Perspectives - Vol. 4, No. 4 - The Systematic Behavior Plan within a Consultative-Collaborative model utilizing various counseling techniques

The efficacy of a systematic behavior plan used in conjunction with various counseling techniques within a consultative model was explored within the context of a special education environment. Analysis of pre and post treatment behavior was conducted through data provided by the classroom teacher which supports the consultative-collaborative systematic behavior plan/multiple techniques hypothesis. Implications for proper assessment prior to providing services are considered and the need to explore the impact of cultural incongruities between students and facultyis also indicated.

The approach in this case study is based on various theoretical models and techniques including classroom behavior management (Canter, 1993), a systems-consultative model (Woody, LaVoie & Epps, 1992), rational emotive techniques (Ellis, 1994; Patton, 1992), interpersonal cognitive problem solving approaches (Spivack, Platt & Shure, 1976) and the facilitation of family and school relationships (Power & Bartholomew, 1987).Issues regarding emotional trauma (James, 1989) and cultural diversity (Pederson & Locke, 1996) are also significant factors in successful school counseling. In addition, Pedersen et.al. (1996) suggest that the expectations, perceptions and attitudes of both teachers/staff and the student impact on the efficacy of therapeutic approaches, which appear to have been factors in this case.

The setting for this case study is a New York City public intermediate school with a very diverse student population, primarily Hispanic and African-American, Caribbean-American of Haitian descendancy, with some Russian, Asian and Middle Eastern students. The faculty, however, is primarily White (roughly 70 percent).

Kenny is 12 year 9 month old immigrant youngster from Haiti who had been separated from his mother at about the age of 2 years and who had lived with various family members until his early adolescent years in Haiti. The student has recently come to live with his mother in New York City. Academic progress was reportedly adequate while in Haiti, although there were frequent changes of schools as Kenny was often uprooted from one family to another. There was also a history of difficulty following rules and controlling impulsive behavior while in school in Haiti. The initial social history does not indicate any concerns for birth defects and the medical history is unremarkable, although Kenny had not yet received all the necessary inoculations required by the Department of Health.

When Kenny entered the Public Schools in New York City,his aggressive and noncompliant behavior in class resulted in a referral for a multidisciplinary assessment, including a social history intake, education evaluation and psychological evaluation. He was ultimately classified as Emotionally Disturbed and placed in a Monolingual Modified Instruction Service-2 program (MIS-2). He was receiving counseling services with a guidance counselor in a group of 5 students. It should be noted that Kenny speaks very little Haitian-Creole and uses English as the primary language of communication for both interpersonal as well as academic activities. Kenny was "integrated" in several mainstream courses during the day.

A peculiar characteristic regarding the case was that other than punitive actions e.g. suspensions and discontinuation of integration, there was no other data in terms of systematic behavioral intervention strategies even in the counseling curriculum, or home-school collaborative efforts that might foster positive experiences in the school environment.

The counselor did not provide any written documentation regarding contracts, rewards, behavior checklists or specific counseling techniques attempted: she simply indicated that Kenny does not work well in group counseling...he tries to monopolize the sessions

During formal and informal classroom observations, moreover, it was not evident that classroom rules or expectations were made clear to students. The goodness of fit between Kenny and the teacher also appeared problematic in that disciplinary approaches for Kenny differed from approaches toward classmates, even for similar behavior. Apparently there was some type of personal theme interference with regards to the teacher's psychological mind-set toward Kenny that impacted on her ability to be objective. Further interview with the teacher, however, revealed much frustration on her part in terms of getting the appropriate response and assistance from support personnel regarding Kenny. Attempts by the teacher to engage Kenny's mother were also unfruitful which further intensified the teacher's negative outlook.

In contrast to the above approaches, a systematic plan within a consultative model utilizing various counseling techniques was subsequently implemented with expectations of significant improvement in target behavior.

The commencement of this case study takes place in the fall of 1997 when Kenny was referred to the School Based Support Team (SBST) for a reevaluation and possible placement in a Special Instructional Environment-7 (SIE-7) program. The teacher's concerns were primarily for Kenny's aggressive and noncompliant behavior. Reportedly, Kenny would provoke fights with other students, use foul language toward students and staff and refused to complete his work. Other concerns were reported for latenesses and cutting class.

A psychological evaluation was conducted focusing on Kenny's cognitive development and social-emotional functioning using various standardized, semi-formal and informal techniques, as well as observations and teacher/counselor interviews. The teacher was also asked to complete a Behavior Assessment System for Children-Teacher's Rating Scale (BASC-TRS) form. A review of clinical and social history records was also conducted.

After the assessment was completed, it was determined that placing Kenny in a SIE-7 would not be in his best interest for several reasons:

As a result, it was recommended that Kenny remain in his MIS-2 program and counseling services were modified to be implemented on a 1 to 1 basis by the bilingual school psychologist with a concurrent systematic behavior intervention plan which was developed in conjunction with the teacher. The IEP reflected one counseling goal and three short term objectives which were projected for mastery over the course of the semester.

The next phase was ongoing consultation with the teacher to aid her in (1) identifying specific problematic behavior (2) identifying approaches typically applied by her - both effective and ineffective (3) identifying desirable behavior and (4) developing strategies for maximizing desirable behavior by addressing specific positive behavior reinforcers in the classroom that would not be embarrassing to Kenny. This was very difficult because Kenny was very sensitive to attention that would make him feel singled-out and providing obvious reinforcers was almost impossible. One of the most effective reinforcers that I found was make Kenny feel in control by reminding him that staying out of the SIE-7 program was in his hands.

Constructs for operationalizing and quantifying the target behavior were determined within the context of specific classroom behavioral specifiers that were generated by the teacher with the psychologist's assistance. These were listed on a behavior log and included:

The log was used to establish base-line data (behavior was described in negative terms) for 17 days and subsequent logs (behavior was described in positive terms) were maintained with scoring rubrics for evaluation purposes.The log was updated daily by the teacher and submitted to the psychologist on a weekly basis for monitoring of progress and review with Kenny during counseling sessions.

Specific counseling techniques and approaches applied during sessions included Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) and Interpersonal Cognitive Problem Solving (ICPS) skills. These were systematically taught and used in the context of every day situations at school.

RET principles regarding (a) activating events to problematic behavior, (b) his belief system regarding the activating event, (c) the consequences - both emotional and behavioral (d) disputing his faulty belief system through awareness of the negative consequences (e) and effecting new perspectives on activating events and emotional consequences were discussed within the context of real classroom situations for the first 2 sessions.

During the following 2 sessions, ICPS principles were discussed also within the context of classroom and social situations in terms of (1) problem definition - recognizing a problem and discriminating it from its symptoms (··[1]2) alternative solution thinking - discovering effective solutions to the problem (3) consequential thinking - 'if, then' regarding alternative solutions (4) means-end thinking - planning steps necessary to carry out solutions and (5) casual thinking - recognition of cause-effect.

After the fourth session, these techniques were routinely and automatically incorporated into causal conversations regarding daily activities, academic and social situations. Discussions often included topics addressing differing cultural perspectives regarding certain situations.

Overall, Kenny was very receptive and cooperative during the counseling sessions, although he would often forget to do assignments i.e. make a list of how he would normally react under a certain situation, and then list how he would react after thinking about it etc. Ongoing consultation with the teacher was also maintained over the course of the school year and she consistently maintained and submitted the logs.

It should be noted that attempts to involve Kenny's mother in the process were unsuccessful.

Toward the end of the school year base-line and treatment data submitted by the teacher via logs and scoring rubrics were compared. An analysis of the results indicates significant improvement in Kenny's completion of classwork (baseline=31%: treatment=82%; +51), interacting appropriately with peers (baseline=12%: treatment=58%: +46) and responding appropriately to staff (base-line=19%: treatment=61: +46).These three items were congruent with the IEP short term objectives specified which indicates mastery or near mastery of the IEP counseling goals. Nonetheless, being prepared for class (+4), remained somewhat adequate with little improvement, as was completing homework (+6); a decline in being on time (-8) was noted which remained problematic, as well as going to all classes (-15.9) and not minding other student's successes (-17.9) remained consistently marginal throughout the semester.

Kenny made significant progress in critical target behavior which indicates marked potential for success in his current program including continued systematic behavior intervention with the applied techniques, although there was scatter in the behavior profile. The most important changes were the reduction in aggressive behavior toward other students, Kenny's negative reaction to school staff and completion of classwork which made him more containable in the MIS-2 program without placement in a more restrictive educational environment (SIE-7). Other behavior which remained marginal e.g. arriving to school on time, going to all classes etc., may be addressed through ongoing counseling and should be built into the next set of IEP goals and objectives.

It should be noted that although the data analyzed was maintained and logged by the teacher, her perception continued to be affected by inter and intrapersonal theme interference that affected the goodness of fit between the teacher and Kenny, which had an adverse impact on the her expectations regarding Kenny's behavior. This brings to the forefront some ecological issues that require further exploration in this case which include the impact of significant cultural incongruities between student-faculty, the reciprocal intolerance for cultural diversity, need for self-awareness training for school staff, and the need for appropriate methodologies training for service providers. Methods of engaging resistant parents are also critical for optimal success, which was an ongoing frustrating dynamic in this case. The degree to which improvement of critical behavior in this case correlates to individualized counseling through a male non-White service provider also needs further exploration.

In conclusion, the systematic behavior plan implemented within a collaborative multi-technique approach does appear to be a more effective method than traditional school counseling approaches. It is further indicated that proper assessment and planning are critical factors in the effectiveness of this approach particularly since these impact significantly on the educational decision-making process for youngsters of diverse cultural backgrounds who exhibit problematic behavior in the classroom.

Reference:
Rodriguez, Joaquin (1999). The Systematic Behavior Plan within a Consultative-Collaborative model utilizing various counseling techniques. [Online]. Perspectives. [1999, November 1].

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