Psychology in Russia: State of Art (Dec 2019)
Supporting Vulnerable Groups of Students in Educational Settings: University Initiatives and Partnerships
Abstract
Background. During the last decades, the need for supporting vulnerable groups of the population facing crisis situations and adversities has grown dramatically. School communities have been particularly afected, increasing the need for interventions promoting individual and system’s resilience and well-being. Objective. Tis paper presents an integrated approach to linking theory, training, research, and interventions in the Greek educational system in an alternative model for providing school psychological services. Tis approach puts particular emphasis on the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based prevention and intervention programs for enhancing resilience and supporting school communities during unsettling times. Results. In particular, the programs that have been developed and implemented by the Laboratory of School Psychology (LSP), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens are reviewed and presented. For the evaluation of the evidence-based intervention programs, a multilevel assessment model has been applied. Overall, results showed the efectiveness of SEL-based intervention programs aiming at a) enhancing individual resilience and psychological adjustment; and b) supporting school communities during adversities, such as economic recession, refugee infux, and natural disasters. Conclusion. Te evaluation process and the positive outcomes of the programs highlight the critical importance of implementing intervention programs to support all members of school communities. Te description of the various actions developed and implemented by the LSP stresses the important role that universities can play in bridging the gap between theory, research, training, and practice in the feld of school psychology.
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