In ‘The Schools We Need Now,’ longtime New Trier educators put mental health at center of education

Schools across the country are looking to address student mental health, but what is the right way to talk about it? What resources should schools be offering? Is there something they could be doing better or more of?

Two former New Trier High School leaders are hoping to help schools answer those questions and more with their recently published book, “The Schools We Need Now: A Guide to Designing a Mentally Healthy School.”

Dr. Timothy Dohrer, former principal at New Trier’s Winnetka campus, and Dr. Thomas Golebiewski, former chair of NTHS’s social work department, have known each other for 34 years and had the idea to write a book about mental health in schools for about a decade.

“It comes from our experiences in schools, and that, I think, is what sets the book apart from some other books, is that we really wanted to ground this in the life of a pre-k-through-12 school,” Dohrer said, adding that besides his and Golebiewski’s personal experiences, the book draws from the work the two have done with other schools and their leaders addressing student mental health.

Dohrer and Golebiewski said that as far back as 2013 when they decided they wanted to help schools, students were struggling with mental health and wellness.

“In 2013, we had a lot of students who were battling anxiety and depression and under a lot of stress, and we had suicidal ideations, suicide attempts, suicide happening, and other tragedies that were going on,” Dohrer said. “What we felt is that schools have a responsibility for helping kids, especially, get through those moments; moments that we’d seen over our careers.”

He noted that, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have seen an increase in student mental health struggles.

“The Schools We Need Now” is geared toward anyone who has a role in determining and shaping school culture, from teachers and administrators and school board members and parents.

Golebiewski said the focus of the book is creating “upstream solutions to downstream problems.”

As an example, he mentioned schools teaching students about emotional intelligence, embedding “pro-social skills” and dealing with conflict.

“And it isn’t that they have to necessarily be brought in via a curriculum, but teaching a skill like a mindful moment where you can calm and regulate yourself and embed that into your school climate or culture,” Golebiewski said.

Within that idea is creating a school climate and culture that includes care, compassion and a safe environment for all students.

“And then the upstream solutions to the downstream problems are you begin to get in front of bullying and harassment issues,” Golebiewski said. “You begin to get in front of anxiety that rises to the threshold where it’s overwhelming and it’s debilitating.”

The book also details different methods and interventions with student mental health, including multi-tiered systems of support, or MTSS.

Dohrer said “the heart of the book” is a mental health action plan, which he said also means “The Schools We Need Now” can be used as a workbook.

“This is meant to be a very hands-on guide for school leaders, and it’s embedded throughout the book,” he said. “We have it in the appendix at the end … but then at the end of each chapter there is a portion of it.”

He added, “We want people to have this (book). We want this to be in the hands of leaders who are going to take it and make mental health the focus of their work in schools.”

The book contains plenty of research and resources, but there are also personal stories throughout the book. Golebiewski mentioned that a portion of the book is dedicated to Erika’s Lighthouse, a Winnetka-based nonprofit that raises awareness of depression among adolescents. It’s named after Erika Neuckranz, a Carleton Washburne Junior High student who lost her life to depression in 2004.

Both Golebiewski and Dohrer said their experiences working with high school students shaped their thoughts on student mental health.

For Golebiewski, it was his work with peer helping, an in-service social service group that focused on developing leadership, communicating and being service-oriented.

“This particular program allowed me to be involved with students in a pro-social, preventative way in which, by supporting them and providing a sense of empowerment, they were able to find their voice and kind of take action on behalf of their peers to make the school’s climate and culture a better place,” he said.

Dohrer said there are two moments in his career at New Trier that opened his eyes to student mental health.

“As a classroom teacher (it was) the recognition over my career that academics do not come first, and that the most important thing I could do was build a community, build relationships and build a classroom culture that was safe for students to be in,” he said. “Then I could get to all the academic stuff, but I didn’t think that going in. I’m lucky, I think, I figured it out earlier in my career.”

The second was when he became principal and recognizing the “ripple effect” that happens when a tragedy occurs or something goes wrong.

“My tree was my classroom and being an English teacher,” he said. “When I became principal, I suddenly had to think about 4,000 students and 700 staff members across two campuses, and I didn’t realize that … (when a tragedy happened) it wasn’t just about that kid and their family that was struggling and their friends. It was people who did not even know that individual who were in need at that moment.”

Dohrer said he hopes that the book helps schools realize how important they are in providing student mental health services.

“It’s an important role for schools to play, that they are helping to improve the mental health and wellness of children who they have for six to eight hours a day, sometimes longer, for 180 days out of the year,” he said. “And if we push that a little bit, Tom and I both also believe that schools can be centers of healing.”

Dohrer and Golebiewski will be at The Book Stall in Winnetka on Tuesday, Sept. 10, for a book talk and signing. According to Dohrer, the event is full.

Golebiewski added that while the book has been published, he and Dohrer aren’t finished with talking about student mental health.

“We continue to be curious and invested in not only helping schools to grapple and change and address mental health issues, but also our own learning,” he said.

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