Well-Being As Schools Reopen

This event has already taken place. A video recording of the panel discussion can be found on this page.

Join our panel discussion, as we focus on mental and social well-being, the often-overlooked victims of our global response to the pandemic. Our panellists are a rich mixture of psychiatrists, therapists, counsellors, teachers and parents who will talk about what is already steps being taken to address well-being issues as students return to school.

Get to Know our Panellists:

Akash Raut

Education is at the core of Akash Raut’s existence. He started educating children while he was still a student. Akash has over 14 years of experience working with learners across various age groups. In parallel, he has offered personal counselling, life coaching and pastoral care services. His ideology, educational philosophy and beliefs are deeply rooted with learners at the centre. Being mindful of what, how and why we communicate to people has always interested him.

Akash founded a social initiative named Borderless Education to empower and enrich the education fraternity, for which he has received many accolades. He hosts workshops at schools and other organizations on teaching and learning, soft skills, and mindfulness.

Ambereen Pradhan

Ambereen Pradhan is a licensed psychologist with a master’s degree from Mumbai University in developmental and psychological counselling. She is passionate about bringing well-being services to the education sector. She founded Energia SOI to provide support for educational institutions, developing training programmes for practitioners to identify appropriate intervention techniques. To date, her company has worked with 2500 schools and colleges across the world. Her specific skills include student assessments methodologies and their implications, managing learning behaviour and emotional issues, and counselling.

Dr Howard Gee

Howard Gee has spent his whole career being committed to developing the well-being of students through effective pastoral care in school. He is a strong advocate for student agency and for the teaching of a curriculum that ensures students' learning is meaningful and thus contributes to their sense of self-esteem and control - key elements that ensure well-being. He argues that good teaching sees the student as a whole person and that enjoyment of learning is a key element of good well-being that gives students a strong basis for success at school - and more importantly beyond.

Leena Godiwala Deubet

Leena Godiwala Deubet is a DSB parent of 15 years. She is also a parent educator, facilitating Faber/Mazlish parent-child communication workshops since 2008 and serving as the India representative of Faber and Mazlish. She is passionate about the emotional well-being of infants, children and child care-givers. She is a non-directive play therapist and a movement and expressive arts therapy practitioner.

Rachel Waters

Rachel Waters has always been surrounded by a world that caused several disparities between the superficial and the actual. She has her heart set on introducing these surroundings to the freedom of vulnerability and authenticity. She is a big advocate for breaking stereotypes in mental and emotional health. She believes emotional and mental learning cannot just be ‘taught’ but needs to be ‘caught’ by equipping students and adults with skills-based and self-awareness education.

Rachel has over 15 years of experience in counselling, public speaking, youth mentoring and motivating individuals and companies. She organises events and marketing for not-for-profit entities to help them with their fundraising. She hosts seminars on emotional well-being, team-building and community development for schools and companies.

Her passion is people and nothing excites her more than when people find holistic freedom in who they are and all they are called to be.

Zirak Marker

Zirak Marker has had over 18 years of experience with educational psychology and guiding children with learning disabilities, developmental delays, autism and emotional, behavioural or psychological problems. He is Advisor and Senior Psychiatrist for Mpower, a holistic centre of excellence, with a multidisciplinary team of professionals providing services and therapeutic interventions for children, young people and their families with 'mental health concerns' and 'neuro-developmental disorders'.

Zirak has also conceptualised and helped develop 'Minds Matter' - a bespoke, research-based, holistic mental health curriculum for schools, covering grades 1-12. He has authored a book, Parenting in the Age of Anxiety, covering topics such as bullying, abuse, adoption, academic stress, disabilities and death, among other hard-hitting parental concerns. His second book, Conversations That Matter, is about fostering emotional well-being in children whilst talking about the hard stuff.