Conclusion

The literature reveals a growing interest in SBFC that cuts across disciplines: School Counseling, School Psychology, Family Therapy, School Social Work, and Special Education. School practitioners in each of these fields have written about the importance of a family systems theoretical viewpoint in working with children with school difficulties. This represents an important paradigm shift in the conceptualization of counseling school children.

This review of the literature suggests that there are six main types of SBFC service delivery program currently being used: 1) School-sited: In-service Training, 2) School-sited: Family Therapy Staff, 3) School-sited: University-School Collaborative, 4) School-sited: Agency-School Collaborative, 5) Community-sited: Agency, and 6) Community-sited: Private Practice. Table 2 lists the six SBFC service delivery program types and compares each one: site of counseling, accountability of SBFC personnel, personnel providing the SBFC, administrative and clinical control of the program, advantages and disadvantages, and a sample of representative programs.

While numerous case studies attest to the efficacy of a SBFC approach, considerable more outcome research is needed, particularly research into different approaches to SBFC. The literature also reveals important ethical issues around the level of training needed to do SBFC. There is a need for SBFC academic programs that are integrated, that is, programs that are not just a splicing together of Family Therapy and School Counseling/School Psychology/School Social Work/Special Education programs, but have a genuinely ecosystemic view of the family-school system (as well as the child’s peer and community subsystems).

Although the final word on the effectiveness of SBFC is not in, many principals (who are central in importance in hiring school personnel) are casting their vote by hiring School-Based Family Counselors in preference to more traditionally trained mental health school personnel. This suggests that SBFC represents a paradigm shift that is more than a fad.

Table 2 | Six Types of School-Based Family Counseling Service Delivery Programs

Program Type	Site Counseling	Main Accountability of SBFC Personnel	Personnel Providing SBFC	Administrative Control of Program
School-sited: In-service Training	School	School	School Counselor School Psychologist School Social Worker	School
School-sited: Family Therapy Staff	School	School	Family Therapist	School
School-sited: University-School Collaborative	School	School	Family Therapy Graduate Students	School/University
School-sited: Agency-School Collaborative	School	School	Family Therapist	School/Agency
Community-sited: Agency	Community Agency	Agency	Family Therapist	Agency
Community-sited: Private Practice	Community: Private Office	Family Therapist in Private Practice	Family Therapist	Family Therapist

Note: The term “School-Based” in “School-Based Family Counseling” refers to the critical importance of the role of the school rather than the school site specifically.

Program Type	Clinical Control of Program	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples
School-sited: In-service Training	School	Low cost Utilizes existing personnel	Extensive in-service training required	Nicoll (1992) Merril, Clark, Varvil, Sickle & McCall (1991)
School-sited: Family Therapy Staff	School	Utilizes experienced Family Therapists	Requires hiring of new personnel	Kramer (1977)
School-sited: University-School Collaborative	University	Cost effective for Schools and Parents	Inexperience of graduate students	Albaum (1990) Friesen (1976) Hillis, Gerrard, Soriano, Girault, Carter & Hong (1991)
School-sited: Agency-School Collaborative	Agency	Cost effective for Schools	Parents pay fee	Barksdale (1979) Blatt & Starr (1977)
Community-sited: Agency	Agency	Utilizes community resources	Parents pay fee Reluctance of families to participate	McGuire & Lyons (1985)
Community-sited: Private Practice	Family Therapist	Utilizes community resources	Parents pay fee Reluctance of families to participate	Freund & Cardwell (1977) Wetchlet (1986)