A Descriptive Study of Psychological Service Delivery in Selected Rural School Settings

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Abstract
This investigation utilized qualitative methods to provide in-depth information regarding the nature and scope of problems faced by rural school psychologists in a diverse array of settings. Interviews were conducted with a total of fifty psychologists who practiced at ten sites in five states to determine problem areas and procedures used to deal with these problems. The results indicate that difficulties exist in particular settings in overcoming resistance to change and suspicion from school staff and parents; traveling to widely scattered schools or over hazardous terrain; working with the constraint of insufficient resources; and working with children from low SES, educationally deprived backgrounds. Specific approaches used to overcome these problems are suggested. In sum, if psychological service delivery is to be efficiently, effectively achieved, the role of the school psychologist must be adapted to fit the unique ecology of a given rural setting.