The most common behaviors eliciting a student referral for special education evaluation related to emotional disturbance (ED) are adult- and peer-targeted aggression. Curiously, the word aggression, which is an externalizing behavior, does not appear anywhere in the federal description of ED. Despite the lack of clarity surrounding definitions, as…

Aggression Replacement Training (ART) was developed by the late Arnold Goldstein of Syracuse University to teach positive alternatives to children and youth with emotional and behavioral problems (Glick & Gibbs, 2011; Goldstein, Glick, & Gibbs, 1998). ART provides cognitive, affective, and behavioral interventions to build competence in…

The social justice issue of human sex trafficking is a global form of oppression that places men, women and children at risk for sexual exploitation. Although a body of research exists on the topics of human trafficking, literature specific to the mental health implications for counselors working with this population is limited. Counselors should…

School psychology in Singapore gained greater prominence with the development of the National Mental Health Blueprint in 2007 that included a focus on children and adolescents. A partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education was formed to develop a community mental health pilot program called 'Response, Early…

Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for families with children aged 5 to 15 years who have been affected by verbal and physical aggression in the family. AF-CBT was designed to address risks for exposure to emotional and physical aggression as well as common clinical consequences of…

The development, implementation, and evaluation of anger management programs have proliferated over the past decade. The programs aim to moderate the intensity, frequency, and severity of anger expression, and facilitate alternative nonaggressive responses to conflict and frustration. Cognitive-behavioral theory highlights cognitive processes such…

Children with high levels of aggressive behavior and conduct problems create major management problems in school settings and interfere with the learning environment of their classmates and with their own academic achievement. A contextual social-cognitive model can provide a framework for understanding risk factors involved in the development and…

Student meltdowns can be a frequent source of discouragement for teachers. Mild to moderate verbal outbursts, anger, defacing instructional materials, and withdrawal can cause the most seasoned teacher to wonder if there is a way to help students constructively deal with their frustrations without losing control. There can be situations in which a…

Arnold P. Goldstein served for over 30 years at Syracuse University where he directed the Center for Research on Aggression. His model of Aggression Replacement Training (ART) was enriched by diverse perspectives of many colleagues. This article highlights the ideas of three persons who strongly influenced Goldstein's work, namely, Jerome Frank,…

The underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in higher education is well documented. There are a number of potential reasons for this gender disparity, but gender discrimination appears to be an important maintenance factor. The paper proposes a taxonomy of gender microaggressions, which are forms of gender discrimination, to help…

Preventing youth from dropping out of school is an enormous challenge for school systems, especially students who display aggressive behaviors at school. While many aspects of managing student behavior in the classroom are challenging, chronic and severe aggressive behaviors are most difficult to manage. The aggressive student is often…

Significant progress has been made in developing models of social information processing, and cognitive-behavioral processes and related interventions. While there has been limited attention to cognitive-behavioral modification (CBM) in the special education literature, the majority of the contributions have come from the fields of school,…

In this article we present a cognitive-ecological model for understanding and preventing emotional and behavioral difficulties and propose directions for school-based intervention programs, particularly with aggressive children. In the cognitive-ecological framework, intervention efforts should target certain cognitive skills (e.g., skills that…

This article highlights the inclusion of Mode Deactivation Therapy as a treatment modality for families in crisis. As an empirically validated treatment, Mode Deactivation Therapy has been effective in treating a wide variety of psychological issues. Mode Deactivation Therapy, (MDT) was developed to treat adolescents with disorders of conduct…

Education professionals consistently rank disruptive/aggressive student behavior as persistent and troubling, reporting various types of maladaptive behaviors ranging from talking out in class to assault. Researchers suggest that childhood aggression accounts for a high proportion of the referrals to special education for emotional and behavioral…