What is an Educational Therapist (ET) and how are ETs different from tutors?
Educational therapists are professionals committed to helping people succeed in school and work when their achievements are challenged by learning difficulties and differences which impede academic, social and emotional aspects of learning. When learning issues are identified, strategies can be developed to remediate these problems and/or compensate by drawing upon a person’s considerable and distinctive strengths. The primary goal is to foster self-confident, independent learners who understand their learning profiles and can advocate for themselves.
This goal is met by providing personalized approaches to help students with the learning process. A view of the whole person encompasses academic, social and emotional aspects of a student’s life. Traditional tutors are content experts who focus on teaching academic subjects and help with homework to assist students behind in certain subjects to catch up or get ahead in school. The role of educational therapists is broader with extensive training and experience administering academic assessments, developing intervention plans, setting goals, and teaching strategies to address challenges with individual subjects. Additionally, educational therapists are trained to recognize signs of learning and attention issues and how they affect academics and behavior. Social-emotional learning is often a big focus along with executive skills like organization, time management, problem solving and self-advocacy.
"Every student can learn. Just not on the same day or in the same way."