School Psychologists and Systems-Level Consultation: A Qualitative Analysis of Barriers and Facilitators

School psychologists are trained and willing to participate in systems-level consultation within educational settings to support multi-tiered systems of support implementation. However, recent research suggests school psychologists spend less time on systems-level consultation than desired. The purpose of this study was to investigate the barriers and facilitators to systems-level consultation using a qualitative research design. Fifteen school psychologists at various career stages and with differing levels of experience in systems-level consultation were interviewed. Initial and focused coding, along with constant comparative analysis, was used to analyze the transcripts. Barriers to systems-level consultation included heavy workload, teamwork problems, difficult attitudes, beliefs, and feelings, implementation challenges, data and instructional challenges, lack of resources, and role challenges. Facilitators of systems-level consultation included reasonable workload and expectations, effective teamwork, implementation readiness and fidelity, helpful resources, and the attitudes, behaviors, and skills of school psychologists. Implications for research and practice are shared.