Fight Clubs for School: A Counselor in Every Classroom | Emily Torres & Sean Barrett | TEDxSpokane
In a bold reimagining of high school education, English teacher Emily Torres and school counselor Sean Barrett have created their own version of "Fight Club" - not for physical combat, but for battling mental health challenges through an innovative classroom integration. By embedding a counselor directly into the language arts curriculum, they demonstrate how counseling concepts woven into literature discussions and writing exercises create a powerful space for students to confront their struggles and emerge stronger. Their revolutionary approach has not only improved academic performance and emotional wellbeing but offers a provocative, practical blueprint for how schools everywhere can evolve to meet our students' changing needs through the unexpected pairing of counseling and classroom instruction. Emily Torres has been an educator with Spokane Public Schools for 22 years. In 2016 she helped pilot a program for trauma-impacted teens and ever since has continued to incorporate a counselor-in-the-classroom approach to education. She has had the unique privilege of working alongside psychologists (Dr. Kent Hoffman Every Person has Infinite Worth | Kent Hoffman | TEDxSpokane – YouTube, Dr. Russel Kolts Anger, Compassion, and What It Means To Be Strong | Russell Kolts | TEDxOlympia (youtube.com), and Mental Health Therapist Sean Barrett to develop and implement an ELA curriculum designed around self-awareness. Emily is also a trauma-informed trainer through the Community Resilience Initiative (www.CRIResilient.org) and has been a presenter introducing others to Holistic Curriculums at their annual Beyond Paper Tigers Trauma-Informed Care Conference and at the 2024 Regional Equity Summit. She was also one of Lilac City’s Teacher of the Year in 2022.Meet Sean, a mental health counselor who at the age of 16 had steered clear of psychology classes because he and the counselors he was working with were unable to unravel the mystery to him finding himself. A mixtape given to him around this time was Sean’s Rosetta Stone, giving him the first words and emotions to understand what he had been experiencing.
Sean treasures his roles as a husband, father, family member, friend, and colleague. Alongside TEDx co-speaker Emily Torres, he is devout in bringing language arts and psychology to every young soul in every classroom possible.Those who know Sean best describe him as empathetic, affable, and a bit of a muppet – qualities he would recommend to work in an industry where the chief commodity is pain. His guiding philosophy? Start with putting relationships first, and listen to one another the way you listen to your favorite song. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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