From Reactive to Proactive: Empowering Educators with the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and the Refresh Reset Psychoemotional Strength Program (PSP)
What’s the difference?
As educators, we dedicate our lives to nurturing the minds of future generations. But who not only nurtures us, but can hold space for us to explore and shift the psychological impact associated with this important role?
In the demanding world of education, where emotional labour, referred to here by Megan Corcoran, when she was interviewed by the Independent Education, is as much a part of the job as lesson planning, it's crucial that we have robust support systems in place. Two such systems are the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Refresh Reset’s Psychoemotional Strength Program (PSP). While both aim to support educators, they do so in fundamentally different ways. Let's dive into these programs and explore how they can help educators.
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Your Safety Net
Imagine you're walking a tightrope. The EAP is the safety net below, ready to catch you if you fall. It's a reactive support system designed to provide immediate assistance when personal difficulties arise. Whether you're grappling with grief, navigating relationship troubles, or facing mental health challenges, the EAP is there to offer a helping hand.
The primary focus of EAP is to provide timely support when you're already experiencing distress or struggling with a particular problem. It's like having a professional lifeguard on duty – they're not there to teach you how to swim, but to rescue you when you're in over your head.
Here's how it typically works: When you're facing a personal issue that's affecting your wellbeing or job performance, you reach out to the EAP. They then connect you with a professional counsellor or therapist who specialises in the type of problem you're facing. This expert-referred counselling model ensures that you receive targeted support for your specific situation.
The EAP is an invaluable resource when you need very short-term, focused therapy to address a particular problem. It's the go-to support system for immediate personal crises or acute mental health concerns. Think of it as emergency first aid for your mental and emotional wellbeing. It is counselling utilised by thousands of businesses across Australia.
The Psychoemotional Strength Program (PSP) for Educators: Your Personal Trainer
Now, let's shift our perspective. If the EAP is a safety net, the PSP is more like a personal trainer for your emotional and psychological wellbeing. It's a proactive, preventative approach to support, specifically tailored for educators.
Unlike the EAP, which responds to existing problems, the PSP aims to build and regularly revisit psychological wellbeing and resilience. It's not about waiting for a crisis to occur; it's about strengthening your emotional muscles so you can handle whatever challenges come your way.
The Refresh Reset PSP, is structured to provide consistent, long-term support throughout the school year. It consists of 10 individual sessions, each lasting 45 minutes, spread out over the course of the school year. This regular check-in schedule, with the same facilitator, allows for ongoing professional development and psychological support.
What sets the PSP apart is its collaborative approach. You work with a facilitator who has a dual background as both an experienced teacher and a clinical supervisor for school counsellors. This unique combination allows the facilitator to understand the specific challenges of the education field while also providing professional psychological support to educators.
The focus of PSP goes beyond just problem-solving. It's about regularly building and strengthening essential skills such as metacognition (thinking about your own thought processes), self-reflection, and self-care. These skills are crucial for managing the cognitive overload and emotional labour that comes with teaching, especially when we repeatedly hear the complex and at times, heart wrenching stories of the students we teach.
The PSP overtly acknowledges that expecting to hear sad stories about our students’ walks of life and not have them cumulatively affect us, is like walking through water and expecting not to get wet.
Moreover, the PSP aligns with several key Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Standards for Professional Learning. This alignment ensures that the support provided is not just personally beneficial, but also professionally relevant, potentially contributing to your career development and effectiveness as a teacher.
EAP vs PSP: When to Use Which?
So, when should you turn to EAP, and when is PSP more appropriate? The choice depends on your current needs and long-term goals.
Use EAP when:
- You're facing an immediate personal crisis or specific issue
- You need short-term, focused therapy to address a particular problem
Use PSP when:
- You want to proactively build your resilience and emotional strength as an educator
- You want to prevent burnout and sustain your career in education over the long term
- You're looking for ongoing support to navigate the emotional challenges of teaching
- You want to develop long-term strategies for managing stress and maintaining your passion for teaching
- You're interested in professional growth that aligns with teaching standards
Investing in Educator Wellbeing
As educators, we often put the needs of our students first. We need to prioritise our own wellbeing to be effective in our roles and prevent the cumulative effect of vicarious trauma.
The PSP offers a path to long-term growth and resilience, helping us shift the emotional labour associated with the complexity of the young people we teach, to navigate the increasing complexities of our profession over time.
Emotionally strong and resilient educators are better equipped to nurture the next generation of learners.
Your wellbeing matters, not just for your sake, but for the sake of every student whose life you touch.