One effective way in which I can describe the ingredients of creating a nurturing classroom environment is to share a journey, a mindset, and aselection of strategies. The journey is the path I have taken as a clinical psychologist, therapist, principal of a school in a locked door unit of a psychiatric hospital, and consultant to many schools. The mindset represents the transformation that occurred in (a) the way I viewed angry, resistant youths, (b) my own feelings of efficacy, and (c) my understanding of the main components of classroom environments that would lessen hostility and increase coop-eration. The strategies or interventions we use to create school environments that are safe and nurturing and support the process of learning are rooted in the mindset or the assumptions we have about ourselves and the youths with whom we work.