The Bender-Gestalt Test is a psychological assessment tool used for measuring visual-motor function by having subjects attempt to reproduce patterned drawings. Brannigan (psychology, State U. of New York at Plattsburgh) and Brunner (Child and Family Guidance, Clinton, New Jersey) offer a history of the test, an overview of the modifications to its scoring system, and the research background behind those modifications. They then present guidelines to the administration and scoring of the test and protocols for test interpretation. Finally they suggest avenues for future research. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

With increased interest in predicting and ultimately preventing academic failure in children comes the need for effective preschool and primary school assessment. The first step in developing an effective assessment program is to select tests that will yield data needed for individual decision making. One factor that has been shown to contribute to the prediction of children’s academic achievement is visual-motor-integration skill. The Qualitative Scoring System for the Modified Version of the Bender-Gestalt Test was developed in the 1980s to measure visual-motor-integration skill in preschool and early elementary school children. The assessment instrument utilizes six of the nine Bender-Gestalt Test designs, which are copied by the child. It may be administered in either individual or group format. The scoring system involves a six-point scale used to judge the overall quality of each design. Examiners will find the assessment instrument easy to administer, score, and interpret. Further, research has shown that the assessment instrument is a reliable and valid predictor of school achievement. This book will describe the development and refinement of the Qualitative Scoring System for the Modified Version of the Bender-Gestalt Test. In addition, it will provide detailed information and guidelines for administering, scoring, and interpreting the test. Specifically, there are separate chapters on administration and scoring, standardization and norming, reliability and validity, and interpretation. In short, the book contains everything psychologists and educational specialists need to know to use the Qualitative Scoring System for the Modified Version of the Bender-Gestalt Test.

"The Handbook of International School Psychology will be THE major resource on the profession and its various applications in different countries. It is a ′must read′ for school psychologists and professionals from related disciplines who wish to understand, monitor, and shape the field of school psychology." --Scott Huebner, NCSP, University of South Carolina "This book is a very important contribution . . . The authors are all the most well known and respected in their countries, with many years of international experience within the field. The reader gets a firsthand impression of both the vast differences and the many common aspects within the school psychological domain. The broad range of countries . . . also shows how trends in school psychology--and special education--over years play an important role in cross-national implementation strategies." --Niels Egelund, Institute of Educational Psychology, The Danish University of Education. The Handbook of International School Psychology provides a description of the specialty of psychology devoted to the global provision of services to children and youth, their teachers, and parents. Editors Shane R. Jimerson, Thomas D. Oakland, and Peter T. Farrell have brought together prominent authors from 43 countries to provide valuable information and insights regarding the numerous facets of school psychology. Key Features: Offers a comprehensive overview of key areas: This Handbook addresses the context of school psychology; its origin, history, and current status; and the infrastructure of school psychology. In addition, contributors examine the preparation of school psychologists; their roles, functions, and responsibilities; and current issues impacting the field. Provides a balance of breadth and depth: Internationally renowned authors offer insight on the work of school psychologists around the world, such as assessing children who display cognitive, emotional, social, or behavioral difficulties; developing and implementing intervention programs; consulting with teachers, parents, and other relevant professionals; and conducting research. Reviews key trends in the field: Trends influencing school psychology′s international development are examined. The past, present, and future of the International School Psychology Association (ISPA) are discussed, as are findings from the International School Psychology Survey that examines the characteristics and responsibilities of school psychologists. Intended Audience: The Handbook of International School Psychology is the foremost international resource regarding school psychology. It is ideal for scholars, practitioners, and graduate students interested in acquiring an international view of school psychology.

The psychology community recognizes that cultivating an international worldview is crucial not only to professionals and researchers, but more importantly, for professors and students of psychology as well. It is critically necessary for psychologists to learn from their colleagues who are working in different cultural contexts in order to develop the type of knowledge and psychological understanding of human behavior that will be maximally useful to practitioners and researchers alike. This volume, Internationalizing the Psychology Curriculum in the United States, provides information and resources to help psychology faculty educate and train future generations of psychologists within a much more international mindset and global perspective. Recognizing that cultural context are central to a true and accurate psychology, the authors describes how cultural, economic, political, and social factors in different countries frame individual experience and affect the science and practice of psychology. Each of the chapters will provide a content-specific overview of how the curriculum in psychology with regards to social, development, clinical, counseling psychology, etc will need to be modified in order to present a much more global view of psychology.

Faced with challenging economic times, contemporary clinicians require assessment tools which can accelerate the therapeutic process and facilitate brief psychotherapy. This text introduces graphology, or handwriting analysis, which has been used clinically in Europe for decades alongside other projective techniques. In Clinical Graphology: An Interpretive Manual for Mental Health Practitioners, this clinical application becomes accessible. The text provides a compelling rationale for the clinical evaluation of handwriting and demonstrates how therapists can access rich personal data by examining clients’ graphic behaviors. The text is designed to systematically present clinical graphology in theory and practice. A review of the literature demonstrates that the clinical use of graphology is consistent with the tenets of clinical practice. Graphological interpretive theory is presented in detail, providing a theoretical understanding of those graphic features which are meaningful indices of psychological phenomena. In this context, the inherent congruity between graphological and psychological theory is explored. Diverse handwriting samples, including many of contemporary public figures, illustrate graphic phenomena while demonstrating and encouraging the graphologist’s unique type of visual acuity. To facilitate the reader’s ability to synthesize graphic traits into a holistic personality profile, an interpretive schedule is provided which summarizes graphic indices and their interpretations. A method of assessing handwritings is provided which permits a degree of standardization and so facilitates research. Using this text, readers can integrate graphological theory and cultivate interpretive skills. Providing a comprehensive treatment of the psychology of handwriting, this volume includes a discussion of caveats which guide the clinical use of graphology as well as research considerations and guidelines for sharing graphological findings with clients. To date, clinicians in North America remain unaware of the merits of graphology usage although they continue to seek out methods of assessment which will facilitate their clinical efforts. This volume will demonstrate graphology as a tool which can be applied by those with virtually any theoretical orientation or practice model, speaking to the interests of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, art therapists, vocational counselors, pastoral counselors, and naturopaths, and paraprofessionals.