The Philosophy of the ESPCT Courses

Trainings for practitioners conducted by experienced practioners

Best practice – evidence based
The contents of the ESPCT courses are carefully chosen to meet high quality standards. They should either be at the top of best practice in the relevant area and evidenve based. They open up either new fields of school psychological work or add to it on the international level.

Cognitive approach in order to get an overview
The theoretical background of the related topic is presented and discussed. 

Sharing of different experiences
The trainer teams and particpants share different aspects of their related experience.

Internationally mixed groups
add to the quality of exchange and enlarge European collaboration of school psychology.

Practical, simple tools
Offering tools for sometimes difficult situations these must be easy and simple, at least in structure.

Simulations
Dealing with human beings does make any simple structure complex. Therefore key situations are practiced in simulations and feedback is given.

Team work is indispensible
In many difficult situations teamwork is a must. Therefore teamwork is practiced in the trainings whereever possible.

Encourage an emotionally comforting atmosphere
Working on topics this way is great fun and good mood is encouraged by warming-up exercises.

Trainers who have a lot of practical and theoretical background
are carefully chosen for the ESPCT courses (see the CVs on this website).

ESPCT courses are under continuous monitoring
through feedback of the course participants
Research is conducted on the European international courses.

Crisis Management in schools basic and advanced courses
For these courses there are additional requirements because the first aim of training supporters in highly emotionally demanding situations is to make colleagues sure they can manage.

Understand copings first
The main aim of first responders in the aftermath of critical incidents is not to offer therapy but to activate personal coping strategies and coping strategies of schools as systems. Therefore at the beginning of courses under this topic it is the first aim that every trainee understands his/her own personal preferences and reliable coping strategies.

Prepare for emotionally strenuous situations
and encourage sharing personal experience
This aim is achieved by opening up for sharing experience on topics which are usually rather rarely dicused professionally and personally: how to deal with death and loss.

Offer for continuous cooperation
Trainees are invited to join networks:

  • Since 2009 the Crisis-Management-in-Schools European Network, an interest group which has annual meetings discussing the development of the art under different aspects
  • ESPCT Trainers Network: These traíners either offer courses on the European international level and/or the national level, preparing school psychologists, teacherss, schools for different scenarios of desasters and/or for improving safety of schools

Trainees get further information about developments in the topics of the courses they attended.