What is psycho-pedagogical counseling?

A tool to promote an education more adapted to the needs of each child.

The psycho-pedagogical counseling is defined as an intervention coming from an external and independent agent to the advised body (the educational center and its professional components) in which a collaborative relationship is established between both parties with the purpose of facing possible problems that may arise in the exercise of the professional teaching practice, as well as in the global prevention of the future appearance of the same.

Thus, in psycho-pedagogical counseling, two main objectives can be distinguished: the clinical one, or "direct intervention" in real and current dysfunctional situations, and the "professional training" one, more related to the preventive aspect.

Main functions of psycho-pedagogical counseling

Cox, French and Loucks-Horsley (1987) listed the functions attributable to the advisory group, which were differentiated according to three distinct phases of development of the advisory intervention: initiation, development and institutionalization.

1. Initiation phase

With regard to the initiation phase, the advisor must assess the needs, capacities and resources of the educational center, the client with whom he/she collaborates and the set of final beneficiaries of the intervention. In addition, the type of practices applied in the center, as well as the elaboration of a list of theThe consultant must also prepare a list of objectives and goals to be achieved with the intervention.

Likewise, it should work on the creation of its proposal to improve the center's current practice by providing training in new work strategies; organizing and assigning different functions to the teaching group; acting on the optimization of both material and non-material resources; and finally, facilitating the establishment of a positive and committed bond of collaboration between the various parties involved in the intervention process.

2. Development phase

In the development phase, the consultant should emphasize the provision of training in the solution of specific problems existing in the educational practice of the center in question. existing in the educational practice of the center in question, as well as following up on the proposals for suggested changes and evaluating the process.

3. Institutionalization phase

In the final phase of institutionalization, the aim is to incorporate the set of actions carried out into the list of guidelines and curriculum of the educational center involved. Also The program implemented is also evaluated and monitored, and teacher training is continued (especially in the case of new staff) and the (especially in the case of new incorporations to the staff) and the provision of resources to enable its continuity once the advisory group has completed its work in the school.

Characteristics of the psycho-pedagogical counseling service

Among the defining characteristics of the psycho-pedagogical counseling service, the first is that it is an indirect intervention, since the counselor works together with the center's professionals (the client) so that the guidance provided is finally passed on to the students (the ultimate users). For this reasoncould be defined as a "triadic relationship", in which a commitment is established between the advisory group and the client, and in which both parties agree to work together as equals.. 

On the other hand, as mentioned above, it is a cooperative, consensual and non-hierarchical relationship, in which both parties agree to work together as equals. Finally, being an independent body, the advisory group does not exercise any position of authority or control over its client, and therefore their relationship is understood to be non-binding in nature.

Possible criticisms of the role of the psychoeducational counselor

As stated by Hernández (1992), some of the criticisms regarding the role and intervention of the advisor in the educational center refer to the reflected feeling, on the part of the team of teaching professionals, of a decrease in their own autonomy in the performance of their daily work.

Moreover, linked to this feeling of lack of freedom of action, the teaching staff may develop the idea that their task is limited to carrying out bureaucratic procedures, the teaching staff may develop the idea that their task is limited to carrying out bureaucratic procedures, limiting their creative capacity to make possible innovative proposals.This limits their creative capacity to make possible innovative proposals. On the other hand, the fact of understanding the counseling team as a mediating agent between the administration and the educational system may diminish the connotation of independence of the counseling figure.

Psycho-pedagogical counseling in the educational center

In the proposal made by Rodríguez Romero (1992, 1996a) on the general functions performed by the pedagogical counseling figure in the field of education, the following stand out: training, orientation, innovation, supervision and organization.

With the exception of the supervisory function, the other four have been accepted and agreed upon without any theoretical and practical questioning. With regard to the supervisory function, there is some disagreement as to the There is some disagreement as to the intrinsic nature of the advisory function itself. The relationship established between the advisory body and the advised body is understood to be one of cooperation, defined by a link between equal parties. Thus, the concept of supervision conflicts with this type of operation, since the latter term carries a connotation of asymmetry or hierarchy, with the understanding that the supervising agency is at a higher level, while the supervised agency would be at a lower level.

The Educational-Psychological Counseling Teams (EAP)

As indicated above, two are the main functions of educational psychopedagogical counseling teams in the educational field:

The first one is related to the purpose of solving real problems, already existing in the daily teaching practice. This "remedial" function focuses on the problematic situation itself and aims to offer a solution at a more specific level.

The second refers to a more preventive or "enabling" objective and is oriented to counseling for the teaching team in order to provide them with strategies and resources to promote the proper functioning of their professional practice and avoid future problems. Thus, the counseling does not focus on the problematic situation, but on the intervention in the teaching staff as a whole to provide them with certain skills and competencies to perform their teaching task in a general way.

This second option is the central function of the EAP teams, although they can also be complementary to the first option.

A significant consideration regarding the particularities of the EAP teams refers to their characterization as a highly professional and competent group in the field of educational counseling. This means that this figure is associated with a high degree of collegiality in its area of professional action. Derived from the traditional generation of certain types of criticism related to the establishment of a clear and specific definition of what exactly is a psycho-pedagogical counseling team and what are its specific functions (role conflicts), an internal movement of self-affirmation has been generated with the aim of combating these criticisms coming from other external groups.

Bibliographical references:

• Álvarez González M., Bisquerra Alzina, R. (2012): Educational Guidance. Wolters Kluwer. Madrid

• Bisquerra, R. (1996). Orígenes y desarrollo de la orientación psicopedagógica. Madrid: Narcea

• Hervás Avilés, R.M. (2006). Orientación e Intervención Psicopedagógica y procesos de cambio. Granada: Grupo Editorial Universitario.