Rohini Kesavan Rajeev, Founder, The Able Mind, Mental Health & Behavioral Health Expert, SEL and Leadership Coach, explains how creating emotionally resilient learners begins with integrating evidence-based psychological practices that support both academic success and lifelong well-being.
Evidence-based psychological tools in schools
Academic success has long been regarded as the primary purpose of education. However, increasing levels of stress, anxiety, and emotional challenges among students have highlighted the need to place equal importance on mental and emotional well-being. Schools are not merely institutions of academic instruction; they are environments where children develop socially, emotionally and psychologically. Emotional well-being should therefore be treated as an essential part of learning rather than an additional topic.
Evidence-based psychological tools provide educators with practical methods that have been tested through research to strengthen students’ emotional skills, focus, and resilience. These approaches help children understand their emotions, regulate them effectively, and develop healthy coping strategies that support both learning and overall well-being.
Building emotional foundations
Evidence-based psychological tools refer to methods that have been scientifically tested and proven through research to improve students’ emotional skills, concentration, resilience and focus, while promoting positive mental health and preventing common emotional difficulties experienced by children and adolescents.
Some of the most widely recognised approaches include: Social and Emotional Learning (SEAL), mindfulness practices, cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-based strategies, self-regulation and self-care techniques, positive teacher-student relationships, and supportive school environments.
These approaches are designed to help students understand and manage their emotions, build healthy relationships, develop resilience, and establish meaningful personal goals. Many students experience stress, anxiety, and everyday emotional challenges, not only in India but across the world. Schools therefore play a vital role in promoting mental health and preventing common mental health difficulties. One of the first steps is teaching children to recognise and name their emotions. Once they understand what they are feeling, they can begin learning how to regulate and express those emotions safely.
The SEAL advantage
One of the most widely recognised evidence-based approaches is the Social and Emotional Learning (SEAL) model, teaching children a range of life skills that extend beyond academic learning. The model focuses on helping students develop: self-awareness, empathy, emotional regulation, self-control, and responsible decision-making.
Research has shown that well-designed SEAL programmes contribute to reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression among young people. They also help identify and reduce suicidal behaviour among adolescents while improving academic achievement and overall student well-being. They are better equipped to understand the emotions of others. This strengthens empathy, improves classroom behaviour and creates healthier peer relationships. The SEAL model demonstrates that emotional intelligence supports learning by improving engagement, confidence and resilience.
Mindfulness matters most
Mindfulness is one of the most widely accepted psychological interventions used in educational settings. It involves training attention and awareness by encouraging students to focus on their breathing and remain present in the current moment. These simple techniques help students become more aware of their thoughts and emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them.
School-based mindfulness programmes improve mental health and well-being among both students and staff, and lead to improvements in emotional regulation, attention and overall well-being. Even two to five minutes of focused breathing can help students settle into the classroom, improve concentration and reduce everyday stress.
Cognitive behavioural therapy-based skills
Another valuable evidence-based approach is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-based learning, which helps children identify, question and change unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviour rather than accepting every negative thought as true. CBT is recognised as one of the most effective approaches for treating anxiety and depression among both adolescents and adults.
By teaching children to challenge negative thinking patterns, schools help them build emotional resilience and improve emotional control, learn that setbacks do not define their abilities and that challenges can often be managed by changing the way they interpret situations.
The art of self-regulation
Self-regulation refers to a student’s ability to manage emotions, energy, behaviour and attention appropriately across different situations. Teaching self-regulation includes helping students learn: emotional management, energy management, time management, goal setting, and self-care practices.
Psychological interventions aimed at improving self-regulation significantly enhance resilience and emotional well-being. Students who understand self-control and self-care are better able to cope with stress and manage everyday life than those who have never been taught these skills.
Self-regulation, self-care and resilience can all be taught and strengthened through consistent practice. This forms one of the central principles of preventative mental health programmes within educational institutions.
Connected hearts, confident minds
A positive school environment is built upon supportive teacher-student relationships and a strong sense of belonging. For many adults, some of their fondest childhood memories are associated with school and the teachers who made them feel understood, valued and supported.
A supportive teacher-student relationship fosters trust, encourages engagement, and creates a sense of belonging within the school community, higher levels of motivation, greater classroom participation, and increased happiness. Feeling emotionally safe allows students to ask questions without fear, participate actively in classroom discussions and seek help when required.
Creating supportive schools
Schools should adopt a whole-school approach where emotional well-being becomes an integral part of everyday education.
Examples of whole-school mental health programmes include: universal mental health programmes, resilience-building initiatives, positive behavioural support systems, and preventative emotional well-being programmes. Evidence shows that these programmes improve emotional development, reduce behavioural concerns, and contribute to a healthier school climate, in addition to promoting positive behaviour and creating environments where both students and staff feel supported.
The effectiveness of these programmes lies in their consistency. Rather than responding only when difficulties arise, schools can actively promote emotional well-being through everyday practices that become part of the school culture.
Valuing your well-being
Teaching children to prioritise their own mental health enables them to recognise their emotional needs while also respecting the needs of others. They begin to understand healthy boundaries and learn that looking after their emotional well-being is neither selfish nor unnecessary but an essential life skill.
Psychological interventions that strengthen resilience and emotional regulation also encourage healthy self-prioritisation. Students who understand their own emotional needs are more likely to seek help when required, manage stress effectively, and maintain healthier relationships throughout life.
Thriving minds, brighter futures
The benefits of incorporating evidence-based psychological tools into schools extend well beyond improved emotional well-being.
Students who have access to these interventions often demonstrate: better emotional regulation, reduced anxiety and depression, improved focus and attention, stronger academic performance, greater resilience, increased classroom engagement, and enhanced overall well-being. Students who feel emotionally safe are more willing to ask questions, participate in classroom discussions, and seek clarification when they encounter difficulties. In addition, emotionally supported students develop stronger coping skills that enable them to manage setbacks, adapt to change, and remain focused despite everyday challenges.
Well-being in practice
Many strategies for evidence-based psychological practices can be incorporated into existing classroom routines with minimal disruption.
· Daily mindfulness activities: Teachers can begin each day with two to five minutes of mindfulness practice. Simple breathing exercises encourage students to settle into the classroom, improve concentration, and become more aware of their emotional state before lessons begin. Breath work can also be introduced before examinations, classroom presentations or competitions to help reduce anxiety and improve focus.
· Social and emotional learning in the curriculum: Social and emotional learning should be integrated into everyday teaching rather than treated as a separate subject. Simple emotional check-ins at the beginning of each class allow teachers to ask students how they are feeling, encouraging open communication while strengthening teacher-student relationships. Remembering conversations from previous lessons also reinforces the message that every student matters as an individual rather than simply as a learner completing academic tasks.
· Cognitive behavioural thinking skills: Teachers can introduce CBT-based thinking activities that encourage students to question negative thought patterns. For example, when a student says, “I can’t do this,” the response should acknowledge the feeling by encouraging them with words “, It is all right to feel this way. Try taking one step at a time.” Journaling activities can also help children identify emotional triggers and understand how their thoughts influence their feelings and behaviours.
· Safe spaces for expression: Schools should provide safe spaces where students feel comfortable expressing emotions without fear of judgement. Open conversations encourage students to discuss challenges while learning that experiencing different emotions is a normal part of life.
· Supporting teachers: Teachers also require emotional support. Teaching is a highly demanding profession that involves adapting to changing educational practices, supporting students with diverse needs, and navigating relationships with parents. Providing regular emotional support and professional development helps teachers manage stress while maintaining their own well-being.
· Practical classroom activities: Schools can begin implementing evidence-based psychological tools through simple classroom activities that require little preparation.
· Emotional check-ins: Teachers can start each lesson by asking students how they are feeling. This helps younger children identify and name their emotions. As children learn emotional vocabulary, they begin to understand that every feeling is acceptable, although not every behaviour is appropriate.
· Role-play activities: Role-play exercises encourage empathy, communication and collaborative problem-solving. These activities allow students to practise responding to different situations while developing stronger interpersonal skills.
· Mindfulness exercises: Simple mindfulness activities include two-minute breathing exercises before lessons, breathing exercises before competitions, silent attention practices, progressive muscle relaxation, and brief body relaxation exercises.
· Goal setting and time management: Students benefit from setting small personal and academic goals each week. Teaching practical techniques such as the Pomodoro Technique—20 minutes of focused work followed by a five-minute break—helps children manage attention more effectively. Learning how to take healthy breaks, organise tasks and reset when feeling overwhelmed promotes both emotional wellness and academic productivity.
Making support accessible
A lack of resources should not prevent schools from introducing evidence-based psychological practices. Government initiatives and educational reforms are gradually recognising the importance of mental health within schools. However, responsibility does not rest solely with government bodies. Private organisations, volunteer groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and philanthropic organisations can all contribute by supporting schools that lack access to mental health resources.
Teacher communities can also benefit from regular training programmes funded through CSR initiatives or private partnerships. Both online and offline resources are widely available, making accessibility less of an issue than implementation.
Equipping compassionate educators
Teachers are central to the successful implementation of any school mental health programme. To provide effective emotional support, they require appropriate training and ongoing professional development. An initial half-day training can provide teachers with practical emotional support skills, while more intensive programmes may extend over two days. Annual refresher training helps reinforce these skills and allows teachers to stay informed about emerging practices and evolving student needs.
Mental health training can be incorporated into these programmes without significantly increasing the overall training schedule. Although face-to-face workshops remain the preferred option because they encourage discussion, role-play and interaction, online training also offers an effective alternative when access or time is limited.
Teachers cannot effectively support students if their own well-being is overlooked. Modern educators face increasing demands, including curriculum changes, digital learning, administrative responsibilities and evolving student needs. Many struggle to find time to prioritise their own mental health.
Schools should therefore provide accessible emotional support for teachers through regular conversations, counselling services and preventative mental health initiatives. Continuous support is often more effective than relying solely on annual workshops. Accessible and confidential mental health services allow teachers to seek guidance whenever they need it, helping them manage stress before it becomes overwhelming.
Mindfulness starts early
Mindfulness practices can begin as early as Grade One. Young children may not perform breathing exercises perfectly, but they are capable of learning the basic principles of paying attention to their breathing and recognising their emotions. Simple activities such as focusing on breathing, identifying emotions through feelings wheels, and discussing how they feel help children develop emotional awareness from an early age. Feelings wheels can be introduced from around six years of age, allowing children to identify emotions that they may not yet have the vocabulary to describe independently.
Parents lead first
Schools alone cannot build emotionally resilient children. Parents play an equally important role by modelling healthy emotional behaviour at home. Children learn more through observation than through instruction. When parents openly demonstrate healthy ways of managing stress and emotions, children naturally begin to adopt similar behaviours.
Parents can reinforce emotional regulation by: talking openly about emotions, demonstrating healthy coping strategies, practising breathing exercises together, responding calmly during emotional outbursts, and listening without dismissing children’s feelings.
Tantrums and emotional outbursts are often attempts by children to communicate feelings they cannot yet express verbally. Instead of responding with anger or rejection, parents can acknowledge the child’s emotions, offer reassurance, and encourage calming strategies before discussing the situation. Respecting children’s emotions does not mean accepting every behaviour. Rather, it involves helping them understand that all feelings are valid while guiding them towards appropriate ways of expressing those feelings.
Breaking the stigma
Despite increasing awareness of student mental health, schools continue to face several implementation challenges. One of the most significant barriers is the stigma surrounding mental health. Parents may resist counselling services because they associate psychological support with mental illness or fear that their child is being labelled unfairly.
In some cases, teachers who have not received adequate training may refer students displaying behavioural difficulties directly to counsellors without recognising that many behaviours simply reflect emotional struggles rather than psychological disorders. Reducing this stigma requires making emotional well-being a normal part of school life rather than a service reserved only for selected students.
When every student, teacher and member of the school community has access to emotional well-being support, mental health becomes a routine aspect of education rather than something associated with problems or diagnoses.
Everyday emotional learning
Emotional well-being should not be confined to occasional well-being classes or extracurricular activities. Simple daily emotional check-ins, respectful classroom conversations, and opportunities for students to share their experiences create stronger relationships between teachers and students.
Bullying, exclusion and conflict often arise because children have not yet developed empathy or emotional understanding. Regular discussions about emotions, respect and kindness help prevent these issues before they escalate. Embedding emotional learning into the daily curriculum ensures that students view it as an essential life skill rather than an additional lesson.
Students leading change
Students themselves should play an active role in shaping school well-being initiatives.
Many schools already seek student feedback to understand which activities are most engaging and meaningful. Building student agency encourages ownership and increases participation in emotional well-being programmes.
Schools can further strengthen these initiatives by appointing student mental health ambassadors, providing peer support training, teaching basic mental health first aid, recognising acts of kindness and empathy, and celebrating positive behaviour alongside academic achievement.
Awards often focus on attendance, academic excellence or public speaking. Recognising kindness, empathy and compassion sends a powerful message that emotional intelligence is equally valued. Education is not simply about examination results. It is about supporting the holistic growth and development of every child so that they become emotionally healthy, socially responsible and resilient adults.
Preparing hearts and minds
Evidence-based psychological tools provide schools with practical, research-supported approaches to improving students’ emotional well-being, resilience and academic success. From Social and Emotional Learning (SEAL) and mindfulness practices to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-based strategies, self-regulation techniques and positive teacher-student relationships, these interventions help children develop the emotional skills needed to navigate both school and life.
The success of these approaches depends on embedding them into everyday educational practice rather than treating them as occasional activities. Teachers require ongoing training and support, parents must reinforce healthy emotional habits at home, and students should be encouraged to participate actively in creating positive school environments. Although resource limitations and societal stigma continue to present challenges, collaboration between schools, families, communities and supporting organisations can make evidence-based psychological practices accessible to every child.
Ultimately, education should prepare students not only to achieve academic success but also to become emotionally aware, resilient and compassionate individuals.
Contact details
Rohini Kesavan Rajeev
Founder, Clinical Head & Chief Practice Officer, The Able Mind.
E: Rohini@theablemind.com