Abnormal Psychology for Educators

Abnormal Psychology for Educators presents students with a carefully curated selection of readings that consider childhood mental health conditions from both a clinical and school psychology perspective. Exposure to diverse perspectives and approaches helps to clarify the differences between school and clinical psychology and effectively prepares students for successful careers as psychologists, school counselors, or school psychologists.

Each chapter within the text centers around a particular diagnosis or condition and includes two readings, one from a clinical psychology perspective and another from a school psychology perspective. The opening chapter provides readers with an introduction to abnormal psychology. Later chapters address special education law and school-based accommodations, anxiety and depressive disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Students read articles about conduct and behavioral problems, autism spectrum disorder, and trauma-related disorders. The final chapter speaks to obsessive-compulsive disorders. Each chapter includes discussion questions to stimulate critical thinking, reflection, and conversation.

Designed to help future psychologists and counselors to identify, treat, and support individuals with mental health conditions, Abnormal Psychology for Educators is an ideal resource for courses in school-centered psychology and counseling.

Katherine Stavropoulos is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Riverside. She holds a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of California, San Diego, and completed her postdoctoral work at the Yale Child Study Center. Dr. Stavropoulos is a licensed clinical psychologist and the assistant director of the UC Riverside SEARCH Autism Center, which offers free screenings and support to families in the Inland Empire of California. Dr. Stavropoulos' research explores neural correlates of the reward system in children with and without autism spectrum disorders, as well as broader topics in social cognitive neuroscience.