States of Mind

How Adults and Young People Can Work Together to Change Education and Mental Health Systems

By: Chris Bagley, Bea Herbert

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eText | 19 May 2026 | Edition Number 1

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States of Mind critiques the traditional paradigms that shape our mental health and school systems, from diagnostic labels to high-stakes assessment, unravelling what they are, how they came into being, and why they need to evolve to better serve young people.

The book reconceptualises these systems and shows that, by embracing a different worldview, we can work with young people in a way that fosters belonging, personal growth and collective action. With a focus on meaningful change, it introduces approaches which place young people at the centre as active participants, working alongside adults on complex problems, generating outcomes and co-constructing solutions. These include critiquing and re-imagining school evaluation; designing whole-school policies to promote staff and student wellbeing; and developing programmes to explore our states of mind to support individuals and communities to flourish. Case studies, provocations and examples of inspirational people and organisations are included to empower the reader to rethink their own practices.

Education should support us, both individually and collectively, to co-construct ways of being, thinking and acting authentically. States of Mind is essential reading for teachers, educational psychologists, advocacy organisations, thinktanks, and all those wishing to create more hopeful, humane mental health and education systems.