The Schools We Need Now: A Guide to Designing a Mentally Healthy School

Place mental health at the heart of schooling

Our students have always needed our support, but recent events have brought to the forefront the challenges K-12 schools face in supporting their mental health. Now is the time to transform schools into safe and healthy places that enable students not only to learn but thrive.

Based on decades of research and proven examples from education professionals and the authors, experts in school leadership and social work, The Schools We Need Now highlights the importance of placing mental health at the heart of schooling and shares a vision for schools that prioritizes student well-being. Inside you’ll discover:

• Practical ways to improve school climate and mitigate the effects of students’ stress, trauma, depression, and anxiety
• Preventive activities, school transition and crisis response plans, and community collaboration strategies
• How to create a comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan that is grounded your school’s culture and climate
• Examples of schools, classrooms, and organizations that are on the leading edge of creating the schools we need now

For every educator who wants to ensure a healthy and equitable school environment for all students, The Schools We Need Now shows you how to create a safe place that protects and supports their academic, social, emotional, and physical growth.

Dr. Timothy Dohrer has been a classroom teacher, administrator, and consultant for over 30 years in K12 schools and higher education. He was a teacher and Principal at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, a school of 4,000 students and staff. He has also served as a Director and Assistant Professor at Northwestern University and Northern Illinois University, and an adjunct instructor at Pennsylvania State University and Northeastern Illinois University. Tim continues to serve on a variety of boards and regularly consults with schools in and around Chicago and Illinois. Tim′s major areas of research include social & emotional learning, school climate, curriculum theory, teacher education, and leadership. He has B.A.′s in English and Journalism from Indiana University, an M.A. in English from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Pennsylvania State University.  

Dr. Thomas Golebiewski is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He has worked in schools for 40 years, including 26 years as Department Chair of Social Work at New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL. Tom has served as an adjunct professor at University of Chicago′s School of Social Service Administration, Northwestern University′s School of Education and Social Policy, and currently at Loyola University of Chicago School of Social Work, where he is also Internship Liaison. He has a private practice in psychotherapy, counseling, and consultation in Wilmette, IL and is currently a consultant at Wolcott College Prep, an independent school in Chicago. Tom also volunteers as a Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Responder and has been a board member at A Safe Place, Lake County, IL and the Mental Health Association of the North Shore. He is a state appointed committee member of the Illinois Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission and the Lake County Family Violence Coordinating Council. He is on the program steering committee and is a regular presenter for the Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute annual conference that addresses mental health. Dr. Golebiewski received his B.A. and M.S.W. from Loyola University in Chicago and his Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from The Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago.