Please join us and a small group of colleagues for an Ortus Foundation Virtual Coffee with Dr. Timothy Dohrer and Dr. Tom Golebiewski. Tim and Tom recently authored a book titled The Schools We Need Now: A Guide to Designing a Mentally Healthy School. The book frames out a Mental Health Action Plan to help schools support students in managing their emotions, as well as nurturing their minds.
In their book The Schools We Need Now: A Guide to Designing a Mentally Healthy School, veteran educators Tim Dohrer and Tom Golebiewski propose a compelling question: What would schools look like if they made mental health their central focus? Written for teachers, administrators, and anyone who cares about schooling, the book lays out the major mental health challenges facing students, staff, and parents, offering a blueprint for rethinking schools. Using a multitier systems of support approach, Dohrer and Golebiewski focus on prevention and mental health for all, as well as preventative and support systems schools must have in place when students and staff struggle with mental health challenges. Grounded in the latest neuroscience and research, and using clear examples, the authors suggest that if we made decisions through the lens of mental health, schools would be more engaging, positive, and healthy places.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:
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 then served as Director and Assistant Professor in the Master of Science in Education program at Northwestern University, and as Director of Educator Leadership and Partnerships at Northern 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. He is dedicated to his wife, Stephanie, and their three children, Catherine, Rebecca, and Elizabeth.
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, Illinois. 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 Loyola University's School of Social Work. He has a private practice in psychotherapy, counseling and consultation in Wilmette, Ill., and is currently a consultant at Wolcott College Prep High School, an independent school in Chicago. Tom also volunteers as a Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Responder, is a board member at A Safe Place, Lake County, Illinois, and advises several organizations, including Erika's Lighthouse, the Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute, and the Mental Health Association of the North Shore. Dr. Golebiewski received his B.A. and M.S.W. from Loyola University in Chicago and a Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from The Institute for Clinical Social Work.