Countering teacher resistance in behavioral consultation: Recommendations for the school-based consultant.

Psychologists working in schools have demonstrated the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for improving academic performance and classroom behaviors. Furthermore, the amendments to IDEA have given school-based professionals greater responsibilities for conducting functional behavioral assessments and implementing positive behavioral interventions in the classroom. Typically, psychologists working in the schools use behavioral consultation as a framework for delivering behavioral services. Despite the existence of a number of studies supporting the effectiveness of delivering intervention services through a consultation framework, many applied personnel are often met with resistance from consultees that weakens the effectiveness of the intervention. As such, the present article reviews potential reasons for resistance and provides the consultant with verbal tools for effectively responding to the resistance from consultees who are asked to implement behavioral strategies. Specific exemplars of verbal resistance statements are examined along with potential responses that can be utilized by the consultant for countering the consultee's statements. The article concludes with suggestions for future research. ********** Psychologists working in the schools have demonstrated the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for improving academic performance and classroom behaviors. In addition, amendments to IDEA have given school psychologists greater responsibilities for conducting functional behavioral assessments and implementing positive behavioral interventions in the classroom (Drasgow & Yell, 2001; Gresham, Watson, & Skinner, 2001). In many instances, psychologists working in the schools use consultation as a framework for delivering behavioral services. Although there are different models of consultation from which psychologists may choose (e.g., mental health, behavioral, ecological, problem-solving, organizational), surveys of practicing school psychologists consistently indicate that the behavioral consultation model is the most consistently preferred (Costenbader, Schwartz, & Petrix, 1992; Gutkin & Curtis, 1990; Reschly & Wilson, 1995). In addition, because functional assessments, which are derived from applied behavior analysis, are mandated by IDEA for use in the schools in certain circumstances, behavioral consultation is the logical choice for delivering interventions that are behavior analytic in nature. As a result of the success of using behavioral interventions and functional methodology in school settings, consultation has become a major role of school psychologists (Fagan & Wise, 2000). Briefly, behavioral consultation (BC) is a service delivery model that is based on a triadic relationship between a psychologist, teacher, and student. It differs from other service delivery models in that the psychologist (consultant) works with the teacher (consultee) to effect change in a student (client). BC was originally designed to enable psychologists to reach a greater number of children, to replace the traditional refer-assess-place model, and to offer more effective psychological services in the schools (Bergan, 1977; 1995). Perhaps one of the most important goals of behavioral consultation is to provide the consultee with skills that can be used efficiently with future situations such that assistance from the consultant is either unnecessary or only minimal. Despite the existence of a number of studies supporting the effectiveness of delivering intervention services through a behavioral consultation framework (e.g., Gresham & Kendell, 1987; Gutkin & Conoley, 1990; Noell & Witt, 1998), psychologists working in the schools are often met with resistance from consultees (Hyman, Winchell, & Tillman, 2001; Tingstrom & Edwards, 1989; Witt, 1986). According to Piersel and Gutkin (1983), resistance is the result of the consultants' inability to convince the consultee to participate in the problem solving process. …