Educational psychologist practice in response to a critical incident: A systematic literature review

Abstract

AimThis aggregative systematic literature review aims to explore available research evidence published between 2000 and 2018 on what educational psychologists (EPs) offer to schools and pupils following a critical incident (CI) and the reported efficacy of such services.RationaleCIs are sudden and unexpected, impacting upon all areas of life, including school communities. Since the 1990s, CI response has become part of what many educational psychology services across the UK and USA offer (Posada, 2006). The North West Association of Principal EPs commissioned this research as a way of gaining greater insight into CI response.MethodsTwo research databases and Google Scholar were searched and a total of 77 papers was found, 11 of which met the inclusion criteria; ten of these were evaluated as being of at least ‘medium’ level methodological quality.FindingsA synthesis of the research revealed a range of practice within three main areas: strategies and actions, models to frame response, and psychological intervention. Despite similarities, differences of approaches between services were highlighted, particularly around engagement with direct work.ImplicationsEP services should ensure that CI response is comprehensive, sensitive and co-produced with service users. The EP role in responding to a CI needs to be clearly communicated with others.LimitationsLimitations are discussed including the dearth of evidence from 2015 onwards and the limited ‘objective’ evidence summarising the impact of the effectiveness of EP CI response.ConclusionsSome educational psychologists may engage in direct work following a critical incident, whilst others focus intervention on supporting school capacity to support school recovery.