PSY7212 equips school psychologists with the diagnostic and intervention knowledge necessary to serve students whose mental health needs intersect with their academic functioning. Drawing on the DSM-5 and ICD classification systems, the course develops students' ability to identify and analyze mental health disorders that commonly affect school-age children — anxiety disorders, mood disorders, ADHD, conduct disorders, trauma-related conditions — and to connect diagnostic understanding to evidence-based counseling methods and crisis intervention strategies tailored to the school context.
Childhood mental health in school settings
Core topics
- Diagnostic frameworks for school psychology: The DSM-5 and ICD diagnostic criteria used by school psychologists to evaluate special education eligibility — how diagnostic categories map onto IDEA disability categories (Emotional Disturbance, Other Health Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder), the similarities and differences between clinical diagnosis and educational eligibility determination, and how school psychologists navigate these overlapping but distinct frameworks
- Mental health disorders affecting academic functioning: The major mental health conditions that present in school populations — ADHD, anxiety disorders (separation anxiety, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, school refusal), depressive disorders, disruptive behavior disorders, trauma and PTSD, autism spectrum disorder, and learning disabilities — including their defining characteristics, risk factors, developmental course, and impact on academic performance and peer relationships
- Factors influencing children's mental wellness: The ecological systems (family, peer, school, community, cultural) that shape children's mental health outcomes — poverty, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), family instability, bullying, cultural minority stress — and the protective factors that buffer against mental health challenges in school-age populations
- Prevention and early intervention: Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) and Response to Intervention (RTI) frameworks for providing graduated, preventive mental health support — universal screening, indicated prevention programs, and intensive individualized intervention — before problems escalate to crisis level
- Evidence-based counseling methods: School-based counseling approaches with empirical support — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety and depression, behavioral interventions for conduct problems, trauma-informed practice, solution-focused brief therapy — adapted for the school setting and age-appropriate populations
- Crisis intervention and prevention: School crisis response frameworks (PREPaRE, National Incident Management System) — threat assessment procedures, suicide risk assessment, protocols for natural disasters or community violence, and the school psychologist's role in crisis team leadership and post-crisis recovery
PSY7212 assignments include case conceptualizations, diagnostic analyses, counseling intervention plans, and crisis response protocols
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Case conceptualizations, counseling plans, crisis protocols.
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Frequently asked questions
These are related but legally distinct determinations. A DSM-5 diagnosis is a clinical classification of a mental health condition based on presenting symptoms — it describes what disorder a person has. IDEA eligibility determination asks a different question: does this student have a disability that adversely affects their educational performance and requires specially designed instruction? A student can have a DSM-5 diagnosis of ADHD without qualifying for special education under IDEA if the ADHD is managed and doesn't significantly impact learning. Conversely, a student can qualify under IDEA's Emotional Disturbance category without having a specific DSM diagnosis. School psychologists must understand both frameworks — DSM-5 for clinical conceptualization and communication with outside providers, IDEA eligibility criteria for the educational determination that governs services — and know how they interact. PSY7212 develops fluency in both systems and the judgment to apply each appropriately.