Training to be an ELSA

[Lelophants]

Do you know if you can pay to train to do this yourself or how it works? I was a teacher and TA for some time, been out of work with children and now want to return but use my psychology degree to do something more focussed on emotional wellbeing. I havent worked out how you can do this? Or any other good ideas?

I think ELSA training is done through schools by the Ed Psychologist responsible for the group of schools. There's an ELSA Facebook group you could join if you use Facebook (I stumbled on it by accident and used to buy some of the page owner's resources and use her monthly freebie downloads although I'm not an ELSA).

As you're a qualified teacher with a psychology degree you could train to be an educational psychologist, but it's a much longer and more expensive route than applying for an ELSA role - then again once qualified it's magnitudes better paid (most ELSAs are combining the role with being TAs too as I understand it, and the pay isn't much more for the ELSA hours by the sound of it).

An ELSA is a ta who is trained by the educational psychology service to deliver emotional health sessions for things like friendship and self esteem etc. why don’t you look at education mental health worker in a MHST. It’s a years training that you can apply for. You are over qualified for ELSA.

As a person who knows nothing about this area of work, I thought you were asking about training to be a children's party princess 🤣🤣. Good luck OP!

Hey

i actually have done the ELSA training when I was a TA it was offered throught the school I was working in via the local council, our group was actually one of the first to do the course within our area and it was enjoyable but! My school weren’t the most supportive of it in terms of resources or implementing properly into the school, and if I’m honest you are very much left on your own once you have done the training to find your own path with it. We had supervision with an ed psych every few weeks to discuss cases etc. if you want my honest opinion it was a waste of time for me. I’m not sure what your background is work wise but if you are interested in that area then you would probably be better off training to be a children’s counsellor or something like that. On paper an ELSA sounds great but it’s more of an add on to an exsisting job role rather than a role on its own.