Joining forces: Bringing parents and schools together

The influence families and schools have on positive child outcomes suggest that adopting a comprehensive multi-systemic parent–school framework is necessary. Guided by research, theory, and previous literature, the purpose of this paper was to develop a multi-systemic assessment and intervention framework for clinicians working with families of school-age children and adolescents. Thematic analyses of ten larger-systemic models working with families with school-aged children revealed five levels of therapist involvement: (1) family–school multi-systemic assessment; (2) facilitating parental homebased school involvement; (3) facilitating parental schoolbased school involvement; (4) working with school personnel as part of a multi-disciplinary treatment team; (5) helping school personnel improve family involvement and child outcomes through school-based systemic interventions. Best clinical strategies are discussed for each level. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015.