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William Ketterer, a clinical psychologist, introduces the Healing the Self Model in his book, Reducing Anger and Violence in Schools An Evidence—Based Approach. Consolidating principles of self psychology, conflict resolution and trauma theory into a social-emotional approach for teachers in classrooms, the heart of his approach is to help teachers integrate self psychological concepts to create healing relationships for students. Attention to the emotional lives of children in schools has many positive outcomes for both the children and the schools (see research collected by CASEL casel.org). A study by Sanchez et al. (2018) found that most mental health interventions for children were delivered in schools by teachers, most often in classrooms. The authors found that “Considering serious barriers precluding youth from accessing necessary mental health care, the present meta-analysis suggests child psychiatrists and other mental health professionals are wise to recognize the important role that school personnel, who are naturally in children’s lives, can play in decreasing child mental health problems” (p. 1). For struggling students, a school’s ability to provide an abundance of emotional nurturance makes the difference between a school environment of neglect, depression, and even violence to an environment infused with vitality, companionship, and a focus on the healthy development of the self of each child.
Currently, schools are responding to the Black Lives Matter movement with a tacit acknowledgement that violence in schools is best addressed through counseling. For example, a recent New York Times article documents the shift from funding policing in schools to funding counselling. In it, Nadera Powell, a senior at Venice High School, says that she had seen firsthand both the destructive impact of having police officers on campus and the positive role that counselors play in resolving disputes and easing tensions (Cowan, Hubler, & Taylor, 2021