Which is better – classroom-based interventions (Eg CBT) or expressive (Eg Art, narrative) therapies?
CBT is typically not delivered in the schools, definitely not in the classroom. Teachers definitely cannot render those services. CBT is focused on identifying inappropriate thoughts that occur prior to our actions, in order to replace those types of thinking with more appropriate ones. To my knowledge, the school counselors have some training in CBT, but the frequency on their contacts with children isn’t typically frequent enough. School psychologists are also trained to render those services, but again, there often isn’t enough time in their schedules to provide those services personally. When it comes to comparisons, CBT is much more supported in peer-reviewed research. Art therapy and narrative therapy have shown promise with some populations, but haven’t really demonstrated the level of reliability as other, more traditional methods. When it comes to behavioral intervention, I have found that behavior analysis is still the most reliable and consistent way to systematically affect
