Blending Education and Mental Health
Steve Fiedeldey grounds his work in restorative practices at the crossroads of education and mental health to address issues that influence all facets of society. Steve currently works as a Director of Special Services in the Franklin Lakes School District, where he leverages restorative practices to support educators in providing the highest level of connection and care for students and families. In addition to his role at the school district, Steve is the founder of Fiedeldey Consulting, which stands as a pillar of support against America's mental health epidemic. Steve and his team utilize restorative practices to influence curriculum, instruction, proactive screening for mental health struggles, and evidence-based intervention in schools.
Q: What brought you to the IIRP?
A: Skepticism brought me to the IIRP. The idea of restorative practices was brought to me by a staff member. As a Director of Special Services, I wanted to explore and vet this type of work myself before sharing it with the rest of my team. My background as a school psychologist had me hunkered down in all things measurable and quantifiable. The qualitative process of restorative practices, without a specific normed instrument to measure outcomes, had me curious as I entered the IIRP for a four-day training in Bethlehem, PA, which would ultimately change my professional and personal trajectory.
Q: Please tell us about your professional work now and what makes you passionate about it.
A: In my consulting work, we provide expertise and partnership to schools on their journey to becoming more proactive in supporting the social-emotional well-being of their students., Through a restorative-informed lens we develop and deploy professional learning surrounding universal depression screening, suicide prevention training, crisis intervention protocols and procedures, and more.
My passion for all things restorative continues as a bedrock for addressing much of society's pain. Restorative practices breaks down intolerance and misunderstanding. It allows everyone a voice to reveal vulnerabilities that, through sharing, we realize are not unique to us but are universal to the struggles of life. When we can share our experiences and find comfort in each other, we can avoid the extreme polarization plaguing the human experience.
Q: How would you like to see restorative practices evolve in the future?
A: I hope restorative practices continues to influence all facets of society. I can only imagine a world where our criminal justice, law enforcement, and educational institutions – to name a few – abandon a paradigm so deeply engrained in pain, punishment, and retribution to grasp onto the hope of healing, kindness, and connection. A question for the future is whether restorative practitioners should work on influencing these institutions, take a grassroots approach, or some combination of both approaches. Ideally, the right approach is one where all community members are trained so their collective outcry for change can echo and crumble archaic institutions and allow them to be built in a way that truly serves everyone.