Events

Student and Residential Life professionals in independent schools face unprecedented challenges: rising mental health concerns, complex behavioral dynamics, staff burnout, and the ongoing need to create environments where young people truly thrive. This intensive workshop day brings together educators and administrators working in student life and residential life to move beyond crisis management toward sustainable, care-centered practices.

Led by student life experts Bridget Johnson and Dr. Brooklyn Raney, this workshop provides a comprehensive framework for diagnosing what’s working (and what isn’t) in your current student life programs. We will will explore the Eight Essential Dimensions of Student Life, learn evidence-based strategies for building meaningful relationships with appropriate boundaries, and develop concrete action plans for aligning programs with your school’s values and capacity.

The day combines research-backed frameworks with hands-on practice, real-world case studies, and collaborative problem-solving. Through interactive exercises including a “Culture Scan” assessment, scenario-based relationship building practice, and peer coaching sessions, you will leave with practical tools you can implement immediately.

This workshop addresses the critical intersection of student wellbeing and staff sustainability, recognizing that effective student life programming requires clarity about roles, boundaries, and expectations alongside genuine care and connection. We will engage with preview insights from Dr. Raney’s upcoming work on The Caring Dividend while working with Johnson’s systematic approach to program alignment and staff effectiveness.

Whether you’re a dean of students, residential life coordinator, advisor program director, or administrator overseeing student life functions, this workshop will help you build more intentional, sustainable practices that serve both student development and staff wellbeing.