The benefits of a clinician consulting in schools of education.

ABSTRACT

A psychiatric clinician was available to lecture and discuss behavior of children and adolescents. Faculty in four schools of education in Los Angeles requested this service. These were (1) a university graduate school teacher training program; (2) a school psychologist training program; (3) an undergraduate education program; and (4) an administrator training program. In the last program, experiences providing mental health consultation to administrators were presented. In the first program, an evaluation was conducted. It emerged that the teachers-in-training were able to feel more permission to see their role as counselor as an appropriate part of the teacher role. Their increased knowledge and understanding of psychopathologic behavior, especially in adolescents, seemed to increase their comfort and ability to handle these behaviors.