FAQ About PsychoEd (2)

Okay, what distinguishes modern Psychoeducation?

Whew!  That's a tough question!  Here are a few things that come to mind . . .

First . . . Psychoeducation is present-focused and proactive. The psycho-educator understands and acknowledges the importance of the child's early experience, but does not dwell on it. Behaviors are dealt with in the here and now, and psychoeducational interventions do not attempt to trace them back to their early origins with the student. (You will not hear a psychoeducator asking a child if she "loves her mother"!) 

Second, when responding to a child the psycho-educator takes the stance of the mature, realistic adult, one who deals with the child in an empathic, focused and pragmatic manner, helping the child to deal effectively with his or her reality.  Psychoeducation is not permissive, as some have claimed.

Third, the psychoeducator recognizes the importance of the child's social ecologies, and creates a therapeutic milieu to support an educational or agency program. 

Last but not least, modern psychoeducational thought owes much to cognitive psychology: understanding the child's thinking processes plays an important role in psychoeducational intervention.