About TMH

 

“Building social emotional competency may be the most important asset that enables a person to thrive”

-Paula Resnick, Founder

Our Story

From our inception in 2008, The Meeting House envisioned an innovative approach to SEL for children that would offer a rich program mix of activities guided by professionals and peer mentors. As early pioneers in the field of SEL, now in our second decade of direct service, we are SEL champions responsive to the growing needs of support that people of all ages face in this arena. The Meeting House (TMH) is a nonprofit organization where SEL is reinforced, modeled, practiced and celebrated in our diverse curriculum. Offered in various settings, our programs empower individuals at all stages to achieve higher levels of function and success in multiple aspects of life.

Our core values of community and connection have evolved as a narrative around mental health and SEL. We have been intentional about building and infusing our community through a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion through a fusion of recreation and therapeutic support. TMH is a safe and supportive place to learn essential skills to sustain relationships and function optimally in different settings, personally, professionally and academically.

We are a multidisciplinary team of professionals who bring diverse areas of expertise that include social work, education, occupational therapy and the visual and performing arts. Our philosophy is to meet and accept students where they are. Through the decades we have honed our craft and established an evidence based model that can be taught and shared seamlessly. We work to build essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration and creativity. We provide direct service to many constituents as well as professional development to school partners throughout New York City.

Why Do Social Emotional Skills Matter?

The process of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and inherent in human development. Through conscious SEL, young people and adults acquire a deeper knowledge and attitudes on how to apply SEL skills successfully.  Individuals develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, demonstrate empathy, nurture supportive relationships, and make informed caring decisions.

Broadly speaking Social Emotional learning refers to the process through which individuals learn and apply a set of social, emotional, and related skills, attitudes, behaviors and values that help direct their thoughts, feelings and actions in ways that enable them to succeed in school, in work and in life. The term has served as a constant in the fields of psychology and human development.

The benefits of social and emotional learning are well-researched through the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. Evidence demonstrates that education embracing SEL precepts will yield positive results for students, adults, and school communities.

SEL has a powerful combination of evidence and support. These findings come from sources in multiple fields and include research with hundreds of studies showing that SEL leads to beneficial outcomes related to academic performance, social and emotional development, attitudes about self, school, civic engagement, social behaviors, conduct problems, emotional distress, and academic performance. In addition, the survey topics published below by CASEL and partners show that teachers, principals, parents, and students all agree — SEL is essential!

  • When students have supportive relationships and opportunities to develop and practice social, emotional, and cognitive skills across many different contexts, academic learning accelerates. Hundreds of studies offer consistent evidence that SEL bolsters academic performance.

    Results from a landmark meta-analysis that looked across 213 studies involving more than 270,000 students found that:

    • SEL interventions that address the five core competencies increased students’ academic performance by 11 percentile points, compared to students who did not participate.

    • Students participating in SEL programs showed improved classroom behavior, an increased ability to manage stress and depression, and better attitudes about themselves, others, and school.

    • Additional meta-analyses echoed these findings. Consistency across independent research teams offers strong support that well-implemented SEL programs are beneficial.

    What might this mean for the practical benefits of SEL? About 27% more students would improve their academic performance at the end of the program and 24% more would have improved social behaviors and lower levels of distress.

    More recently, a 2021 systematic review found that universal SEL interventions enhance young people’s social and emotional skills and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in the short term. In comparison, other approaches have produced inconsistent results (mindfulness interventions) or limited evidence of impact (positive youth development interventions).

  • Subsequent analyses spoke to the long-term effects of SEL implementation as well as SEL’s effectiveness in diverse cultural contexts.

    Long-term effects:

    • Measured a positive correlation between strong social emotional assets (measured at the end of intervention) and higher levels of well-being up to 18 years later. (Taylor et al., 2017)

  • When it comes to school programming, education leaders are often weighing the benefits of investing in new efforts. Cost-benefit research demonstrates the value of SEL programs. The report found an average return on investment for six evidence-based programs of 11 to 1, meaning for every dollar invested there is an $11 return…

  • In addition to the long-term outcomes articulated above, there are statistically significant associations between social and emotional skills in kindergarten and key outcomes for young adults years later. Specifically, early social and emotional skills development helped to reduce societal costs required for public assistance, public housing, police involvement, and detention.