William Erchul

Bio

Dr. William P. Erchul is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology who across his career has been affiliated primarily with NCSU’s Ph.D. training program in School Psychology. He received his BA in Psychology and Communication Arts from the College of Letters and Science Honors Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in School Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked for the Human Interaction Research Institute in Los Angeles and has been a consultant to school systems, public agencies, and private businesses. Dr. Erchul is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of School Psychology, a recipient of APA’s Lightner Witmer Award (given in recognition of early-career research contributions to school psychology), a recipient of APA’s Jack Bardon Distinguished Service Award (given in recognition of career service contributions to school psychology), a recipient of the North Carolina School Psychology Association’s Excellence in Staff Development Award, an elected member of the Society for the Study of School Psychology, and has been recognized at the college level as an outstanding faculty researcher at NCSU. He served as President of the American Academy of School Psychology; President of the Society for the Study of School Psychology; President of the North Carolina Inter-University Council on School Psychology; Vice-President of Publications, Communications, and Convention Affairs of APA’s Division of School Psychology; and Executive Producer of The Conversation Series for the Division of School Psychology. Dr. Erchul is a licensed health service provider psychologist and is board certified in school psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. His primary research program has centered on interpersonal processes and outcomes associated with psychological consultation and instructional coaching, and he has focused on issues of relational communication, social influence, and technology in much of this work. Others have described Dr. Erchul as “at the forefront of research on school consultation and coaching over the past 25 years” (Schultz, Arora, & Mautone, 2015) and one of the “legends in school consultation” (Newman, 2021). He has produced over 100 journal articles, book chapters, and other scholarly works as well as three books, each with multiple updated editions. Dr. Erchul has been associate editor of the APA journal School Psychology Quarterly (now School Psychology) and guest editor of special issues of the School Psychology Review and the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation. He also has served on the editorial review boards of nine scholarly journals.

In 2014, Dr. Erchul became a Research Professor in the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University. From June 2016 through December 2019, he served as Professor and Director of the School Psychology Program in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Riverside. In January 2020, Dr. Erchul returned to NCSU where he continues his research, writing, and service activities, including mentoring young professionals.

Current Professional Credentials

• Licensed Psychologist, State of North Carolina
• Certified Health Service Provider Psychologist (HSP-P), State of North Carolina
• Board Certified in School Psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)

Website

http://www.researchgate.net/profile/William_Erchul

Research Publications

Selected Publications in past 10 years

• Garbacz, S. A., Newman, D. S., Erchul, W. P., & Sheridan, S. M. (Eds.) (in preparation). Handbook of research in school consultation: Empirical foundations for educational and human sciences (3rd ed.). Routledge.
• Erchul, W. P. (accepted for publication). Interpersonal influence within school consultation: Advances in social power base and relational communication research. In S. A. Garbacz, D. S. Newman, W. P. Erchul, & S. M. Sheridan (Eds.), Handbook of research in school consultation: Empirical foundations for educational and human sciences (3rd ed.). Routledge.
• Erchul, W. P., & Fischer, A. J. (2024). Consultation. In S. L. Grapin & J. H. Kranzler (Eds.), School psychology: Professional issues and practices (2nd ed.; pp. 203-220). Springer.
• Erchul, W. P. (2023). As we coach, so shall we consult: A perspective on coaching research in education. Journal of School Psychology, 96, 88-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.10.004
• Erchul, W. P. (2020). In Memoriam: Bertram H. Raven (1926-2020). American Psychologist, 75 (6), 869. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000645
• Jones, B., Erchul, W. P., & Geraghty, C. A. (2020). Supplemental reading interventions implemented by paraprofessionals: A meta-analysis. Psychology in the Schools. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22427
• Erchul, W. P. (2020). Foreword. In Theory and cases in school-based consultation: A resource for school psychologists, school counselors, special educators, and other mental health professionals (2nd ed.; pp. xi-xii) by L. M. Crothers, T. L. Hughes, J. B. Kolbert, & A. J. Schmitt. Routledge.
• Fischer, A. J., Clark, R. R., Bloomfield, B. S., Askings, D. C., & Erchul, W. P. (2019). Using teleconsultation to teach expressive number discrimination through stimulus fading and reinforcement. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 35, 339-356. DOI: 10.1080/15377903.2019.1587803
• Erchul, W. P., Schulte, A. C., Johnson, A. H., & Geraghty, C. A. (2019). Adults as change agents: Applications of behavioral consultation. In S. G. Little & A. Akin-Little (Eds.), Behavioral interventions in schools: Evidence-based positive strategies (2nd ed.; pp. 171-188). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000126-010
• Fischer, A. J., Bloomfield, B. S., Clark, R. R., McClelland, A. L., Thompson, M. C., & Erchul, W. P. (2018). Increasing student compliance with teacher instructions using telepresence robot problem-solving teleconsultation. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2018.1470948
• Owens, J. S., Allan, D., Hustus, C., & Erchul, W. P. (2018). Examining correlates of teacher receptivity to social influence strategies within a school consultation relationship. Psychology in the Schools, 55, 1041-1055. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22163
• Fischer, A. J., Erchul, W. P., & Schultz, B. K. (2018). Teleconsultation as the new frontier of educational and psychological consultation: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 28, 249-254. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2018.1425880
• Erchul, W. P., Fischer, A. J., Collier-Meek, M. A., Bloomfield, B. (2018). Highlighting the utility of the Consultation Analysis Record for consultation research and training. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 28, 445-459. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2017.1418366
• Erchul, W. P., & Fischer, A. J. (2018). Consultation. In S. L. Grapin & J. H. Kranzler (Eds.), School psychology: Professional issues and practices (pp. 181-195). Springer.
• Schultz, B. K., Zoder-Martell, K. A., Fischer, A. J., Collier-Meek, M. A., Erchul, W. P., & Schoemann, A. M. (2018). When is teleconsultation acceptable to school psychologists? Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 28, 279-296. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2017.1385397
• Fischer, A. J., Collier-Meek, M. A., Bloomfield, B., Erchul, W. P., & Gresham, F. M. (2017). A comparison of problem identification interviews conducted face-to-face and via videoconferencing using the Consultation Analysis Record. Journal of School Psychology, 63, 63-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2017.03.009
• Owens, J. S., Schwartz, M. E., Erchul, W. P., Himawan, L., Coles, E. K., Evans, S. W., & Schulte, A. C. (2017). Teacher perceptions of school consultants’ social influence: Replication and expansion. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 27(4), 411-436. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2016.1275649
• Fischer, A. J., Schultz, B. K., Collier-Meek, M. A., Zoder-Martell, K. A., & Erchul, W. P. (2016). A critical review of videoconferencing software to support school consultation. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 6, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2016.1240129
• Erchul, W. P., & Ward, C. S. (2016). Problem-solving consultation. In S. R. Jimerson, M. K. Burns, & A. M. VanDerHeyden (Eds.), Handbook of response to intervention: The science and practice of multi-tiered systems of support (2nd ed.; pp. 73-86). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7568-3_6
• Erchul, W. P. (2015). Put me in, coach: Observations on selected studies implementing supportive interventions to teachers. School Mental Health, 7, 74-79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-015-9144-1
• Erchul, W. P. (Ed.). (2015). Consultation in community, school, and organizational practice: Gerald Caplan’s contributions to professional psychology. Routledge. (Re-published paperbound version of 1993 first edition)
• Erchul, W. P., & H. L. Young. (2014). Best practices in school consultation. In A. Thomas & P. L. Harrison (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology-6 (pp. 449-460). National Association of School Psychologists.
• Shajith, B. I., & Erchul, W. P. (2014). Bringing parents to school: The effect of invitations from school, teacher, and child on parental involvement in middle schools. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 2, 11-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2013.854186
• Erchul, W. P., & Sheridan, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of research in school consultation (2nd ed.). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
• Erchul, W. P., & Sheridan, S. M. (2014). Overview: The state of scientific research in school consultation. In W. P. Erchul & S. M. Sheridan (Eds.), Handbook of research in school consultation (2nd ed.; pp. 3-17). Taylor & Francis Group/Routledge.
• Erchul, W. P., Grissom, P. F., Getty, K. C., & Bennett, M. S. (2014). Researching interpersonal influence within school consultation: Social power base and relational communication perspectives. In W. P. Erchul & S. M. Sheridan (Eds.), Handbook of research in school consultation (2nd ed.; pp. 349-385). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
• Sheridan, S. M., & Erchul, W. P. (2014). Final comments on school consultation research. In W. P. Erchul & S. M. Sheridan (Eds.), Handbook of research in school consultation (2nd ed.; pp. 525-531). Taylor & Francis Group/Routledge.
• Erchul, W. P. (2014). Consultation in primary prevention and health promotion. In T. P. Gullotta & M. Bloom (Eds.), Encyclopedia of primary prevention and health promotion (2nd ed.; Vol. 1, pp. 216-223). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5999-6_78

Research Interests

My major research interest has been psychological consultation, which involves the delivery of evidence-based interventions to children and adolescents through staff members who serve as the direct change agents. For example, a school psychologist could consult with a teacher about a student or group of students, with the teacher then helping students directly with the psychologist’s assistance. The successful practice of consultation in schools has clear implications for preventing academic failure, promoting mental health, and providing a support system to staff members. Consultation is integral to contemporary methods of service delivery in schools, such as those found in problem-solving teams, response to intervention, and multi-tiered systems of support.

I have examined interpersonal dynamics and participant outcomes associated with several recognized models of consultation. One research theme recognizes that, “what is said in consultation is important,” and thus involves coding recordings and transcripts of dyadic and small group interviews to link verbal interaction measures to various outcome measures. A second research theme involves studying interpersonal dynamics of consultation with respect to social influence, thereby allowing a glimpse into how a consultant may persuade a teacher (or vice versa). For instance, through their words and actions, consultants may influence teachers to implement interventions with a high degree of fidelity and thereby improve educational outcomes for children.

A third, more recent theme involves the use of technology to deliver consultation services. One focus has been to see how comparable consultation sessions conducted remotely through videoconferencing are to those conducted in person. Another focus has been to explore the use of telepresence robots to provide classroom observations and conduct school consultation. Given the realities of travel time and physical distance serving as barriers to service provision, this technology-based research theme has a clear practical value.