Hi Everyone, Please help us celebrate our new podcast!!! – School Solutions Talk, dedicated to the power of solution focused practice in education. Join Tara Gretton and I (Solution Focused practitioners, coaches and leaders) as we explore daily communication that builds self-awareness and agency, while fostering positive relationships with and among students, staff, and families.… Continue reading New Podcast!
In hallways and classrooms of any school, you can hear the echoes of self-labeling among students. A student shrugs after a missed deadline and says, “I’m just a procrastinator; I don’t have what it takes to change.” Another, after an outburst, sighs, “I just can’t control myself when I’m angry.” A student who has just… Continue reading Finding Confidence in the Moment; Applying Peter Szabo’s work on Retuning – to Students
In my recent and exciting work with middle school students, I’ve been having conversations with them about how to notice and be mindful of their abilities, skills and interests, and how to use these productively. We’ve talked about how to dig into what matters for themselves and how to build solution focused communication skills that… Continue reading Prioritizing Communication Curriculum in the Classroom: Thoughts from a Solution Focused Leader, Practitioner and Educator
Moving Conversations: Advancing Solution-Focused Practice and Research (SFBTA2025) Toronto, Ontario, Canada Nov 06 – 09, 2025 I am thrilled to announce a very special event happening this November in the beautiful city of Toronto—a conference dedicated to moving conversations forward using the Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) approach. This conference will be a gathering of… Continue reading Moving Conversations: Advancing Solution-Focused Practice and Research (SFBTA2025)
Wellness in Schools through Relationship-Building: A Call to Educators As a new school year approaches, we know that schools can be both rewarding and demanding environments. Educators juggle a wide range of responsibilities, from fostering academic growth to supporting students’ social-emotional development, all while managing the daily complexities of school life. It’s no secret that… Continue reading Building Wellness Through Relationship
Susan David PhD, a psychologist with Harvard Medical School, authored Emotional Agility; Get Unstuck, Embrace Change and Thrive in Work and Life, where she addresses distress as an emotional state that we stigmatize because we view it as weakness. To support ours and others’ wellbeing, she suggests mindfully sending messages that normalize distress. Distress is… Continue reading Humanizing Distress in Young People
Many schools and communities have been challenged with re-engaging students who are struggling with going to school, staying in school or arriving to school on time. Self-imposed absences impact the overall success and well being of these young people. Solution-focused conversations are extremely effective in re-engaging students. This past week, I had the pleasure of… Continue reading Supporting Students who Present with School refusal, with Solution Focused Conversations
One of the books on my reading list this summer was the very refreshing Art of Possibility; Transforming Professional & Personal Life, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. Among many inspiring stories, they tell of a lovely parable demonstrating our limited understanding of the nature of the gifts the universe holds for us. “Four… Continue reading A New School Year – How Much Greatness are we willing to Grant?
Schools are active spaces for connection, where students and staff are immersed in much more than the academic curriculum. In schools, stakeholders make daily interactive choices and develop effective relationships. In a day, staff can have up to 100 conversations with students, colleagues, administration, families and community. How can they engage in and model conversations… Continue reading School Staff & Prioritizing Effective Communication
In a ground-breaking research study of its time, Dr. Martin Seligman (founder of the field of positive psychology) identified five key pillars of happiness in his model of well-being; positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment – with relationships scoring as the most significant factor for determining personal happiness. Prior to this incredible research, he… Continue reading Improving Relationships; Creating Better Spaces; In Celebration of the International Day of Happiness
