1st Edition
Conducting Student-Driven Interviews Practical Strategies for Increasing Student Involvement and Addressing Behavior Problems
This user-friendly book equips school practitioners with practical skills and strategies for conducting student-driven interviews—conversations that invite students of all ages to take charge of school-behavior problems and build solutions based on their own strengths and resources. In contrast to traditional interviewing models that approach behavior problems by focusing on what is wrong and missing in students’ lives, student-driven interviews help students discover and apply what is right and working in their lives—successes, strengths, values, and other "natural resources."
In Conducting Student-Driven Interviews, readers will learn how to customize conversations one student at a time using ideas and techniques that have been field tested for application to real problems of real students in the real world of schools. The book’s positive, student-driven approach is illustrated through dozens of real-life dialogues and examples involving a wide range of students and problems, and the author’s irrepressible faith in students’ ability to change jumps off of every page. School-based professionals of all backgrounds will find Conducting Student-Driven Interviews an invaluable roadmap for increasing student involvement and involving students in every aspect of their care, from goal development through evaluation of services.
Part I: Foundations 1.Lessons from the Greats 2. Key Foundations and Features of Student-Driven Interviewing 3. Meeting Students Where They Are: Developmental Accommodations Part 2: Skills 4. Leading From One Step Behind I: Basic Interviewing Skills 5. Leading From One Step Behind II: Advanced Interviewing Skills Part 3: Strategies 6. Setting the Stage for Student Involvement and Solutions 7. Discussing Problems in Solution-Focused Ways 8. Creating Goals That Matter 9. Working With What Works I: Non-Problems 10. Working With What Works II: Natural Resources 11. Keeping the Ball Rolling in the Right Direction Epilogue
Biography
John J. Murphy, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of Central Arkansas. He is also an internationally recognized author and trainer on using strength-based therapy approaches with young people and school problems. His books have been translated into multiple languages and his work has been featured in the New York Times bestseller Switch and the training series Child Therapy with the Experts. He is a sought-after workshop presenter who has trained thousands of mental health professionals and teachers in the US and overseas. More information on his work and training can be found at www.drjohnmurphy.com.
"If you’re a proponent of positive psychology in the schools, this is the book you’ve been waiting for. It provides a conceptually driven, developmentally appropriate, and eminently practical approach to assessment and intervention, which integrates newer strengths-based positive psychology methods with traditional problem-focused methods. The resulting approach yields an exciting, more comprehensive model of service delivery for school psychologists, one that reflects the insights of an experienced interviewer. This is must read for all psychologists and school-based professionals who work with children and families—beginners and seasoned professionals alike."
—Scott Huebner, PhD, professor of psychology and director of school psychology program, University of South Carolina
"I will definitely be using this book in my Advanced Counseling Techniques class. The attention to developmental differences and practical guidance on issues like setting up your counseling space, getting a session started, and using outcome measures distinguishes this book from others in the field. Written in a casual, reader-friendly style, and packed with illustrative transcripts and reflective exercises, reading it is like having a conversation with a master therapist. Outstanding!"
—Kathleen M. Minke, PhD, NCSP, professor and coordinator of the school psychology program at the University of Delaware
"Conducting Student-Driven Interviews is essential reading for all mental health professionals and teachers that work in the schools. The book is filled with nuggets of practical wisdom for engaging and motivating students in a cooperative helping process. Written in an exceptional manner, this book shows school professionals how effective brief assessment and outcome measures can be in the interview process. It is an excellent text for training counselors and social workers, as well as those who are already practicing in the schools."
–Cynthia Franklin, PhD, Stiernberg/Spencer Family Professor in Mental Health at the University of Texas–Austin
