Helen Street created the Positive Schools Initiative in 2007 which advocates for educational reform to better support equity, motivation, and wellbeing in young people. 

At the core of The Positive Schools Initiative are ‘The Positive Schools Conferences’ which have become known as Australia's leading mental health and wellbeing events for educators.

As an academic social psychologist, Helen has carried out research exploring motivation and social cognitive causes of depression. Her theory of Conditional Goal Setting explains how misunderstandings of motivation can lead to a lifelong vulnerability to depression and anxiety.

In 2017, Helen published her model of 'contextual wellbeing'. She stresses the need for educators and policy makers to pay more attention to school context in their consideration of social-emotional learning.

Helen has also worked with schools and colleges around the world and continues to edit The Positive Times as a free online resource for teachers.