“The fluff that comes with a psychologist” - Understanding EP reflections on their interactions with parents, a psychosocial approach using Collaborative Inquiry

Developing positive relationships with parents is a key concern of educational policy. However, conceptualising what successful partnership looks like remains problematic. Research in this area highlights the pressure upon parents to conform to professional’s expectations to avoid being seen as ‘difficult’. This leads to a power imbalance which undermines the true nature of ‘partnership working’ defined by mutual respect, opportunities for collaboration, negotiation, and a willingness to learn from each other. Despite legislation that highlights the need for education staff to be empathic towards parents as well as children, little attention has been paid to the interpersonal relationships between parents and professionals and the role of empathy in partnership working.
This research explores Educational Psychologist's (EPs) responses to parents from a psychoanalytic perspective. In particular, how unconscious defences against anxiety, such as splitting, transference and projection might influence our interactions with parents. I chose a Collaborative Inquiry approach that used a group reflective tool, The Reflecting Team Model, to allow for the co-production of knowledge and to enable EPs to reflect upon what may be happening subconsciously, ‘beneath the surface’.
I suggest that a psychoanalytic approach to EP reflective practice can deepen our understanding of our interactions with parents and have a positive impact upon partnership working. Theorising participants as defended subjects can facilitate a level of reflexivity that can assist EPs to consider the role that psychoanalytic concepts such as splitting, projection and transference can play in their day-to-day interactions with parents.