3 Frequently Asked Questions regarding Educational Psychology
People are often confused by the different types of Psychologists, along with their relevant areas of expertise. Haley Swartz from Meaningful Minds Psychologists takes a brief look at Educational Psychology, and what to consider when selecting an appropriate psychologist for you.
Here are 3 frequently asked questions regarding educational psychologists:
1) Is Educational and Child Psychology the same thing?
Child Psychology and Educational psychology are not the same thing. While Child Psychology focuses on children, Educational Psychology deals with learning and development throughout one’s life. This being said, Educational psychologists work with children, adolescents and adults.
Development refers to the psychological changes that a person experiences in their life. Psychological changes are factors that usually develop as a person progresses in their life. These factors include, but are not limited to, a person’s perception, cognition (thoughts), language, skills, moral attitudes, and social interactions.
The term Learning not only refers to academic learning, but also to Psycho Education. Psycho Education involves self-awareness and learning regarding a person’s emotional difficulties. An Educational Psychologist will work with their clients on methods of coping with these difficulties.
2) What is an Educational Psychologist?
As indicated above, Educational Psychologists focus on a person’s learning and development. This area of expertise focuses on how a person copes with the different experiences in their life. An Educational Psychologist will equip their clients with the necessary skills to deal with their environment in a healthy way. Educational psychologists usually follow the eco-systemic approach which views the individual in relation to their environments.
3) What to consider when selecting an appropriate psychologist for oneself
Each person is unique, so choosing a psychologist is not a one size fits all approach. The most important aspect in therapy is the therapeutic relationship. If you find that you are comfortable and trust your psychologist then you are already halfway there. The next thing is that all psychologists no matter their category (educational, clinical, counselling, etc.), have different training and therapeutic techniques. You would thus need to find a psychologist that you trust and are content with the therapeutic methods used.
