School psychologists and the assessment of childhood internalizing disorders: Perceived knowledge, role preferences and training needs

ABSTRACT This study examined the perceptions of a national sample of school psychologists in the United States regarding their knowledge, preferred roles and training needs in the assessment of nine prominent childhood internalizing disorders. Knowledge about all disorders was rated by respondents as being at least fairly important. In particular, knowledge regarding school phobia/refusal and suicidal threats and acts were perceived as being especially important for school psycholo-gists and assessing these disorders was viewed as an appropriate role for school psychologists. The school-based assessment of eating dis-orders was rated lowest in terms of need for knowledge and as an appropriate role for school psychologists. The majority of the sample indicated they needed some or significant additional training in the assessment of all nine disorders. Participants also rated the utility of various instruments for assessing internalizing disorders, with child self-reports and interviews rated as particularly important. KEY WORDS: assessment; children; disorders; internalizing; school psychologists; schools Childhood internalizing disorders refer to a class of disorders that are inner-directed and characterized by subjective distress and over-controlled symptoms (Cicchetti and Toth, 1991; Reynolds, 1992). The term ‘overcontrolled ’ denotes that these problems frequently occur when individuals attempt to maintain inappropriate or too much con-trol of their internal emotional and cognitive states (Merrell, 2008). In contrast to externalizing disorders, which primarily cause distress for others, internalizing disorders are developed, maintained, experienced and exhibited within the individual (Miller and Nickerson, 2007). Chil-dren and adolescents who are experiencing internalizing disorder