Book Being Reviewed:
Parsons, R. D. (2007). Counseling strategies that work! Evidence-based interventions for school counselors. New York: Pearson.

Reviewer:
Juleen Buser

Curricular Areas:
Counselor Education, School Based License

Subject Headings:
Anxiety disorders, Depression, Eating disorders, Elementary school, High school, Middle school

Review:
Built on the premise that interventions grounded in research have an integral place in the work of the school counseling profession, Parsons has created a concise, informative, and compelling text. Ultimately, this is a book accessible to and relevant for school counselors, counselor educators, and counseling students. This text enables the reader to initially understand the extent of a particular problem among children and adolescents. Parsons begins his text with a convincing array of statistics which quickly establish the scope of the mental health struggle among children and adolescents. In addition, the book is divided into chapters which each highlight a specific mental health concern (e.g., conduct disorder). Prefacing each chapter is a section which reviews the research on the parameters of this particular problem among children and adolescents. There are twenty mental health concerns addressed in this text.

The individual chapters then proceed from a summary of the issue to a review of evidence-based interventions to address the issue. Parsons is careful to point out that the extent of the research support among the interventions varies; some studies have notable research deficits (e.g., small samples) while others use rigorous experimental designs. However, Parsons allows the reader to make an informed decision as to the validity of each intervention. Each intervention is reported within the context of the research study which found it to be successful. Thus, embedded with a description of the intervention and its outcome, the reader also obtains information on the research design. The evidence-based interventions are specific to the school counseling context. For example, Parsons gives a description of an eating disorder prevention program which received compelling empirical support in a controlled experimental study. This innovative program was created by Phelps, Sapia, Nathanson, and Nelson (2000) and consisted of six sessions which addressed issues such as self-esteem and social pressure to be thin.

Following the evidence-based treatment summaries, Parson shifts to techniques learned from the field. While claiming no research support for these suggestions, Parsons compiled an array of strategies that school counseling practitioners reported using with success. For example, in addressing eating disorders, this section offers the insights that medical evaluation is often needed and assertiveness training can be beneficial. Moreover, this section provides tips for working with teachers in the school around a particular mental health struggle, such as providing teacher training on the early warning signs of an eating disorder.

This text would be useful for practitioners, faculty, and students in the school counseling field. Specifically, this text has applicability to school counseling courses, as it manages to blend a focus on the practice of school counseling with research on school counseling. Students can learn techniques for practical application in their practicum or internship sites, in addition to discussing and analyzing the research evidence behind these interventions. Such a text would be an excellent model for emerging school counselors, as it seeks to attend to both the practice and the research of the profession.

Originally posted on 2/2/2010 at csi-net.org.