Dr Helen Street is an internationally acclaimed social psychologist and education consultant, supporting wellbeing and resilience in educational communities around the world.  

She is also a successful author and an honorary fellow at The University of Western Australia. Her first book 'Standing Without Shoes' includes a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

In 2007, Helen co-founded Positive Schools with Neil Porter, including the highly respected Positive Schools conference series, Positive Schools Online and consultancy services.

Helen is also the founder of the Contextual Wellbeing framework and philosophy supporting the ongoing development of thriving school communities. Contextual Wellbeing is now being developed in schools in more than twenty countries across four continents; including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK. Helen’s fourth book, ‘Contextual Wellbeing – creating positive schools from the inside out’ has become an international best-seller in education.

Helen is known as a pioneer in the support of long-term learning engagement and wellbeing through whole school systemic change and development.

Helen lives in Western Australia with Neil, their three daughters and their cavoodle, Barney.

She will be releasing her fifth book ‘The Impossible Question of Living Well’ in May, 2024.

 

Join Helen for the Positive Schools 2024 'Big Workshop'

When students experience healthy relationships and a love of learning at school, great education happens.

Join Helen at the Positive Schools 2024 Big Workshop, as we turn our passion for wellbeing into sustainable, effective everyday action. 

Wellbeing development in schools needs to focus on the development of genuine and grounded real-world practice, within the real-world contexts of our schools, to ensure it works well.

Click HERE to find out more and register

Positive Schools 

Helen Street founded Positive Schools in 2008 with Neil Porter. Positive Schools supports the ongoing development and maintenance of thriving school communities around the world. 

They define thriving school communities as school communities which support the academic, social and emotional learning of ALL members in an equitable, meaningful and sustainable way. 

Positive Schools has now touched the lives of over 26,000 educators from over 6000 schools and colleges; from around Australia and 15 other countries.

www.PositiveSchools.com and www.positiveschools.com.au

Introducing Contextual Wellbeing for whole school systemic development

The Contextual Wellbeing framework and philosophy involves understanding and developing an experience of wellbeing from a systems perspective. Wellbeing becomes most easily understood as a process of connection and re-connection within a healthy school context. A healthy school context being a context that supports self-determination, autonomous motivation and positive mental health both equitably and inclusively.

Helen's Positive Schools 2024 'Big Workshop' will focus on how we can meaningfully build Contextual Wellbeing in our school communities.

Order your copy of CONTEXTUAL WELLBEING today
The Impossible Question of Living Well

Launching May, 2024

This is a book about understanding change, so you can better understand yourself.

'A book imbued with huge amounts of wisdom and personal honesty? It's such a rare find, and for me made The Impossible Question of Living Well a richly worthwhile reading experience. I learned much from Helen Street's words.' -  John Marsden

  ‘ If you are a human, this book is for you… Helen’s candour and wisdom guides us on how we can learn to live with more ease, more acceptance, and greater connection.  A book I will return to over and over again…’ - Janis Coffey

Order your pre-launch copy of THE IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION OF LIVING WELL here
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Understanding

CONTEXTUAL WELLBEING

Full presentation and follow on conversation with

Maggie Dent

Click on the video image to play

Presentations

Helen presents on a variety of topics supporting the development of contextual wellbeing, positive mental health, self-determination, motivation and resilience in both educators and students. 

CONTACT

Consultation

Helen provides both short and long-term consultation to schools to help them better understand and build contextual wellbeingi their classrooms, staff rooms and whole-school communities

CONTACT

Wellbeing Audits

Helen will guide your whole-school community in an in-depth exploration of your unique strengths, challenges and hopes for wellbeing. Discover what is working, what needs rethinking and what to do next.

CONTACT
"Helen Street worked closely with school leaders and teachers from the Dulwich College International group of schools. She was instrumental in presenting compelling evidence based awareness of contextual wellbeing and providing practical strategies in policy, practice, culture and pedagogy. Her style and approach is very effective.  Partnering with Helen will enable schools to authentically embed a comprehensive wellbeing culture into organisational philosophy and practice."
 
Craig Davis Director of Education
Dulwich College International

 

“Helen Street is a great friend of Geelong Grammar School and the Institute of Positive Education.  Helen’s work has had a lasting impact on our School community and her messages continue to influence our actions and behaviours.  Through her own research, her wide academic reading and her own practical wisdom Helen presents a wide range of key messages that will assist any school to build and nurture a caring and cohesive learning community.  Be prepared to listen, prepared to be challenged and prepared to inquire as Helen takes you and your school on a journey towards a more peaceful and harmonious community.”


Justin Robinson, Director
Geelong Grammar School Institute of Positive Education

English Schools Foundation 

"Over the years working alongside Dr Helen Street, I have come to regard her as a vanguard of students wellbeing.
Helen has used the collective respect from teachers and administrators alike to win widespread support for our students. Helen's abilities to bring colleagues together through her commitment to students' wellbeing and active encouragement and support of teachers' professional development are much admired across our organisation."


Jacques-Olivier Perche
Head of Professional Learning
English Schools Foundation

 

“Dr Helen Street supported us significantly in our goal of investigating and developing wellbeing and she created a custom-made school reform plan based on her specific findings from our community.  Helen is an engaging speaker about well-being in schools who is challenging, entertaining and thought provoking. She discusses research findings with authority and passion, and stresses the importance of context to well-being in a learning community.”

Colin Campbell, Senior School Deputy Principal, International School of Düsseldorf, Germany

"We were fortunate to engage with Helen over three years to develop a context of wellbeing that empowered staff, students and the community to engage in policy, procedures and practices that literally changed the culture of the school. Many schools and learning organizations buy into programs to enhance wellbeing. My experience as an international school leader working with Helen Street affirmed that there is so much more to creating positive, meaningful and long-term change to support student and staff wellbeing. Helen connected with staff and parents on a personally and professional level enabling them to re-conceptualize theories of wellbeing and the necessary steps to take to support resilience, quality learning and a positive school culture. The professional learning for staff was inspiring, the workshops for parents engaging and the mentoring for leaders empowering as we bought about sustainable change for our learning community."

Neill O'Reilly, Principal, Kowloon Junior School, Hong Kong

"Are you open to examining the established practices in your school in order to foster wellbeing, not as an ‘add on’, but as the very core of everything you believe and do? When we first discovered ‘Contextual Wellbeing’ by Helen Street, we recognised the work required to build a cohesive culture in which students and teachers could flourish. Working with Helen supported us to see the importance of an appreciative inquiry as the starting point from which to build on our strengths as a community.  Engaging with Helen set us on the journey of defining our values, thus enabling us to focus on ensuring that our policies and practices align with our core beliefs."

Edna Sackson, Teaching and Learning Leader PYP
Mount Scopus Memorial College, Melbourne

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Infinite Leaders Podcast

Contextual Wellbeing -

Dr. Helen Street

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The You Project Contextual Wellbeing - Dr. Helen Street

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