Holding space: a reflective dialogue on relational teaching and student well-being in higher education

Purpose This paper aims to explore the role teachers can play in supporting youth mental health and well-being through ordinary day-to-day interactions in higher education classrooms. It considers how the relational dimensions of teaching shape students’ experiences of safety, curiosity and connection and their ability to engage meaningfully with learning. Design/methodology/approach Using a dialogic approach, the paper is built around a conversation between two teachers reflecting on their experiences of teaching students in higher education. These reflections are situated within ideas from attachment theory, epistemic trust, neurodiversity-affirming and culturally responsive perspectives to understand how these concepts appear in real classroom life. Findings The reflections highlight how relational aspects of teaching such as listening, navigating uncertainty, attending to misattunements and managing boundaries shape the everyday classroom environment. They also shed light on the responsibility teachers hold to negotiate the needs of many students while also being aware of their own limits, and how these ongoing processes influence students’ sense of safety and participation. The paper also highlights the complexity and emotional effort involved in this work, and the contexts that make such relational teaching possible. Practical implications The paper invites teachers to reflect on the relational dimensions of their teaching practice and how these shape student well-being. It also underscores the need for institutional structures and support systems that make such relational work sustainable and feasible for teachers. Originality/value The paper provides an experiential, dialogic lens to an often-overlooked aspect of youth mental health: the relational work of teachers. It offers a grounded account of how wellbeing can be supported through the ordinary and imperfect nature of classroom interactions.