New Podcast with Dr. Lauren Bleggi: How Sage NYC Supports Students with Mental Health Challenges
Posted: December 09, 2025 | Written By: Lauren Douglas | Category: Therapeutic Education
For many students, the most difficult part of school isn’t the work itself, but managing anxiety, burnout, and the feeling of being unseen. At Sage Alliance New York City, we recognize that emotional well-being and learning are deeply connected, and we design school around that reality.
As Head of School at Sage Alliance NYC, Dr. Lauren Bleggi brings experience as both a classroom teacher and school counselor. Her perspective is simple but powerful: students can’t separate their mental health from their academic lives, and neither should their school.
Dr. Bleggi recently spoke to It’s Special podcast host Tracey Spencer Walsh about how students can benefit from integrated therapeutic support. Read on to learn more and for a link to the podcast.
What Makes a Therapeutic School Different?
A therapeutic school is built for students who are academically capable, but struggling in traditional settings due to anxiety, depression, school avoidance, or other mental health needs.
At Sage Alliance NYC, this means:
- Small, supportive classrooms where students don’t get lost in the shuffle
- A team approach, with teachers, counselors, and clinical staff working together
- Therapeutic support integrated into the school day, not added on “after the fact”
The goal is not to lower expectations. Instead, we create a learning environment where students have the structure, tools, and relationships they need to meet those expectations.
Where Academics and Emotional Support Meet
Students at Sage Alliance NYC engage in rigorous coursework that prepares them for college, career, and life after high school. At the same time, they receive individualized therapeutic support to help them manage the thoughts and feelings that often get in the way of learning.
This can include:
- Individual and small-group counseling
- Social-emotional skill building
- Flexible classroom strategies, such as breaking tasks into smaller steps or adjusting how assessments are given
When anxiety spikes or motivation dips, the question isn’t, “What’s wrong with you?” It’s, “What do you need right now, and how can we help you move forward?”
Redefining Success for Students with Anxiety
Traditional markers of success often focus on grades, test scores, and graduation. At Sage Alliance, we believe success starts much earlier:
- A student who hasn’t attended regularly begins coming to school more consistently
- A learner who used to shut down in class starts to participate again
- A young person who once said, “I can’t do this,” begins to say, “I’ll try”
As Dr. Bleggi tells students, “If you have 20% and you give me 20%, you actually gave me 100% that day. What can you give me today? I will meet you there.”
Success is showing up with whatever you have that day, and knowing the adults around you will meet you with understanding and high expectations.
To listen to Dr. Bleggi discuss this topic on It’s Special with podcast host Tracey Spencer Walsh, click the link below.
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