Teacher Wellbeing That Works: How I Help Schools Create Real Change
If you work in an international or IB school, you already know how often the phrase “teacher wellbeing” gets used — in meetings, mission statements, or staff briefings. But how often does it actually change anything?
Too often, wellbeing is treated like an add-on: a wellness day here, a yoga session there, maybe a staff survey that disappears into a spreadsheet. These things are well-intentioned, but they rarely touch the deeper issues that cause exhaustion, burnout, and disconnection among staff.
That’s why I take a different approach.
As a psychotherapist, trauma specialist, and former international education professional, I help schools build trauma-informed wellbeing programs that go beyond slogans — and actually work.
Why Traditional Wellbeing Efforts Don’t Work
Teachers are some of the most resilient professionals in the world, but resilience isn’t an endless resource. Many of the international teachers I meet are running on empty — emotionally exhausted, sleep-deprived, and quietly questioning whether they can keep going.
The problem isn’t that schools don’t care; it’s that most wellbeing initiatives focus on individual coping, not systemic support.
When a teacher is told to “practice self-care” without any change in workload, leadership culture, or psychological safety, the message is clear: Your wellbeing is your responsibility — not ours.
That’s not wellbeing. That’s survival.
What a Trauma-Informed Approach Looks Like
My workshops and consultations are designed to shift that culture — from one that reacts to burnout to one that preventsit.
A trauma-informed approach means recognizing how chronic stress, change, and emotional labor affect teachers’ nervous systems. It means building a school environment where safety, empathy, and connection are prioritized — for both students and staff.
In practice, this can look like:
Leadership teams learning to recognize signs of dysregulation and burnout early.
Staff being given language for understanding their stress responses.
Reframing “resilience” as something that grows from safety, not from pressure.
Creating spaces for reflection, grounding, and connection that are integrated into the school day, not added on top of it.
What My Workshops Offer
Each school I work with is unique — culturally, structurally, and emotionally — so no two workshops look the same. However, all are grounded in the same principles: evidence-based psychology, body-based practice, and deep respect for the realities of teaching.
Depending on your school’s needs, workshops may include:
Teacher Wellbeing and Burnout Prevention — practical, trauma-informed tools for emotional regulation and balance.
Trauma-Informed Teaching — helping educators recognize how stress and trauma impact learning and classroom dynamics.
Leadership and Wellbeing — supporting heads, coordinators, and HR teams to model and embed a culture of care.
Resilience and Regulation for Educators — simple, body-based strategies to reset the nervous system during stressful days.
All sessions are interactive, accessible, and grounded in compassion — not clichés. Teachers leave with strategies they can use the next day, not just inspiration that fades by Monday morning.
Why Schools Choose to Work With Me
Before becoming a psychotherapist, I spent over a decade in international education — teaching, training, and consulting with schools across more than 60 countries. I understand the unique pressures of this world: the transient staff, the cross-cultural teams, the drive for academic excellence, and the unrelenting pace.
That experience, combined with my clinical background, allows me to bridge the gap between what schools want to achieve and what teachers actually need.
When schools work with me, they don’t get a “wellbeing event.” They get a partnership — a tailored approach designed to shift culture, improve retention, and genuinely support the humans behind the job titles.
Bringing This to Your School
If you’re a head of school, coordinator, or wellbeing lead ready to create meaningful change, I offer bespoke workshops and consultancy packages for international and IB schools worldwide.
Whether you’re looking to build a full wellbeing program or start with a single staff session, I can help you design an approach that’s practical, trauma-informed, and sustainable.
You can learn more about my workshops or contact me directly to discuss your school’s needs. Together, we can create a culture where teachers don’t just survive the school year — they feel supported, grounded, and inspired again.
