The Erikson approach makes self-awareness a professional competency.
What does that mean? It means we believe that people who work with children are most effective when they take time to consider the impact of their beliefs, expectations, and actions on children — and vice versa.
At Erikson, you’ll cultivate this skill in learning environments designed for you to discuss, question, reflect upon, and fine-tune your practice. These sessions serve as a mirror to help you see who you are, what you value, and how you relate to others.
Why is that so important? Because when you work with young children, you never work alone. You collaborate with families, communities, and colleagues. The child who sits before you brings to the encounter expectations, values, patterns of response, even modes of communication shaped by family, culture, community, and experience — and so do you. Your success as a practitioner, and the success of the children you serve, depends on your skill at recognizing and adapting to piece of the complex puzzle that forms relationships.
Self-knowledge and attention to relationships are the hallmarks of the gifted practitioner — and of an Erikson education. Equipped with this knowledge, you are better equipped to overcome differences and promote a child’s development and learning. You’re more comfortable with conflict and better able to resolve it. You’re more flexible, more open, more attuned to the individual child and family and, ultimately, more effective in your work.