The main principles of counseling children, adolescents and their parents: A participatory approach

Abstract

The article focuses on parenting and education of children of different ages, as well as on counseling both children and their parents in order to improve their quality of life ofand optimize child–parent relations in the family. The authors maintain that such parenting, education and counseling should take into account not only the age and individual characteristics of each child, but also the social specifics of the modern generation.

The reforms of Russian education aim to create conditions for improving the quality of general education. However, any ‘breakthroughs’, having received acclamation on television and in newspapers, turn out to be non-existent just several months after their extensive media coverage, and the problems of educational environment persist. Academic failures and decreased motivation for study remain one of the main concerns of schoolchildren’s parents.

Many modern methods of psychological measurements and counseling are not always effective, because they ignore the specifics and subculture of the modern generation of children and adolescents. In contrast, participatory researches (PI) with and approaches, that is the researchers involving a child as a participant — which are one of the most effective tools for studying modern childhood — make it possible not only to identify the specific features of the child and provide timely psychological assistance, but also help each student to build an individual success strategy.

The participation research in education offers a number of advantages, such as:

— the possibility of solving the problems of the modern education system as a whole and, at the same time, address the specific tasks of a particular educational institution;

— the focus on the processes of self-regulation, self-design and self-management of all participants of the educational process (i. e., students, teachers, parents and administration of educational institutions);

— a rapid response to the introduction of innovative technologies and effective methodologices;

— reliance on non-formalistic ways to evaluate the effectiveness of educational activities.

The article is addressed to teachers, social workers and psychologists working in the education system.