Educational Therapy

There seems to be a logical assumption that if you get a degree in educational psychology that this would enable you to be an educational therapist. As with many assumptions, this is partially true, but not fully accurate. There is significant professional preparation required to be an educational therapist or learning specialist. Educational therapists often combine degrees in both education and psychology and may have professional backgrounds that unite a variety of undergraduate, master and or doctoral degrees.

How is Traditional Tutoring different than Educational Therapy?

Tutoring tends to be offered by content-based teachers that are trained in the field of study. Tutors assist students with academics and homework and help them to learn or relearn academic content that is difficult or not taught. They tend to be experts in particular subjects such as math, writing, social studies, and the sciences. Therefore, tutoring requires a limited skill set when compared to educational therapy. It should be noted, however, that some tutors do have an understanding of some educational therapy principles and may be able to help kids with learning challenges to address other school-related issues.

What Does an Educational Therapist Do?

An educational therapist combines educational and therapeutic approaches for evaluation, remediation, case management, and advocacy on behalf of children, adolescents, and adults with learning disabilities or learning problems. Educational therapy is a form of remedial treatment used to help individuals with learning challenges, learning differences, and academic self-confidence issues. These professionals have extensive training and are versed in helping students with learning disabilities, gifted students, as well as those with social and emotional challenges surrounding their learning difficulties. In addition, they may conduct multi-sensory instruction, cognitive remediation (strengthen weak areas of cognition), student advocacy, as well as remedial support in other academic areas such as reading, writing, math, and other subject matter.

In review, educational therapists can offer a variety of services including:

Support in academic areas, Cognitive remedial exercises/therapy, Executive functioning coaching, Metacognitive strategies, Memory strategies, Study skills instructions, Remedial reading and writing, Mindfulness and emotional regulation, Training in assistive technology tools.

Counselling/Therapy

Therapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personality of both the therapist and the client and the problems that the client brings. There are many different methods I may use to deal with the problems that you hope to address. Therapy is not like a medical doctor visit; it calls for an active effort on the part of the client. Therapy can aid you in discovering tools and techniques that can be utilized to improve the quality of your life and your relationships. There are no guarantees of what you will experience. Therapy involves change, which may feel threatening not only to you but also to those people close to you. The prospect of giving up old habits, no matter how destructive or painful, can often make you feel very vulnerable. The process can include experiencing feelings like sadness, guilt, anxiety, anger, and fear and making changes that you did not originally intend. Like any professional service, therapy may not work, and for a relatively small number of people, problems may get worse. Even so, many people find that therapy is worth the discomfort they feel. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress. Please note that I provide different services such as Screening Assessments, referrals etc., and that these costs vary depending on what service is required. In the case of needing additional services, you are free to enquire about the varied prices. The first two therapy sessions will be the ‘consultation’ with only the parents present to discuss their concerns and help ‘set – up’ a treatment plan, the second will be with the child. An important part of a child’s progress is to have parent/s or guardian/s involved in the therapeutic process. Parent consultations are meetings between the counsellor and caregivers to discuss the goals and progress of the child. It is helpful for the counsellor to hear how the child functions outside of the playroom. These meetings are a great time to share any changes at school, home, or within the community. It is also an appropriate time for the counsellor and parent to team up to create parenting strategies or possible solutions for supporting the child. Generally, I meet with parents every 6-7 sessions. This is always flexible based on need, and the parent and therapist can determine if more frequent parent consultations are important. Parent consultations will be billed per consultation. These meetings are the perfect place to bring up any concerns, discuss progress and goals, and talk about parenting wins and challenges. Your child’s counsellor will share any themes arising in therapy, and progress towards goals. Parent consultations are a fantastic way to help the supporters of the child come together and check in on what’s working and better ways to support the child.