Liberating the Mind or Governing the Soul? Psychotherapeutic Education, Children’s Rights and the Disciplinary State

Abstract

Education Inquiry is an international on-line, peer-reviewed journal with free access in the field of Educational Sciences and Teacher Education. It publishes original empirical and theoretical studies from a wide variety of academic disciplines. As the name of the journal suggests, one of its aims is to challenge established conventions and taken-for-granted perceptions within these fields. Education Inquiry is looking for lucid and significant contributions to the understanding of contextual, social, organizational and individual factors affecting teaching and learning, the links between these aspects, the nature and processes of education and training as well as research in and on Teacher Education and Teacher Education policy. This includes research ranging from preschool education to higher education, and research on formal and informal settings. Education Inquiry welcomes cross-disciplinary contributions and innovative perspectives. Of particularly interest are studies that take as their starting point, education practice and subject teaching or didactics. Education Inquiry welcomes research from a variety of methodological and theoretical approaches, and invites studies that make the nature and use of educational research the subject of inquiry. Comparative and country-specific studies are also welcome. Education Inquiry readers include educators, researchers, teachers and policy makers in various cultural contexts. Every issue of Education Inquiry publishes peer-reviewed articles in one, two or three different sections. Open section: Articles sent in by authors as part of regular journal submissions and published after a blind review process. Thematic section: Articles reflecting the theme of a conference or workshop and published after a blind review process. Invited section: Articles by researchers invited by Education Inquiry to shed light on a specific theme or for a specific purpose and published after a review process. Education Inquiry is a continuation of the Journal of Research in Teacher Education, which is available in printed copies as well as electronic versions and free access at

From individual to relational strategies: Transforming a manual-based psycho-educational course at school

“…Other interventions promoted in the schools to reduce the risk of depressive disorders in children and adolescents are psychoeducational courses (Merry et al, 2009). However, critical research has shown that such courses pathologize young people, labeling them as 'at risk' and making mental problems a question of individual deficiencies (Coppock, 2011;Dahlstedt et al, 2011).…”

“…Policy-makers and Government authorities in industrialized countries invest in policy initiatives and courses aimed at promoting children's mental health (Coppock, 2011;Hoffman, 2009;Wishart et al, 2006;Dahlstedt et al 2011). Although a clear majority of young people report good mental health, efforts to promote children's mental health and emotional wellbeing have largely been developed as universal and preventive interventions in the schools (Coppock, 2011). As a result numerous pedagogical programs have been marketed, such as Social emotional learning (SEL), which aims to teach all students fundamental social and emotional competencies (Hoffman, 2009).…”

The Paradoxes of Socio-Emotional Programmes in School : Young people’s perspectives and public health discourses

“…2 The initiative to implement socio-emotional programmes in schools is driven by a prevention discourse suggesting that such programmes provide effective means to prevent mental ill-health 3 in young people and to promote the future well-being of the population by 'intervening before minor problems develop into major ones' (Wright, 2015, p. 212). 4 Little is known, however, about what these interventions entail 'here and now' for the students experiencing them in school (Coppock, 2011;Irisdotter Aldenmyr, 2014b;Watson et al, 2012). The present study intends to address this issue by trying to understand students' perspectives on socio-emotional programmes (DISA and SET) as well as the programmes' intentions and strategies.…”

“…The programmes are underpinned by discourses focusing on a crisis in young people's mental health and a will to foster healthy citizens (Coppock, 2011;Watson et al, 2012). 1 Depression in Swedish Adolescents (DISA) and Social and Emotional Training (SET) constitute two socioemotional programmes being practised in Swedish schools.…”

“…These studies scrutinize both the content and form of socio-emotional programmes and examine their political and ideological function in contemporary schools (e.g., Bartholdsson, Gustafsson-Lundberg and Hultin, 2014a;Bergh and Englund 2014;Coppock, 2011;Dahlstedt, Fejes and Schönning, 2011;Irisdotter Aldenmyr, 2014a;Wright, 2015). This field of research is dominated by policy studies and document analysis of programme manuals.…”