Case Study Illustrating Family Systems Interventions in a School Setting to Address Anxiety and School Avoidance

ABSTRACT Collaborating with parents is an important skill set for school-based mental health professionals. While school districts expect school psychologists and school counselors to facilitate family-school collaboration, most receive little training in family counseling and systems theory in their graduate programs. School psychologists and school counselors could benefit from resources that demonstrate how to use a family systems approach in a school setting. This article uses a single case study to illustrate how school-based mental health professionals can use brief family counseling to address anxiety and school avoidance. The article describes a family systems approach and interventions such as reframing, subsystems work, consultation, and encouraging gradual progress.