The roles of school psychologists working within a pediatric setting.

• With an increasing number of children presenting with health conditions, pediatric care has expanded from solely a medical definition to a more comprehensive service delivery approach that includes psychology and education (Perrin, 1999). • An interdisciplinary, inter-systemic approach is necessary to meet the needs of children across systems (Power, Shapiro, & DuPaul, 2003). • School psychologists are uniquely qualified to facilitate collaboration between settings and systems due to their expertise in consultation and intervention. • Roles in pediatric school psychology include: advocating for children’s educational and social needs; consulting with care providers, families, and educators; and facilitating collaboration among these individuals (Power & Parrish, 1995). • Conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC): o A structured, indirect model wherein a consultant works with a parent and teacher to promote collaborative, problem-solving partnerships across home and school (Sheridan, Kratochwill, & Bergan, 1996). o Effective in addressing a range of concerns across home and school (Sheridan, et al., 2001); high levels of parent and teacher acceptability and satisfaction reported (Freer & Watson, 1999; Sheridan & Steck, 1995). • Other roles: Individualized Education Plan (IEP) consultation, parent- or teacher-only consultation, observations, and provision of resources/referrals. • To date, no research has explored the conditions in which CBC is warranted in a pediatric medical setting and ones in which other services are appropriate