Emeritus Professor Katherine Weare

Katherine has had a high profile career in academia, including 25 years at the University of Southampton where she rose to be Professor and a senior manager, including being Head of School and Deputy Dean of the Faculty. She helped to create the field of well-being under titles such as mental health, social and emotional learning, health education, the development of the inner person, and more recently mindfulness and contemplative approaches. She has published some of the most influential books and papers in the field, undertaken evidence reviews which have shaped national and international policy, advised UK governments, European Union and the World Health Organisation, and developed practical strategies and programmes across most European countries which have been sustained to this day.  To take some particular highlights. She was invited to develop and lead the highly influential ‘Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning’ (SEAL) programme across England and Wales for the Department of Education. Before that she was a lead player in the ‘European Network of Healthy Schools’ for the World Health Organisation developing programmes and training on mental health and wellbeing in both western and eastern European countries. Her recent bestselling book, co-written with revered Zen Master, the late Thich Nhat Hanh, called ‘Happy Teachers Change The World’ has been translated into 7 languages and has won several awards. See ‘about’ for her current work.