Richard Daniel Curtis is an internationally renowned social and emotional skills expert and mentor passionate about helping millions understand developmental psychology and mental health.
He is an enthralling keynote speaker and conference chair, speaking on topics such as mental health, diversity, HR, equality, apprenticeships, plus much more (view his showreel below).
He provides professional mentoring for entrepreneurs, business owners, couples and young people amongst others. He runs The Mentoring School and also their community for mentors.
The former teacher is known for his impact with turning round some of the most extreme behaviours and is consulted about adults and children around the globe.
His work with children alone is said to have personally influenced the lives of millions and works to help people understand the mental health spectrum.
He has appeared on TV, radio and in newspapers talking about international news stories and is an experienced and entertaining speaker. He has appeared on the BBC, ITV and Sky, in addition to filming four pilots for different TV series. In print, Richard has been quoted in the Guardian, the Daily Mail, the Sun, the Mirror, the Observer, 7 Days in Dubai, as well as many magazines and websites. He was one of three experts brought in to develop the mental health and wellbeing curriculum guidance for every school in England.
He has founded The Mentoring School, a professional development training team to help people supporting children, young people, young adults, refugees, apprentices, sports coaches, business leaders and more. Richard is also the founder of multi-award winning special needs support service The Root Of It.
Author of The Social and Emotional Assessment, a tool to assess the social and emotional development of children, Richard’s work has had an impact in 5 continents. He has written 11 books, including AWOL: the missing teenage brain and the impact on mental health, Gratitude at Home, Gratitude in Primary Schools, Gratitude in Secondary Schools and Higher Education, The Parent’s Guide to the Modern World, The Young Person’s Guide to the Modern World, 101 Tips for Parents, 101 More Tips for Parents and 101 Behaviour Tips for Parents; he has also co-authored Boosting Positive Mental Health in Teens with children’s life coach Naomi Richards.
Richard lives in Southampton with his girlfriend and their two children.
Richard’s professional CV includes:
1999-2002 Mental Health Support Worker in in-patient adult and child units
2000-2003 BA (Hons) Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status (Sheffield Hallam)
2003-2010 Teacher, rising to lead of Pupil Referral Unit
2010-2013 Primary Inclusion Adviser for a local authority
2012 Specialist Leader in Behaviour and Attendance awarded
2012-13 worked with the Nurture Group Network to produce the Boxall-Curtis Profile
2013- Founder of The Root Of It
2013-14 MA Education (Edge Hill)
2014 Chair of the National SEND Awards
2014 The Root Of It awarded Best New Business Award
2014 Publication of 101 Tips for Parents, 101 More Tips for Parents and 101 Behaviour Tips for Parents
2012-18 Author of the Social, Emotional and Play Development Scale (known as the Curtis Scale)
2015 The Root Of It awarded Gold Scoot Headline Award
2016 Author of Gratitude in Primary Schools, Gratitude in Secondary Schools and Higher Education, Gratitude at Home
2016 Launch of The Mentoring School
2016 Invited to become a HuffPost Blogger
2017 The Mentoring School awarded Best EISC Erasmus Host of the Year and Silver Award for Support to the Apprenticeship Sector
2017 Author of The Parent’s Guide to the Modern World and The Young Person’s Guide to the Modern World
2017 Co-author of Boosting Positive Mental Health in Teens with Naomi Richards
2017 Start of PhD Psychology at University of Southampton
2017 Inducted into the European Alliance for Apprenticeships
2017 Skills for London Apprenticeship Group Member
2018 Co-author of The Gifted Introvert
2018 Member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Mentoring
2018 Author of AWOL: the missing teenage brain and the impact on mental health
2019 Programme Director of the Mental Health Awareness Programme
2019 Expert co-author mental health and wellbeing curriculum in England
2019 Chair of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Awards