.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between life satisfaction and positive student-teacher and peer relationships. Further, we aimed to test the mediating effects of student resilience in a multilevel model. The data were collected from elementary students in South Korea. To examine the mediating effects of student resilience, multilevel structural equation modelling was conducted. The results indicated that schools with positive student-teacher relationships correlated with higher life satisfaction for children. This relationship was fully mediated by student resilience. However, the mediating effects of student resilience in the relationship between peer relationships and life satisfaction was found to be at the individual level rather than by school climate. Practical implications on ways to improve students’ life satisfaction within the school and classroom settings are discussed.

This research aims to examine the practices of school counsellors working in preschool education towards children’s school adjustment in academic, social, emotional, and behavioural dimensions. The research is a qualitative study with participants consisting of 30 school counsellors working in preschool education. The participants were determined using the criterion sampling method, which is a purposeful sampling method. The data were collected using an interview form with four questions. These data were analysed by content analysis method. It was revealed that the counsellors carried out various practices in academic, social, emotional, and behavioural areas for the adjustment of children to school. It was found that academic adjustment activities were cooperation with the family, individual guidance, and behaviour assessment. Social adjustment activities were social skills activities, group guidance, peer support, and individual guidance. Emotional adjustment activities were individual guidance and cooperation with the family. Behavioural adjustment activities were group guidance, cooperation with the family, individual guidance, school rules, and behaviour assessment.

Globally, adolescent self-harm rates remain high, while help-seeking behaviour remains low. School staff are in a position to facilitate access to appropriate care for young people who self-harm (YPS-H), but little is known about gatekeepers’ attributions of self-harm or whether these attributions influence the support they provide. This study investigates the perceived functions of self-harm reported by potential gatekeepers and examines how these compare to the self-reported functions of self-harm in young people; 386 students from postgraduate teaching (n = 111), school counselling (n = 37), and undergraduate psychology (n = 238) programs completed a survey regarding their beliefs about YPS-H, which included the Inventory of Statements about Self-Harm. Responses were compared to those of 281 young people attending treatment at a suicide prevention program who completed the same measure. Preservice teachers, school counsellors and psychology students endorsed all functions of self-harm at a higher rate than treatment-seeking young people themselves. In particular, they endorsed interpersonal functions to a greater extent than the clinical reference group. The potential effect of greater endorsement of interpersonal influence as a function of self-harm gatekeeper’s responding to YPS-H is discussed.

This study examined: (1) school-based avoidance among students with problematic anxiety, (2) teachers’ levels of accommodation of avoidant behaviour, and (3) the relation between teacher accommodation and student avoidance and anxiety. Participants included 31 elementary school students with problematic anxiety (mean age = 7.7 years; range 5–11; 58% female; 71% White) and their teachers (mean age = 41.1 years; 100% female; 100% White). Children completed interviews about their anxiety, and teachers reported on students’ avoided situations and completed a questionnaire about their own use of accommodation. Results indicated that the most commonly avoided situations involved individual and group academic performance (e.g., reading aloud in front of class). All teachers engaged in some form of accommodating behaviour more than one day a week (e.g., assisted a student in avoiding things that might make him/her more anxious), and teachers who reported engaging in more accommodating behaviours had students with higher avoidance and anxiety. Findings suggest that additional training and research on teachers’ behaviours that maintain and/or reduce anxiety via reducing accommodating behaviours appears warranted.

This study aimed to examine bullying, achievement motivation, and resilience levels of both Syrian refugee students and Turkish students at an Islamic religion-based high school for boys. The sample included 289 students. One hundred and forty-three (49.50%) of the participants were Syrian and 146 (50.50%) were Turkish students. The mean age of the participants was 16 years (SD = 1.30). This study found that the level of bullying among refugee students was higher, and the level of achievement motivation was lower than for Turkish students. However, there was not a significant difference with regard to resilience scores. In terms of grade level, 9th-grade students reported lower scores of bullying than 10th- and 12th-grade students. The results indicated that bullying, resilience, and the demographic information of nationality (Syrian and Turkish) were significant predictors of achievement motivation. In addition, the relationship of resilience with achievement motivation was the same strength for both groups when separately analysed. These findings may help school counsellors, teachers and administrators to raise awareness in schools about issues such as forced migration and refugee psychology, trauma and its effects, bullying, low motivation, and problems faced by refugee students in general.

Childhood experiences can affect individuals’ self-esteem and psychological resilience during personality and psychosocial development in adolescence and adulthood. The effect of positive childhood experiences on adulthood has rarely been investigated, with most studies focusing on negative aspects of childhood. Evidence shows that they also influence the development of psychological resilience and self-esteem. This study examined the relationship between positive childhood experiences, self-esteem, and psychological resilience. A total of 570 university students completed the Positive Childhood Experience Scale, Brief Resilience Scale and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The results of structural equation modelling indicated that positive experiences significantly predicted self-esteem and resilience. Self-esteem also predicted psychological resilience. Most importantly, positive childhood experiences had an indirect effect on resilience through self-esteem. The results suggest that focusing on positive aspects of childhood is as important and functional as dealing with negative ones to contribute to self-esteem and resilience. We suggest that school psychologists and counsellors could integrate these results into intervention programs to improve resilience through increased self-esteem.

Many mental illnesses have onset during adolescence, and if untreated may have long-term negative outcomes. Parents and school counsellors can assist adolescents by monitoring for mental illness and facilitating appropriate support. The present study investigated parents’ mental health literacy (MHL), preferred views of school counsellor roles, and intention to follow up referrals. Eighty-seven Australian parents of current secondary school students were recruited to an online cross-sectional survey via convenience sampling. Results showed that, on average, parents had good MHL, moderately endorsed school counsellor roles, and were committed to following up referrals. Higher MHL, but not preferred school counsellor roles, predicted intention to follow up referrals to general practitioners and specialised mental health services. Findings support targeted psychoeducational intervention for parents regarding MHL and the role of the school counsellor and directions for future research are discussed.

School counsellors often encounter ethically challenging situations due to contradictory values and roles. This qualitative research aimed to define school counsellors’ ethical dilemmas and their responses to such situations. Twenty-seven school counsellors in Turkey were asked to respond to 13 vignettes with ethical dilemmas. The most frequent ethical dilemmas involved the limits of confidentiality, confusion about counsellors’ professional roles in school settings, uncooperative behaviours among stakeholders, and suspected child sexual abuse. It was revealed that counsellors prioritise the students’ benefit and respect students’ privacy. They follow legal guidelines in risky situations and insist on working within their areas of competence; they are not willing to accept noncounselling tasks. The results and implications for counsellors, counsellor educators and researchers are discussed.

Narcolepsy is not a common disorder, with best estimates finding it affects only about .025–.05% of the population. Nonetheless, it is a vital disorder for school psychologists to be familiar with on the basis that its symptoms frequently first occur during childhood and adolescence. If undiagnosed, this disorder causes significant distress and disadvantage to the student as well as frustration and difficulty for school staff. It is surprising that narcolepsy has received almost no attention in the school psychology literature. This article provides school psychologists with an overview of the central features, causes, diagnosis and treatment of narcolepsy in young people. It then outlines school management of the disorder, with specific consideration of the role of the school psychologist.

Intervention is considered the ultimate goal of the diagnostic process. However, when diagnostic assessment is largely focused on student (mal)adjustment and when the role and perspective of the teacher is not systematically evaluated, the assessment may fail to generate useful recommendations for intervention or teacher consultation. Based on a descriptive case report, the potential contribution of the Teacher Relationship Interview in making the assessment phase more relevant to intervention is outlined and illustrated.