bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
(Un)Ethical leadership: What can Educational Psychology Services learn?
Authors: Midgen Tara 
Published: January 2023

Aims:This paper reviews published literature on ethical and unethical leadership and makes some comparisons with ethical codes of conduct. It considers the relevance of the constructs of ethical and unethical leadership for educational psychology leaders, managers and practitioners working within today’s climate of traded educational psychology services. Similarities and differences between cultures and across private and public sector organisations are discussed and lessons that can be learned from the research literature are highlighted (with a particular focus on the limited research on unethical leadership).Method/Rationale:Literature searches were conducted using the key concepts ethical leadership and unethical leadership in the search engines PsychInfo and Embase. Selected studies were included for review if ethical or unethical leadership was a key concept of the research and/or aspects of unethical leadership were a topic focus for the research.Findings:The following individual and contextual factors were found to be potential contributors to ethical and unethical leadership: the moral character of leaders, the cultural values of society and organisations, the ethical interests of stakeholders both inside and outside an organisation, the ethical behaviour of the peer group, and systems for dealing with unethical conduct.Limitations:Many studies were drawn from The Leadership Quarterly and The Journal of Business Ethics. It is recognised that there are other business journals likely to include business ethics literature, which were not available to the author.Conclusions:The current context of some educational psychology services poses risks for ethical (including financial) misconduct. All educational psychologists have a responsibility to minimise these risks.
Systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Boyle James , Connolly Michael , MacKay Tommy 
Published: January 2023

Aim:This paper provides an overview of the research methodologies of systematic review and meta-analysis and uses a commentary on the analysis of data from a previously published study to illustrate the procedures and decision-making involved for consumers and those who may be considering carrying out a systematic review.Rationale:Systematic review and meta-analysis are located within a hierarchy of evidence-based practice, and their underlying epistemological and theoretical basis considered. The advantages of systematic review over traditional narrative reviews are discussed, together with the case for the use of meta-analysis to synthesise research findings. The feasibility of the use of these methodologies by educational psychologists is also considered.Findings:The worked example details the steps necessary to carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis and the commentary addresses key issues such as specifying inclusion/exclusion criteria and determining relevance; specifying the literature search strategy and coping with the ‘grey’ literature; extracting and coding data from the included studies and the importance of reliability checks; study quality; selecting the most appropriate effect size; selecting the most appropriate model for meta-analysis (fixed-effect versus randomeffect), combining and averaging effect sizes across studies; running weighted ANOVAs or meta-regression analyses to investigate heterogeneity; checks for publication bias; and sensitivity analysis to deal with outliers.Conclusions:Future developments in these methodologies, details of available software and resources, and implications for educational psychologists who may wish to carry out systematic reviews and meta-analysis are discussed.
‘You do what you need for your children, don’t you?’: An exploration of the current range of practice and priorities of nurture group staff in a local authority
Authors: Birch Emma 
Published: January 2023

Aim:This paper describes a small-scale piece of research, conducted within a single Local Authority, which provides an initial exploration of the variance in nurture group (NG) practice, and of NG staff perceptions of the successes and challenges of running a NG.Rationale:NGs are a school-based, small group intervention designed to replace unhelpful or missing ‘early nurturing experiences’ for pupils who display social, emotional or behavioural difficulties in school. However, an increase in the popularity of NGs in schools has meant that the implementation of this intervention differs widely from school to school.Method:Detailed data regarding the practice and demographics of six NGs were gathered through an initial survey. Staff involved in running these six NGs were then invited to take part in a focus group to consider factors which constitute and contribute towards an effective NG.Findings:Whilst survey data suggested a broad range of practice in terms of NG delivery, thematic analysis of focus group data suggested that there was a large amount of consensus between NG staff about the components of an ‘ideal’ NG.Conclusions:The contrast between the uniformity of ‘ideals’ and the varied practice of NGs is then discussed, with the suggestion that differing pressures of resources and expectations lead staff to compromise, to a greater or lesser extent, on their ‘ideal’ NG.
What can narrative therapy bring to our understanding and practice around mental health and behaviour? Constructing preferred stories in the classroom
Authors: Gilling Jennifer A. 
Published: January 2023

Aim:Mental health and behaviour has largely been understood through behaviourist or cognitive-behavioural theories and many classroom-based interventions are founded on cognitive behavioural frameworks. These models have typically considered the constructs of mental health and behaviour through observable, standardised measures. In the existing literature there appears to be a lack of understanding of behaviour from the perspective of individual experiences. The emergence of narrative approaches in mainstream practice shows promising evidence of alternative avenues for educational practitioners. By examining social discourses and individuals’ own constructs of mental health and behaviour, this study aimed to explore the impact of a narrative therapy based intervention on people’s understanding of mental health and behaviour, changes in their relationship with ‘problem’ behaviour and how this can bring about different action within the classroom.Method:Individual accounts were gathered through a series of narrative therapy conversations with three people: a young person, teacher and mother. An iterative approach was taken to data collection and analysed through the method of constructionist grounded theory. The narrative stories from individuals were incorporated into a final grounded theory.Findings:The findings showed that the use of narrative therapy illuminated the possibility for change in understanding a young person outside of structuralist notions of ‘difficult behaviour’. This change in understanding led, in turn, to a change in classroom practice in response to mental health and behaviour.Limitations:The small-scale study is not representative of all practice and therefore has implications for the applicability of the findings.Conclusion:The research has highlighted that supporting mental health and behaviour may not be so much about implementing a programme and ‘getting it right’, but more about constructing alternative stories in the classroom that open up other possibilities.
Applying assessment through teaching and instructional psychology: An alternative model of service delivery to raise attainment in primary schools
Authors: Ward Jo , Crawford Sarah , Solity Jonathan 
Published: January 2023

Aim:This paper describes an alternative model of service delivery implemented by two Educational Psychologists (EPs) during an academic year in collaboration with an external psychological consultant. The alternative model aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice by drawing on instructional psychology and assessment-through-teaching (ATT), and its application within a whole school setting.Rationale:Prior to the study each school was allocated a limited amount of EP time, which tended to be used within the special educational needs (SEN) population. Selected schools were offered the option of a model of service delivery where the focus was on ATT, raising the attainments of all pupils, whilst at the same time meeting the needs of the lowest achieving pupils.Method:The EP time available to visit each school was amalgamated and replaced with 16 fortnightly, half-day workshops, where the key features of an ATT model were presented in order to meet a diverse range of needs in reading, spelling and maths on a whole class basis.Findings:School staff reported that their knowledge of research increased, teaching methodologies in schools were refined and children’s meta-cognitive skills improved. School data suggested whole class reading gains for both higher achievers and children perceived to have SEN. Implications from the research are considered with reference to the role of the EP in supporting schools in the implementation of instructional principles and ATT.
WISC-IV UK profiles of children with autism spectrum disorder in a specialist autism service
Authors: Stack Karen , Murphy Raegan , Prendeville Paula , O’Halloran Maria 
Published: January 2023

Aim:The current study investigated the WISC-IV UK scores of children with ASD to explore the profile of their cognitive abilities. The research aimed to establish whether cognitive profiles among the children in the sample were consistent with previous research.Method:An archival study of WISC-IV UK scores of 134 children with ASD attending a specialist autism service was conducted. Comparisons were made between group mean scores in each of the WISC-IV UK indices of both the current sample and the WISC-IV UK standardisation sample. In addition, scores were analysed using the multiple single case study approach which calculated individual profiles for each child in the sample.Findings:Deficits in the Processing Speed and Working Memory indices were identified for a significant number in the sample. No difference between Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Reasoning indices were apparent in analyses of group mean scores.Conclusion:The findings identified an uneven pattern of scoring in the WISC-IV for children with ASD. Since large individual differences in scoring were concealed in analyses of group mean comparisons, this highlighted the importance of considering each individual child’s unique profile. Implications for educational psychologists working with children with ASD are also discussed.
What can the lived experiences of gang members tell us about that what occupies the ‘black box’ that mediates gang membership and offending? A systematic review
Authors: Boden Thomas 
Published: January 2023

AimsThis systematic review aims to explore the lived experiences of young gang members to explore the processes that mediate gang membership and offending.RationaleGang membership disproportionately effects young people (Home Office, 2016). The link between gang membership and inordinately high levels of severe offending characteristics is well represented in research (Thornberry, 1998). However, the processes that mediate gang membership and offending are poorly understood (Melde & Esbensen, 2011). Young gang members are often passively conceptualised within research and need to have their voices uncovered to better elucidate the psychological processes that link gang membership to offending.MethodA systematic review of qualitative research was carried out following the Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement for reporting (Moher et al., 2009), Six papers were identified which represented samples from both the UK and US. These were reviewed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Checklist (2016) and were subsequently analysed using thematic synthesis.FindingsYoung gang members associated offending with its role in reinforcing a community of belonging, providing material and non-material capital and as a response to living within an oppressive context.ConclusionsThis research suggests that the internal psychological processes within a gang play an important interacting role with the external marginalised contexts they occupy. Implications of the need for policy, research and practice to better account for this are discussed.
Reintegration to secondary education following school exclusion: An exploration of the relationship between home and school from the perspective of parents
Authors: Embeita Carina 
Published: January 2023

Aim:This study aimed to investigate the factors in the parent—school1relationship that facilitate reintegration to secondary education after school exclusion, from the perspective of parents.Rationale:Against a background of increased school exclusions and renewed calls for parent—school partnerships, understanding the parental perspective is essential in promoting collaborative approaches to reintegration.Method:Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three parents whose children had undergone the process of exclusion and reintegration within the previous year. A qualitative design was adopted using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as the methodology.Findings:Parents in this study saw exclusion and reintegration as parts of one whole process. Three main themes describing their experience emerged: Parent-child relationship, parent-school relationship and the experience of time, the latter two of which are explored in this article. Within the parent-school relationship, Communication, Collaboration and a perception of the school’s Commitment to reintegration – the three ‘Cs ’ of reintegration – were seen as fundamental to successful reintegration. The parental experience of time in relation to their children’s past and future opportunities also featured prominently.Limitations:In keeping with IPA’s idiographic approach, this study focused on a small sample of participants and cannot claim generalisability. However, by providing an in-depth understanding of the participants’ accounts, the study aimed to capture something of the essence of the parental experience of home-school relationships during exclusion and reintegration.
Working with a man with mild learning disabilities: Solution-focused and narrative approaches
Authors: Costa Berta Figueras 
Published: January 2023

This article describes the psychological work I carried out with ‘Robert’, a young man with mild learning disabilities. Robert was referred to Psychology in a Community Health Team for People with Learning Disabilities by his GP. The referral letter stated that Robert’s mother was worried about his mood swings, and finding it increasingly difficult to cope with him. Robert chose to attend individual psychology sessions. Using solution-focused and narrative approaches, psychological intervention initially concentrated on what Robert had identified as his main concerns: his anxiety around meeting new people, making friends and engaging in activities with them. Robert’s emotions, as well as some of the family conflicts that had prompted his mother’s visit to the GP, were later explored. At therapy termination, Robert reported having gained confidence in his ability to manage some of his painful feelings, as well as some of the difficulties at home and in his social life. As he decided he no longer needed input from Psychology, I discharged him from the service.Drawing on solution-focused, narrative and cognitive behavioural models, this article explores the referral, assessment, formulation, intervention, and evaluation stages of the work I conducted with Robert. A number of reflective practice points are provided at the end, to encourage discussion amongst practitioners in the field.
Paul’s Story: Chapter 3 – After school: Life in a hostel and mental health units
Authors: Gilmore Paul , Skelly Allan 
Published: January 2023

In the last edition ofClinical Psychology & People with Learning Disabilities,Paul Gilmore began an account of his life and various experiences with services that he has encountered on the way. Here he provides the next instalment of his story.Paul is placed, at short notice and without his consent, in a hostel for young people with mental health problems in a south coast city. He tries to form friendships but the young man to whom he is drawn to both as a friend and as a potential romance cuts his wrists one evening in the bath, and then absconds about 48 hours later. Paul is deeply traumatised both by the blood and danger of the para-suicide but also by the sudden disappearance of his friend. His psychological state deteriorates leading to hospital admissions. Again he understands this as ‘trying to get his medication right’, but his suspicion about the ineffectiveness of his drugs begins to grow. The symptoms of trauma (night terror, lack of sleep, obsessing about G, fear of the darkness) are not recognised as psychological in nature, only as symptoms of a ‘mental illness’.
Paul’s Story: Chapter 4: My adult life from 1981 to 2006: Day placement, social workers, community nurses, and mental health services
Authors: Gilmore Paul , Skelly Allan 
Published: January 2023

Paul leaves hospital at the age of 18 with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia in addition to learning disability. He is placed on an antipsychotic intended to reduce his sex drive, in an attempt to repress his desires which he judges to be wrong. No one has explained to him that homosexuality is not wrong. He no longer believes that psychiatric interventions will cure his depressions, but he fears what will happen to his mind if he stops taking the drugs. He starts to consider castration as a treatment for his sexual desire.He continues to dream about G, half in the hope that G will appear again in his life, and also to work through the lasting traumatic effects of the incident in Southampton. His depressions become intertwined with obsessive thoughts about G. Even telling the story makes him feel sick.He tries to engage in work and to obtain an ordinary life in the family home. However, he finds that thoughts and images of gangs attacking him and actual verbal attacks from other people in the community contribute to feelings of loneliness and rejection. He cannot confide in his family because he fears that his mother will not accept his sexuality as she is religious, and he feels that he might damage her health which is chronically weak.Boundaries are re-drawn, new services are offered, and professionals come and go. But Paul remains traumatized and depressed. Throughout the 1980s and most of the 1990s no one even considers that he may have psychological problems, until he meets his social worker Sharon, who suggests a psychology referral. Meanwhile he develops an unwitting addiction to coffee, which eventually coincides with heart trouble. Eventually he is offered psychotherapy in 2003, which he initially declines, then accepts.In psychotherapy Paul manages to tell a coherent and articulate story free of secondary handicap. Sessions provide short-term relief but the underlying psychological problems remain strong; low self-esteem linked to a powerful fear that he destroys relationships with his sexual desires and aggression, with waves of depressive affect triggered by reminders of the time when his father left or when he knew G. He starts to have heterosexual dreams which are new and traumatic to him, and to link his father leaving the family as a root cause of his depression. It is the first time that he has considered the psychological reasons for his low moods.
Biopsychosocial Formulation-Based Working in in-patient learning disabilities services: A survey evaluation
Authors: Ingham Barry , Selman Matt , Clarke Lesley 
Published: January 2023

The application of biopsychosocial models to understanding distress experienced by people with learning disabilities and psychosocial problems represents a potentially beneficial development. A biopsychosocial approach was developed and introduced within an in-patient mental health in learning service. Central to this approach was a process for the multidisciplinary development of case formulations for clients.This study evaluated perceived effectiveness and satisfaction with this Biopsychosocial Formulation-Based Working (FBW) process. A survey questionnaire was designed and administered to multidisciplinary professionals to examine perceived effectiveness and satisfaction with FBW.The majority of participants reported that they would recommend it to colleagues, that it had improved multidisciplinary working and that it had increased their understanding of clients. However, there was some variability in responses.Helpful aspects of the process were identified, including development of a shared understanding of clients across the multidisciplinary team. Future developments will include examining impact on client care and outcomes.
Creative CBT: Inventiveness, imagery and interest
Authors: Liddiard Heather , Buck Claire 
Published: January 2023

Accessible SummaryThis article is about helping someone with a learning disability manage their feelings using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).CBT is one way psychologists use to help people manage their feelings.CBT can be difficult for people with learning disabilities.This article describes how CBT was changed to make it easier for someone with a learning disability to understand.SummaryA case example of a man with a mild learning disability, anxiety and anger is presented to illustrate a range of practical and visual techniques that were used to adapt CBT concepts for people with learning disabilities. A number of techniques were employed in order to develop the client’s understanding of their formulation and intervene with the cognitive, behavioural and physical elements within it. Quantitative and qualitative feedback from the client and his family demonstrate that positive outcomes were achieved over eight sessions. This paper demonstrates some of the creative ways in which CBT can be used with people with learning disabilities in a meaningful and accessible manner.
A Service Evaluation of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) Group Intervention Adapted for People with Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Using a Multi-disciplinary Approach
Authors: Jervis Nicola , Partridge Hannah , McClelland Nicola 
Published: January 2023

People with an intellectual disability are more likely to have dementia and we wanted to see if there was a way of helping this groupWe ran an eleven-week Cognitive Stimulation Therapy CST) group for people with an intellectual disability and their carers to see if this would help. This has helped other people without an intellectual disability with dementia.We wanted to see if the group was helpful, so we asked people that went what they thought about it and we also did some assessments with them before and after.All the information we collected showed us that people enjoyed the group and that this was helpful.We need to collect some more information about CST groups for people with an intellectual disability and dementia to check they really are helpful