Training Youth with Disruptive Behaviors as School-Based Peer Coaches

Stanley Huey, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Southern California, has developed peer coach training (PCT), an innovative approach to remediating disruptive school behavior. Disruptive behavior (e.g., fighting, defiance) is a serious problem in school settings, and is the primary reason for school suspensions and expulsions. Persistent discipline problems have serious consequences across the life span including academic disengagement, substance abuse, and criminal offending.

Dr. Huey is using an MRI grant to further validate his PCT intervention with middle-school youth referred for school discipline problems. PCT de-emphasizes the youth’s existing problems and focuses instead on teaching positive skills to youth and encouraging them to influence their peers. The goal is to facilitate the development of new “helper” identities by having target youths serve as coaches for other youths.

 Dr. Huey’s manualized program has two key features. First, instead of treating youths, PCT trains them in behavior change strategies and then has them use their skills to coach their close peers in prosocial directions. Second, PCT adopts a strength-based de-pathologizing approach that reinforces youth competencies and prosocial skills and eschews the use of punishment and criticism. The 5 sessions focus on teaching skills in positive reinforcement, constructive feedback and active listening, and then integrating these skills in the role of a “peer coach.”

 The model was initially tested in the Fall of 2019 with nine high-risk middle school students. Dr. Huey and his team found significant reductions in conduct problems and aggressive behavior post. His current study endeavors to extend these promising findings by including 1) an enhanced coaching fidelity protocol to ensure that youth are engaging in “real world” coaching behavior, 2) an evaluation of PCT effects on peer behavior, 3) qualitative assessment of youth/staff perceptions of PCT, and 4) a three-month follow-up to assess longer term intervention effects.