Efficacy of Remote as Compared to In-Person School Psychological Services: A Rapid Systematic Evidence Review

As a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, remote school psychological services have increased notably in many countries. With the aim of supporting evidence-based practices, we conducted a rapid systematic evidence review on the efficacy of remote as compared to in-person school psychological services. From a total of 3,873 references identified through our search, only three (< 1%) met eligibility criteria for this review. One of these studies showed serious risk of bias according to the ROBINS-I rating scale and was therefore excluded. Overall, the limited evidence that we identified indicates that the impact of remote school psychological services on consumer satisfaction and evaluated mental health outcomes of service users is equivalent or slightly higher to in-person school psychological services. However, this information needs to be interpreted with caution due to the scarcity of available data, as well as methodological limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The practices of psychologists working in schools during COVID-19: A multi-country investigation.

This exploratory study aimed to identify the ways psychologists working in schools supported students' mental health during school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was developed to determine (a) how psychologists working in schools across the United States, Canada, Germany, and Australia supported students' mental health during COVID-19, (b) how their services changed during COVID-19, and (c) potential differences between countries concerning difficulties supporting students' mental health during this time. The survey was based on previous research and was subsequently piloted. Using convenience and snowball sampling, 938 participants (U.S. n = 665; Canada n = 48; Germany n = 140; Australia n = 85) completed the online survey. Overall, school psychology services across these four countries pivoted from psychoeducational assessments to virtual counseling, consultation, and the development/posting of online support directly to children or parents to use with their children. There was some variation between countries; during the pandemic, significantly more psychologists in Germany and Australia provided telehealth/telecounseling than those in the United States and Canada, and psychologists in Germany provided significantly more hardcopy material to support children than psychologists in other countries. There is a need to ensure psychologists have the appropriate technological skills to support school communities during periods of school closure, including, but not limited to, virtual counseling and the administration of psychoeducational assessments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).