Most children with autism exhibit a variety of behaviours, which may create considerable stress in families. Parents of children with autism have to learn many strategies to support their children. Understanding the experiences of parents of autistic children is crucial in the design and delivery of the appropriate counselling services. The present study attempted to investigate the impact of having an autistic child on the lives of Turkish mothers. For this aim, a Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) Approach was followed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 mothers of autistic children. The interview questions were designed to investigate many facets of the mothers' experiences. For the data analysis, steps of CQR were followed, namely transcription of data, identification of main domains and core ideas, identification of categories and subcategories, and cross analysis. The analyses resulted in a variety of domains such as the reactions to the disability of the child, experience of stress and burnout, involvement with the education of the child, and evaluation of the facilities of the special education centre. Recommendations for guidance and counselling were drawn based on the categories of each domain.

This article outlines and appraises the method of shared concern as developed by Anatol Pikas and applied as a technique for resolving bully–victim problems in schools. It includes a description of how the method can be applied in schools, and critically examines some objections that have been raised to its use. These objections are shown to be largely based on misunderstandings of the method. It is concluded that the method of shared concern is, in fact, well grounded theoretically and can be highly effective in reducing bullying when employed by trained practitioners, especially in addressing problems in which there is group involvement by perpetrators of bullying in secondary schools.

This study aims to investigate the effect of a coping skills program ‘The Best of Coping: Bright Lives’ on adolescents' coping styles. This study also seeks to determine if groups of adolescents who are more or less resistant to depression show different gains from program participation.

Comparisons between changes in coping styles were made between groups of adolescents; those considered at-risk for and resistant to depression, those neither resistant or at-risk for depression, and a male and female group. All students, regardless of group membership, participated in the ‘The Best of Coping: Bright Lives’ program.

All participants completed the Adolescent Coping Scale, the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire and the Perceived Control of Internal States pre and post program.

Results show a significant increase in Reference to Others coping post program, for all groups, particularly the males. The ‘at-risk’ group also appeared to show a decrease in the use of ‘Non-Productive’ coping post program, in comparison to the ‘resilient“ group.

It appears that positive program effects are greatest for adolescents who are prone to depression and use the most ineffective strategies. This indicates that the program effectively targets the adolescents that need the help the most.

Although schools are meant to be safe learning environments for all children, some children are not afforded equal access to the protection of their safety and security. Every day, children who might be same-sex attracted are confronted with a unique set of challenges that are not being adequately addressed by the administrators of educational institutions. Despite increasingly positive shifts in Western societal feelings about homosexuality, educators continue to fail to implement inclusive practices and social justice for children who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT).

The Internet today, beyond being a source of information and communication, has become an ‘addiction’ for some people. The rate of Internet addiction is rapidly increasing in the world. The aim of this study was to examine the extent of Internet addiction among adolescents in North Cyprus. Eight hundred and fifty-one participants between the ages of 14 to 26 completed the Internet Use and Addiction questionnaire. Results indicated that 6.6% of the participants were addicted to the Internet. Younger high school students were found to have the highest rate of Internet addiction, followed by university students. Males were shown to have significantly higher rates of Internet addiction than females for all age groups. Academic, interpersonal and physical problems were all found to be associated with Internet addiction. The implications for guidance counsellors of this problem are discussed.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of counselling self-efficacy, trait anxiety and cognitive flexibility in predicting job satisfaction of school counsellors. The study was conducted according to a correlational research design. The sample group consisted of 99 female and 77 male school counsellors voluntarily participating in the study. Data collection tools included the Personal Information Form, Job Satisfaction Scale, Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scale, Trait Anxiety Inventory and Cognitive Flexibility Inventory. The data were analysed with Pearson product-moment correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. According to the research findings, the job satisfaction of school counsellors was identified to have moderate significant correlations with counselling self-efficacy, trait anxiety and cognitive flexibility. Counselling self-efficacy and trait anxiety were each concluded to be significant predictors of job satisfaction. Finally, cognitive flexibility was found not to be a significant predictor of job satisfaction. The results are interpreted and discussed in accordance with the relevant literature.

This article presents a review of research literature regarding the association between marital conflict and child adjustment in intact families. Factors such as the child temperament and gender, the relational dynamics between parent/s and child, the child's developmental stage and cognitive appraisal of the conflict — including aspects of the child's physiological system, as well as parenting practices — are explored to outline contributions to the understanding of issues associated with this aspect of family process. Developmental psychopathology is offered as a useful resource in terms of a process oriented theoretical framework providing a multi-dimensional approach to exploring and explaining the impact of marital conflict on children.

This paper presents some ground-work for the development of a new theoretical approach which has the potential to contribute to primary prevention of suicide in adolescents by targetting hopelessness. Drawing on the extensive psychological literature which has linked hopelessness with depression and suicide risk for decades, the author notes that although there is a strong research and clinical base for targetting depression, there is a gap in the psychological literature when it comes to targetting hopelessness, specifically. Looking beyond the psychology field to the futures studies research field, the author draws links between the psychology research that does exist and the youth futures research which correlates rising youth suicide rates with growing fears and negativity of young people towards the future. Based on this new theoretical perspective, an intervention has been developed and is detailed here which attempts to reduce hopelessness in adolescents by promoting more positive images of the future.

School-based approaches to addressing aggression in the early grades have focused on explicit curriculum addressing social and emotional processes. The current study reviews research on the distinct modes of aggression, the status of current research on social and emotional processing relevant to problems of aggression amongst young children, as well as the social-relationship processes that occur in schools that hold transformative potential for children's aggression and behavioural development. A framework incorporating peer-to-peer, teacher–child, and teacher-parent relationship components within a social–emotional curriculum is outlined to inform a multisystemic approach to addressing young children's aggression.

Despite the advantages of international study — to the student, the university, and the local community — studies have reported an increased risk of stress-related psychological problems in international students. We surveyed 384 Asian international students (189 female, 193 male, 2 undeclared; aged 17 to 47 years) attending Australian universities in order to examine whether depressive symptoms in these students are related to their trait maladaptive perfectionism and the extent to which they have experienced acculturative stress while in Australia. Path analyses suggest that maladaptive perfectionism influences depression indirectly by increasing acculturative stress (mediation model) and to a lesser extent by interacting positively with acculturative stress (moderation model). The results reveal ways in which maladaptive perfectionism can affect the wellbeing of Asian international students experiencing adjustment-related stress.

Families and schools are important environments that contribute to the resilience and positive development of preadolescent children. Sense of mastery, including its two central factors of optimism and self-efficacy, forms an important component of resilience during preadolescence (Prince-Embury, 2007). This study examined the interrelationships between family functioning, school connectedness, and sense of mastery in 75 children (46 girls and 29 boys) from a government school in Melbourne, Australia. Data was gathered from students aged 10 to 12 years through three self-report questionnaires. Negative perceptions of family functioning were significantly associated with the resilience factors of low sense of mastery, optimism, and self-efficacy. Higher school connectedness was significantly associated with greater sense of mastery, optimism, and self-efficacy. Additional evaluation revealed school connectedness to partially mediate the relationship between family functioning and sense of mastery. School connectedness appears to be a protective factor against the negative influence of poor family functioning. Findings highlight the important role of school connectedness in preadolescent resilience, as measured in terms of mastery, and suggest that interventions directed to enhance school connectedness are of value, particularly for children from poorly functioning families.

We examined the paradigmatic position of school counsellors as it relates to their practice. A survey and interviews were conducted with counsellors, counsellor educators, and teachers. Findings demonstrated that counsellors lacked skills regarding theoretical orientation and applications, counselling practices remained arbitrary and less effective due to the confusion experienced in the adaptation and application of counselling approaches, and the confusion in paradigms stemmed from problems in the identification of local needs, direct transfer of Eurocentric paradigms, training, and professional roles.

This study investigated the social, emotional and mental wellbeing predictors of bullying victimisation and perpetration for boarding students following the transition from primary school to secondary boarding school. Longitudinal data on 76 male and 74 female boarding students in Grades 7, 8 and 9 was used from a larger longitudinal study of 3,462 students. A spike in frequency of bullying perpetration occurred immediately after the transition to secondary school and boarding school, with an increase in bullying perpetration continuing to occur throughout the following 2 years. Those boarding students reporting higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were significantly more at risk of frequent bullying victimisation at the beginning of Grade 8, while boarding students experiencing conduct problems and emotional difficulties were more likely to engage in frequent bullying perpetration. Peer support and feeling safe were found to be factors most likely to decrease frequent bullying victimisation. The sustained nature of bullying behaviour highlights the importance of addressing attitudes towards bullying both prior to and immediately after the commencement of boarding school. It is recommended that boarding schools adopt a targeted and systematic whole school approach to bullying prevention, while promoting positive interactions and relationships with peers.

This study reports data from teachers in regular classrooms about their experiences of inclusion for 143 young children with disabilities. Children were recruited from early intervention programs and their experiences were tracked across 3 years, from a Preparatory year to Year 2 of school. Children's teachers rated the appropriateness of the child's placement in their classroom as high to very high. However, most teachers rated the resources and supports available to support inclusion as only adequate. Teachers perceived a range of benefits for the child, peers, and themselves from inclusion but also identified significant challenges, including time pressures and increased responsibilities, as well as various behavioural and developmental concerns that had an impact on all children's learning. Challenges identified deserve continued attention for successful inclusive practice.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the predictive value of gender, attachment dimensions and family environment in explaining loneliness among students. The study included 473 students (281 females, 192 males) from Ankara University. The UCLA Loneliness Scale, Family Environment Assessment Scale and Experiences in Close Relationships — Revised Questionnaire were administered to all participants. The results of the regression analyses demonstrated that the avoidance dimension of attachment accounted for 11%, avoidance and anxiety 14%, all attachment dimensions and family environment 18%, and all variables together (attachment dimensions, family environment, gender) accounted for 19% of variance in loneliness. The present study demonstrated that insecurely attached males with low-coherent families reported the highest degree of loneliness. On the contrary, securely attached females with high-coherent families reported the lowest degree of loneliness.

School counselling services have always been unpopular among Malaysian students. Many researchers have studied what prevents students from seeking mental health services. However, there is a lack of study on the barriers to seeking help in the context of Malaysian school counselling services. Using a sample of Chinese high school students (N = 277), this qualitative study explored the under-utilisation of school counselling services. A thematic analysis was used to analyse an open-ended question, and the findings uncovered contextualised issues such as: conceptualisation of problems and the shameful, fearful, concerned, and responsible self that contributes to the under-utilisation of school counselling services.

The aim of the study was to establish the Lakaev Academic Stress Response Scale (LASRS; Lakaev, 2006) as a valid and reliable measure of stress responses. The sample consisted of 375 Bond University students from several countries (142 Australia, 5 New Zealand, 68 United States, 8 Canada, 65 Asian, 66 Europe and 21 other) and from various levels of tertiary education (266 undergraduate and 109 postgraduate). Participants completed six self-report questionnaires that related to, acculturative stress, somatic stress symptoms, academic stress, stress responses, extraversion and general stress in order to determine convergent and divergent validity. The LASRS was shown to have sound psychometric properties and was suggested to be a sound way of measuring academic stress responses, particularly for Australian students. The results are discussed in terms of past tertiary academic stress research and suggestions for future investigations.

Recent understanding of education and human development recognises the importance of psychosocial factors, particularly personal resiliency, in the academic success of children and youth. This article presents the examination of resiliency within school settings for the purpose of preventive screening, intervention and outcomes assessment. The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents (Prince-Embury, 2007) is described as an example of an instrument developed specifically for this purpose. This description identifies developmentally sound factors of personal resiliency that are relevant for children and youth in school settings. Also addressed are criteria of psychometric soundness required for universal screening and impact tracking, norm-based profiles of personal resiliency and summary indices of resource and vulnerability for use in screening.

School counsellors play an important role in supporting student mental health but face several challenges that may increase their vulnerability to burnout. This study aimed to explore the factors associated with burnout among school counsellors in secondary schools in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A cross-sectional, online survey was conducted to measure demographics, school counsellor background, school context, school counselling practice, openness towards evidence-based practices, and use of online resources. The final sample consisted of the 125 participants who responded they had (n = 65) or had not (n = 60) experienced burnout. Most participants were female (86%), with an average of 9 years’ experience (SD = 7.0). Burnout was associated with lower workload manageability, lower satisfaction with school mental healthcare, greater impact of work stress upon wellbeing, and greater frequency of providing care outside of school hours. No other significant associations were found. This study reinforces that school counsellors are vulnerable to burnout and that measuring job overload may help to identify those at increased risk. School counsellors may also benefit from additional support for students who require care beyond school hours. Greater awareness about the risks of burnout, coupled with efforts to improve resource allocation within the school setting, may improve school counsellors’ sustainability and optimise the mental healthcare available to students.

In this paper consideration is given to the problem of bullying in Australian Schools which a recent Federal Government enquiry into violence in schools has identified as a major concern. The thrust of the paper is to describe an intervention program based around the acronym P.E.A.C.E. (Preparation, Education, Action, Coping and Evaluation). School based evaluations of the P.E.A.C.E. Programme will be described to highlight its efficacy in reducing bullying in schools.