ABSTRACT
Educational Psychotherapy offered a new framework for thinking about behaviour—both of pupils and the adults they come into contact with. It seemed possible to combine therapy and teaching in a way that would be beneficial for pupils and staff. This chapter explains why therapy is such a threatening word for many staff in schools. Most teachers and their managers would want their classes to be child-centred with time for thinking. Most would like to think they listen to their pupils and that they can take account of the emotional aspects of learning. The chapter suggests that an understanding of psychodynamic concepts, including unconscious mental processes, can help staff understand and deal with their feelings and behaviour, in order to deal better with those of their pupils. Psychological Defence Mechanisms are ways in which people protect themselves from fear or anxiety and avoid conscious awareness of emotional conflict.
