About
Jorge holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from UAM (Mexico), a graduate diploma in behavioral intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from UQAM, and a graduate microprogram in psychoeducation from UdeM. He obtained his license to practice from the Ordre des psychoéducateurs et psychoéducatrices du Québec (OPPQ) in 2021. Committed to ongoing professional development, he ensures he maintains and updates his skills in line with best practices.
Who are psychoeducators?
Psychoeducators are professionals specializing in the prevention and intervention of adjustment difficulties that individuals (children, adolescents, or adults) and their families may experience in the behavioral, socio-emotional, physical, neurological, or environmental spheres. They offer solutions tailored to the individual's needs in order to resolve or prevent conflicts.
To achieve this, psychoeducators use observation, assessment, goal setting, and concrete, individualized and group interventions. They develop an intervention plan with realistic objectives that will enable the individual to increase their coping skills and be better able to face difficulties.
Adaptation and maladaptation in psychoeducation
The concept of adaptation varies according to theoretical perspectives. However, generally and as accepted in the field, adaptation is the way an individual acts to maintain equilibrium in a changing social environment. Adaptation is a dynamic concept that underlies all interactions between the individual and their social environment. Thus, maladaptation can be defined as a "serious disruption in the individual's relationship with their environment, a disruption likely to persist or worsen without appropriate intervention and, ultimately, despite such intervention" (Gendreau, 2001).
Assessment in psychoeducation
In psychoeducation, assessment aims to determine a child's adaptive functioning in relation to their environment, as well as to identify risk and protective factors (personal, familial, and environmental) that may increase or mitigate the likelihood of developing adjustment difficulties. For psychoeducators, the ultimate goal of the assessment process is to implement and monitor an intervention plan designed to restore or develop the child's adaptive capacities and promote their optimal adjustment in all their living environments (daycare, school, family, community, etc.). Psychoeducators must use an assessment process tailored to the context of the request and the reason for referral, while considering the characteristics of each child and family. Obtaining the free and informed consent of the parents or the child's legal guardian is essential before initiating an assessment process. Some psychoeducators, in accordance with their professional standards (OPPQ, 2010), may be called upon to contribute to a screening and diagnostic process. Under certain conditions, they may produce psychoeducational assessment reports, comprehensive and functional assessments, and risk assessments of problematic behaviors.