Boosting School Belonging: Practical Strategies to Help Adolescents Feel Like They Belong at School

by Kelly-Ann Allen

With rising rates of youth mental illness, disconnection and social isolation, strategies are needed that can help stem the tide. A sense of belonging to one’s school is associated with good school performance, physical and psychological wellbeing, and offers a quintessential solution to help address many of the issues faced by young people today. Grounded in theory, research, and practical experience, Boosting School Belonging provides 48 activities for practitioners and teachers to use with classes, groups, or individuals to help secondary students develop a sense of school belonging. Through six modules, readers will understand the evidence underlying each module, identify fun and practical tools to use with young people, and develop strategies for helping young people connect with teachers, parents, peers, themselves, learning, and help. The evidence-based strategies and concepts make it an invaluable resource for teachers, psychologists and counsellors looking to help foster a sense of school belonging amongst students.

204 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2019

About the author

Dr Kelly-Ann Allen is an endorsed Educational and Developmental Psychologist, senior lecturer at Monash University and Fellow of both the Australian Psychological Society and the College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists. Dr Allen is also a senior honorary fellow of the Centre for Wellbeing Science, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, the University of Melbourne.