Leading psychologist in education and child development gives a lecture at ACS Athens.

On October 22, Dr. David Gleason joined the ACS Athens faculty, staff, and administration to give a lecture to various groups of educators and students and to meet with the entire faculty. His compelling presentation was followed by a Q&A session and a workshop where the faculty had the chance to reflect on the issues presented. Dr. Gleason has been traveling the world sharing his findings from his latest work, At What Cost? in which he reveals a compelling context for the need of educators, parents, and institutions to reflect on the impact that "fiercely competitive schools" and hyper schooling are having on adolescent development. His book is eye-opening and challenges readers to think about how our choices are affecting students today.

About Dr. Gleason

Dr. David Gleason, the founder of Developmental Empathy, LLC, has over 25 years of experience in professional clinical psychology. Dr. Gleason provides counseling and consulting services as well as neuropsychological assessments for students in public, independent and international schools. Dr. Gleason earned a B.A. in Psychology (1982) and an M.A. in Counseling Children & Adolescents (1987) – both from Boston College and then a Psy.D. at William James College (1993). After several years as a psychologist at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire, Dr. Gleason opened his own practice in Concord, Massachusetts and also joined Concord Academy as that school’s Consulting Psychologist. In addition, Dr. Gleason serves as Senior Neuropsychologist at Wediko Children’s Services in Boston, where he supervises pre and post-doctoral psychology interns and co-teaches an ongoing professional development seminar. Dr. Gleason has taught psychology at the secondary, undergraduate and graduate levels, and he presents workshops and seminars at schools, national conferences in the US, and at international conferences around the world.

Most recently, Dr. Gleason has become a certified Critical Friends Group coach for National School Reform Faculty (NSRF).

About his book At what cost?

Anxiety, depression, and their dangerous manifestations - substance abuse, eating disorders, self-injury, and suicide - are increasing student conditions at many competitive high schools. Paradoxically, most of these schools promote themselves as being committed to students' holistic development in academics, athletics and the arts, and in their personal, social, and emotional growth. So why are so many students struggling? Dr. Gleason has investigated these concerns in competitive high schools throughout the United States and around the world and has found almost complete unanimity in how educators and parents have responded to his interviews. In sum, these caring and dedicated adults fully admit to overscheduling, overworking and, at times, overwhelming their students and teenaged children. This conflict - adults wanting to educate and parent adolescents in healthy and balanced ways, but simultaneously, overscheduling, overworking and, at times, overwhelming them - is at the heart of this book.