Date of Submission

7-12-2024

Document Type

DiP

Degree

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

Keywords

trauma, social justice, professional learning communities, authentic leadership, distributed leadership, counselling

Abstract

In contemporary North American society, youth mental health incidents of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, to name but a few, have worsened over time and pose significant challenges for educators to understand and address. Emergent demands for responsive school policies, procedures, and practices increasingly require educational leaders to be informed by complementary disciplines; i.e., psychology and health care, to more effectively integrate best practices into the field. As an example, trauma-informed principles and strategies are being used to conceptualize and account for negative mental health outcomes and conjointly guide planning for more effective responses in schools. In this way, understanding the impacts of trauma on youth, and in particular, youth from marginalized backgrounds and identities, supports an integrated approach to student social-emotional development. To take action, the Dissertation-in-Practice (DiP) explores the creation of a professional learning community (PLC) guided by a trauma-informed, social justice perspective to develop faculty capacity to support youth social-emotional development. This paper also provides for leadership agency and change through exploring guidance counsellor expertise and relational positionality to foster positive relationships within schools. Additionally, authentic and distributed leadership is developed as a focal point to contextualize change leadership and local conditions. This overall approach to change anchors anticipated outcomes such as increased school-wide collaborative processes and empowerment, strengthened relational supports, and trauma-informed policies and practices, and further contributes to the institutionalization and sustainability of desired outcomes.

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