Where To Find Information On Becoming An Educational Therapist

What Is An Educational Therapist? 

It may or may not be the first time you’ll encounter the term educational therapist. Regardless, you’re probably still a bit confused about what an ET does. 

First of all, it’s not the same as tutoring because being an ET requires specific skills and a level of education that makes them competent enough to handle adults and children with learning problems. 

In a nutshell, an ET is an educational professional who works with children and adult learners with different types of learning problems. Such problems could be any of the following: 

The scope of who an ET can help is practically boundless because struggling learners don’t always need to have a disorder to be categorised as one. Sometimes, low academic self-esteem can be a sufficient reason for someone to look for an educational therapist that can help them.  

How An Educational Therapist Can Help 

Unlike tutors and regular teachers, ETs are trained and proficient in handling patients suffering from social and emotional complications that may result from their learning disorders. Education therapists are also capable of combining different teaching methods and therapeutic techniques to suit the learners’ needs. 

In addition, it’s also expected that you’ll often work closely with other professionals, such as guidance counsellors, psychologists, behaviourists, psychiatrists, and therapists, to better assess the condition and progress of the patients. 

Sounds interesting yet complicated? Well, you’re not the only one. But once you understand what being an educational therapist is all about, you’ll definitely want to become one. 

Where To Find Information On Becoming An ET

Before anything else, though, you’ll need to know where and how to get started. Perhaps the most common question you’d ask is where to find information on becoming an educational therapist. Here are some ways:

1. Searching Online 

One significant advantage of today’s generation is having the internet ready for their disposal. As such, it’s easier, faster, and more convenient to find information with just a few clicks and taps. 

One good starting point is to look for learning and educational specialist courses. Expectedly, you’ll be swamped with hundreds or thousands of results, and the key is to identify which of that information would be helpful enough as you carry on with your quest. 

There’ll be schools, universities, and private learning centres that would be offering an educational therapy course or certificate. They may have different requirements and curriculums, but, essentially, one important and typical requirement you may need to prepare or have prior to enrolling is a bachelor’s degree majoring in education, psychology, special education, early childhood development, and other related fields. 

Other skills required to become an ET may include the following: 

If you’re already considering this career path, chances are you’re already in a similar field, and you want to broaden your scope of work and knowledge. Becoming an educational therapist is indeed a rewarding career decision that would pave the way for more significant realisations, broader opportunities, and higher earning possibilities.

2. Taking Online Courses And Certifications

Even before the pandemic hit, online courses and certifications are already widely available. Such an option gives students and professionals a flexible chance to learn and further their careers without attending physical classes. Online and remote learning is quite an advantage for people who keep a day job, among other responsibilities in life.  

If you want to know where to find information on becoming an educational therapist, another resource to try is schools and institutions offering short courses and certifications online. You may need to exert more effort when doing your research because not many colleges and universities offer such courses. For this reason, most aspiring ETs would turn to teacher training courses and workshops that could prepare them for the rigidity and seriousness of becoming an educational therapist. 

Examples of such short courses and workshops are the following:

While these short courses may not be required to be certified as an ET, you can use the skills and knowledge you’ve learned when it’s already time for you to tackle the courses associated with an ET program. If you’re able to find a school or university that offers ET courses, some of the units you can expect to focus on would be neuropsychological principles in education, introduction to mild to moderate disabilities, Math strategies for students with mild to moderate disabilities, and educational research. 

You’ll also need to complete a supervised internship in a school setting by the end of your courses. You’ll be expected to perform assessments and design developmental and instructional sequences for learners with disabilities. Lastly, you’ll be writing a thesis as part of culminating activities for the course.  

3. Association Of Educational Therapists 

The Association of Educational Therapists (AET) is an organisation committed to setting the standards for the professional practice of educational therapy. AET is the governing body that’s dedicated to defining ethical practice standards. They also coordinate and work with schools and universities to provide training programs in educational therapy.  

There’s currently no state licensure for ETs, but the AET observes professional membership requirements that all organisation members should meet. In this way, educational therapists can demonstrate their substantial experience, preparation, and expertise in the said field.