Relational Practice: New Approaches to Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools

A clear and compelling text written by teachers, psychologists, and educationalists, Relational Practice: New Approaches to Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools proposes a dynamic and relational approach to supporting the mental health needs of children and young people within education. Contributing authors advocate a movement away from the deficit, medicalised model of mental health and instead encourage readers to embrace a relational approach, considering philosophical and spiritual dimensions, as well as the wider everyday contexts that shape the mental health of individuals, groups, and school communities.

Filled with case studies, intervention strategies, and CPD activities, this essential guide bridges the gap between theory, research, and practice to offer evidence-based resources for practical application within schools.

Areas covered include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting neurodivergent and LGBT+ students to thrive
• Creating and actioning an anti-racist approach
• Multi-agency interventions
• Relationships in SEND settings
• Creating a supportive culture to enhance staff wellbeing
• Appreciative inquiry
• Staff perceptions of Building Relational Schools (BRS)
• The role of intersubjective processes and the impact they have on relationships in educational settings

Providing a comprehensive introduction to relational practice within education, this is an indispensable resource for anyone working in education who wishes to support the mental health and wellbeing of their school community.

1. Working relationally: A paradigm choice; 2. Humanizing our Practice: The Radical Possibilities of a Relational Approach; 3. Psychosocial justice: a matter of ecologics; 4. An inquiry into the heart of separation, selfhood, connection, and love: The implications of non-duality to relational practice; 5. ‘I am because we are’: African and Buddhist perspectives on ‘relationship’ and human flourishing; 6. Personal selves, professional lives: Engaging the ‘self’ in work with families and young people; 7. “There’s TRUST there at the heart of it”; 8. A reflection on how a relational approach supported an Educational Psychology Service’s work on antiracism; 9. Exploring the relational power of Appreciative Inquiry: drawing on previous experiences and diverse perspectives within an Educational Psychology Service to create new ways of working; 10. What works to create a supportive relational culture that enhances staff wellbeing?; 11. “It’s all about relationships”; 12. Children in care proceedings: trauma, commitment and relational practice in schools; 13. Supporting Neuro-diverse LGBTQ+ Students to Thrive; 14. Emerging Adulthood and Working with Uncertainty – A Multi Agency Perspective; 15. REFLECT: A collaborative and reflective relational approach that empowers adults to better understand and nurture, and children and young people to flourish; 16. The role of intersubjective processes and the impact they have on relationships in educational settings; 17. Special time: An intervention to support the building of teacher-pupil relationships to promote belonging, trust and development of positive attachments with school staff; 18. Beads of Life for transition to High School: Educational and Child Psychologists’ re-telling their embodied narrative practice with young people, staff and families; 19. Winnicott’s Relational Wisdom: Playing in the Space Between

Sahaja Timothy Davis is a practitioner, teacher, and researcher of mindfulness and non-duality who has contributed to national and international research projects, conferences, and publications in these areas. He is also the co-director for the doctorate in child and educational psychology at the University of Sheffield.

Tom Billington is Emeritus Professor of educational and child psychology at the University of Sheffield (UK) and is a fellow of the British Psychological Society. His work as a practitioner has driven his research, utilising critical approaches to developmental psychology that accord with principles of equality, diversity, and social inclusion.

Mary Chilokoa is a practising educational psychologist working in Leeds Educational Psychology Service. She is an academic tutor on the doctoral course in child and educational psychology at the University of Sheffield and has published in the areas of peer supervision and pupil ‘voice’.

Claire-Marie Whiting is a specialist educational psychologist for participation and engagement at Rotherham Educational Psychology Service. She is the co-lead for ‘Genuine Partnerships’, a group of practitioners, parent carers, and young people who model and support co-production and inclusive practice. Claire is also the director of placements and a course tutor for the educational psychology doctorate at the University of Sheffield.

'The book titled “Relational practice: New approaches to mental health and wellbeing in schools”, edited by Sahaja Timothy Davis, Tom Billington, Mary Chilokoa and Claire Whiting is a comprehensive volume on the subject which will be highly beneficial for school counsellors, mental health professionals, teachers and academic administrators to establish genuine rapport with the families of the school children in addressing their mental health needs. In most of the developing countries school authorities and mental health professionals like student counsellors hardly make any effort to reach out to the family members to address the issues and challenges of the children. I highly recommend this book for the authorities of all the schools of the developing countries like India and China.'

Professor Sibnath Deb, PhD, DSc, Head, Department of Applied Psychology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India

'If you work in educational or child settings, you will find this book inspiring and supportive of your relational practices. It provides thoughtful insights into the daily approaches of practitioners, psychologists and educators alike, as they navigate the fast and ever-changing conditions which host children's selfhood. Elements of caution regarding governmentality and pathologising within-child approaches sit alongside critiques of narratives of practices which constitute acts of resistance and hope, as practitioners are encouraged to approach children and young people and their settings with gentle curiosity, and to resist medicalising them.'

Dr. Daniela Mercieca, Lecturer (Teaching and Research), School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, University of Dundee

‘Working relationally: a paradigm choice’ is a timely reminder of the need for Educational Psychologists to refine our understanding of social emotional mental health and a clarion call to engage in more inclusive ways of working. The authors argue persuasively that within-child deficit models are intellectually bankrupt and ethically oppressive. They explore the manner in which language maintains social marginalisation and demonstrate how ways forward can be found in critical and relational approaches. This book will support all those who work with young people to develop deeper understanding of a relational orientation and should inspire acts of resistance that reconfigure outdated and indefensible working practices.'

Miles Thomas, Research Director, Department of Professional Psychology , UEL

'The question of how best to make sense of and support the needs of children and young people who need something additional and/or different to access education remains an extremely hot (and reactive) potato. This book provides an invaluable opportunity to pause for deep reflection on these debates and on the complexity of the context, to reconsider what those children’s experiences are, and what relational practice can and does mean in real-world contexts, including examples and ideas for the real-life application of relational principles to support children and young people.'

Dr Joanna Stanbridge, Senior Educational Psychologist and Research Tutor at UCL’s Institute for Education

'This book is a comprehensive resource encompassing a wide range of research and practice-based chapters. It details effectively collaborating with children, young people, parents, and carers through a relational lens. This approach is not just beneficial but crucial, as it fosters strong collaboration between parents and practitioners.

By establishing strong relationships and fostering collaboration with parents from the outset, practitioners gain a deeper understanding of a child’s unique needs. This empowers parents and leads to a positive ripple effect, resulting in better outcomes for all involved.'

Louise Graham, parent and strategic director (operations) Rotherham Parent Carers Forum:

'At times it can feel like deadlines and external pressures can get the better of us. This book allows us to stop and reflect on what we really believe in. It’s the reminder to not let these values, and the core reason for why we do what we do, drift or be defeated. Reminding us that our relationships with so many people are key to us working towards being the best kind of practitioner we can be; one that aims to really work within the rich tapestry that is there for us to explore. Reminding us that children and young people are at the heart of what we do.'

Jemma Wilkinson, Senior EP Rotherham Educational Psychology Service

'This book presents a strong case for the application of relational approaches in education. Based on a pragmatic approach, the authors draw on extensive practice, research and personal anecdotes to highlight the practical significance of these approaches when interacting with young people. The reader is guided towards a more interconnected approach to existence and application through various frameworks, originating from both within and beyond the dominant psychological narratives. In this view, this book offers a thorough and detailed guide for professionals. This makes it an indispensable asset for those who wish to enhance the well-being of young people by stepping away from the medical model and using relational practice to generate engaged experiences with young people. In conclusion, this work is a call to action, encouraging professionals to embrace relational principles in a quest to acknowledge the emotional, social, and political dimensions of education. This is an essential read for anyone wishing to develop environments where young people can flourish.'

Professor Paulann Grech, Department of Mental Health, University of Malta

'Relational theory has taken a radical leap forward in recent years, but nothing is more important than its realizations in practice. The present work is a rich and exhilarating display of just such practices as they apply to one of the most critical challenges in contemporary education: the flagging condition of student wellbeing. Bravo to the editors and contributors for this treasure trove of inspiration.'

Kenneth J. Gergen, PhD, Social Psychologist, President of the Taos Institute, Mustin Professor of Psychology at Swarthmore College.

'This book is an extraordinary culmination of years of research and reflection on relational practice by educational and child psychologists at the University of Sheffield. It expands international efforts to support the mental health of children and young people in a world of conflict, hardship and contested meanings about identities and relationships. Most importantly, innovative links to practice make this a compelling resource for educators and mental health professionals.'

Lise Claiborne, Assoc. Professor, University of Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand