Creating Social-emotional Supportive School Environments

In this course, Dr. Carol Dahir, Ed.D., School Counseling Department, New York Institute of Technology, examines four strategies for increasing our SEL skills and outcomes for students: understanding the rationale, knowing the research, becoming an advocate, and being outcome-driven. Given the marginalisation of many students, the uptick in school violence and mental health issues, and increasing stressors due to losses from COVID – apart from normal developmental challenges – there is an urgency to focusing on resilience and building social capital. Dr. Dahir touches on multiple concepts which help to enhance SEL in schools, such as inclusiveness, combating learned helplessness, climate and culture strategies, and Culturally Responsive Practices (CRP). The five components of SEL are outlined, and three aspects of being an advocate are discussed. Dahir shares the indicators evidencing full implementation of SEL.