What Is Educational Therapy? (And What It Isn’t)

What is educational therapy? What does it (and does it not) include? And how can it help your child? Let’s find out!

Educational therapy is:

Big-Picture Thinking

Educational therapists are part counselor, part diagnostician, part “brain trainer,” part special education teacher, and part case manager. That’s a lot of parts! We help keep track of the big picture, keeping the information flowing between families, teachers, and other allied professionals (psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, etc.) to help you and your child navigate school and life.

Self-Advocacy

There is nothing more powerful than deeply understanding yourself and how to advocate for your needs. This is where true confidence and self-esteem lies. Educational therapy can help children access this meta-cognition and find the words to advocate for the accommodations they need. Students learn how they learn best, how to leverage their strengths to work on their challenges, and what tools in their “toolbox” can help them succeed.

Parent/Guardian Support

It’s hard being a parent or guardian. Really hard. And when things aren’t going quite as planned and life is feeling more and more chaotic, it can help to have someone to talk to. Educational therapy serves to support the child and the family as well, whether you need resources, advice, guidance, or just a place to vent to someone who understands.


 

Imagine a happier, more relaxed family life. Educational therapy can help with morning and evening chaos, disorganization disasters, homework anxiety…and so much more!

 

How do I know if my child needs educational therapy?

Not every child needs educational therapy. But with children that could benefit from it, you notice it takes a lot of adult attention to get homework and chores done. Or, your child shows resistance to going to school, says they’re “not good” at things, gets headaches or stomachaches in the morning. Or, you’ve received an academic or neuropsychological assessment and aren’t sure what to do with the information now.

When a child continues to struggle despite parent help, school interventions, and/or tutoring, it may be time to seek further help. Educational therapy can help figure out what’s going on with a child academically, developmentally, or emotionally–and often all three at once!


Educational therapists create and implement a treatment plan that utilizes information from the client’s social, emotional, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological profiles.
— Association of Educational Therapists (AET)
 
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What isn’t educational therapy?

We’ve covered what is educational therapy, so what isn’t educational therapy? Educational therapy is not a cure for learning differences/learning disabilities. It is not psychotherapy, which is valuable in a different way, and meant to delve into the unconscious feelings that drive us. It is also not tutoring, another wonderful field. Tutors are experts in one or more school subjects, and often can provide some remediation. You can think of that as what people learn.

Educational therapists are experts in how people learn. We have extensive training and/or degrees in human cognition, developmental psychology, and educational psychology. (Still not a cure!) Have questions or interested in learning more about how I can help you and your child?

 

Looking for a little more information? Check out this helpful brochure from the Association of Educational Therapists.