Understanding the power and importance of emotional and mental wellness for students
[Singapore, 18 January 2013 (Friday)] – The Singapore Management University (SMU) launched a book on “A Basic Guide on Peer Helping” today. The first of its kind published by an education institution in Singapore, “A Basic Guide to Peer Helping” provides useful information for mental health practitioners and professionals in schools and institutions. It is the collective effort of four SMU counsellors (three full-time and one volunteer) based on their shared experiences and valuable insights gathered from years of running a highly-successful Peer Helping programme at SMU. The concepts and information presented in this book can be used by helping professionals, educators and administrative leaders who are interested in, or are considering to set up peer-led programmes at their own institutions.
The book launch serves as a precursor to the launch of the Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre (黄马家兰学生心灵辅导中心), which will take place in early April this year. The new facility, to be located at the basement concourse of SMU’s campus, is named after Mrs Wong Kwok Leong as a gesture of appreciation by SMU. Mrs Wong, a respected 74-year-old philanthropist, has pledged a gift of S$1.6 million in the form of endowed donation to SMU. Mr Timothy Hsi (奚克智) is the Centre Director (主任) of the new Centre.
SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer （迪枚晔教授）said, “Since inception, SMU has taken great pride in developing in our students the responsibility not only for themselves, but for the community at large. A kind heart and character will serve them well long after they leave school. We want to nurture our students to have the heart to serve and to help others with the skills and know-how that they have acquired.”
“As we focus on providing our students with a world-class education, let us not forget the importance of developing and nurturing their ability to be resilient. An effective way is by providing a platform for the peers to help their fellow peers through a comprehensive programme,” Professor De Meyer added.
The SMU Peer Helping initiative started in 2003 and it has been at the forefront in the provision of mental health and wellness programmes amongst the student community. It remains Singapore’s first and only formally-structured peer-helping programme for the education sector.
Trained and supervised by a team of dedicated and experienced professional counsellors from the Centre for Counselling & Guidance (since renamed Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre), peer helpers at SMU have continually sought to make a difference to the lives of students through innovative campaigns over the years, focusing on topics relevant to the overall wellness and well-being of the student community, yet at the same time individually looking out for those who may face difficulty in handling the pressure of academic rigours or who may be overwhelmed by the challenges of daily life.
“Young people nowadays are constantly facing stresses and strains - from their studies, their peers, their parents, and very often the high expectations they have set for themselves. We need to help them acquire and develop the critical skills to cope with such pressures, because their well-being determines the well-being of our society today and tomorrow,” said Mrs Wong Kwok Leong, the donor.
The generous gift from Mrs Wong will go towards supporting the following undertakings by the new Centre:
- Peer Helping activities for students / Outreach
- Top Student - Peer Mentoring & Facilitations
- Training of Peer Helpers / Retreat
- Supporting students with special needs / disability (Grants)
- Enrichment programmes / workshops for students
- Development of educational materials
- Relocation and renovation of the existing Centre for Counselling & Guidance to the new location at the basement concourse of SMU’s campus
The Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness will offer easy access to the SMU community with a level of privacy and confidentiality to all students who visit and utilise the extensive resources available. It is envisaged that it will become a focal point for all matters pertaining to the mental & emotional wellness of SMU students.
Mrs Wong Kwok Leong officiated at the book launch today as the Guest-of-Honour. The event was attended by some 100 guests, including the friends and supporters of Mrs Wong; partner organisations of SMU’s Centre for Counselling and Guidance (renamed Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre); past and current SMU peer helpers; representatives of education institutions; as well as relevant SMU senior management and staff.
About SMU’s Peer Helping Programme
The SMU Peer Helping initiative started in 2003 and it has been at the forefront in the provision of mental health and wellness programmes amongst the student community. It remains Singapore’s first and only formally-structured peer-helping programme for the education sector.
The idea of creating an “Emotional Safety Net” was mooted as a way to consolidate the available resources as well as to build a network of Emotional Safety Networkers (ESN) on the ground in order to identify students in distress.
The approach is simple – every one of the ESN is assumed to have at least 20 close friends with whom they interact and spend most of their time on campus. This would theoretically translate to all students being “connected” on campus (SMU has about 7,200 undergraduate students). These close connections would allow the ESNs to sense and notice changes in behaviour amongst their close friends should any of them encounter stressful circumstances in their daily life. The ESN would initiate a conversation (like any concerned friend would) but due to their training, be able to connect at a much deeper and more empathetic level by the utilisation of basic counselling skills in assisting their friends to share and resolve the range of difficulties encountered. Additionally, the ESNs would refer their friends to the CCG should they feel that the issues confronted are beyond the usual life challenges faced.
The process of recruitment of a peer helper starts at the point when students apply to take a one-credit elective course (MGMT 336) offered by the SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business. At the end of the academic term, students who have successfully completed the course will be inducted as an ESN and those desiring to further their training will be invited to apply as a member of the peer helping team.
With the elective course instructing about 200 students every academic year, the Centre has trained about 1,200 students to date, including those who graduated. At any one time, there are as many as 50 peer helpers in the Peer Helping programme serving the SMU student community.
About Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre
To be officially launched in early April 2013, the Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre is dedicated as a celebration to the vision of the University’s commitment to providing students with top quality mental health support. This facility is dedicated to making available safe spaces for students to explore and manage their personal issues with attending professional counselors or simply to have a mental health break from the daily rigours of their academic pursuits.
Together with the SMU Peer Helpers, the Centre also organises a suite of events ranging from talks and seminars on topics like Stress Management & Mindfulness, to various peer helper-led initiatives addressing the emotional, mental & psychological well- being of students within the SMU community.
Besides clinical work, the Centre also seeks to produce relevant research and publications which address the mental health and well-being of young adults like the undergraduates and postgraduates within the SMU community.
About the Donor - Mrs Wong Kwok Leong (黄马家兰女士)
Mrs Wong Kwok Leong is a philanthropist. She has been involved in charitable and philanthropic work since her younger days, both locally and in Asia, covering religion, medicine, culture, music, sports, community and education. At her present age of 74, she is still active as the Permanent Honorary President (永远名誉会长) of both the Thong Chai Hospital (同济医院) and Kwan-in Welfare Society (观音救苦会)；Honorary President (名誉会长) of the Chung Hwa Medical Institution (中华医院), Public Free Clinic Society (大众医院), Singapore Literature Society (新加坡文艺协会) and Singapore Nanyang Confucian Association (新加坡南洋孔教会); as well as several Buddhist initiatives.
