YOUTH
Building a Path to
Wellbeing By Angela Li | Photography by Amber Liao | Layout by Natalie So and Joanna Wu
M
ental Health. Wellbeing. Why has CIS chosen these words to emphasise, and what do they mean? Why is it important for teenagers to obtain mental wellbeing, and how do they do so? CIS offers a supportive and compassionate counseling team in order to aid students in achieving wellbeing. Ms. Monica Chang, an accomplished counselor, and leader of the newly introduced Peer Mentorship Programme, shared her insights and her advice regarding mental health from her profound knowledge and experience. “Wellbeing and positive psychology have always been models of what every school wants to attain,” states Ms. Chang when I asked her about why CIS is putting in an extra effort in introducing new wellbeing programs this year. She revealed that after the counsellors observed that it’s not just getting good grades that students essentially need to be happy or healthy, they came to the conclusion that a permanent counselling resource during school time is necessary to improve the wellbeing of the general community.Ms. Chang notes that CIS is currently attempting to approach mental health holistically: preparing students to facing an eclectic range of challenges, and aiding them to gain resilience to overcome barriers and cope with stress. Metaphorically speaking, when “a bottle is at risk of falling from a table”, you can either prevent it from falling by putting the lid back on or catching it before it falls. This is important because a huge part of establishing mental wellbeing is preventing emotional breakdowns and immense stress. When things do go awry or if someone is in an “emotional hijack”, the counselors are a haven with open arms. The counsellors have also tried to promote this behavior during choices sessions, in which students are given an opportunity to talk and share their worries and thoughts with peers and teachers - allowing them to secure their bottle before it falls. “When you break your leg, But when it’s not physical and the wound is in the heart, people are more reluctant to be open to support and perceive it instead as ‘special treatment‘,” states Ms. Chang, who uses this analogy to describe the prejudice and stigma held towards mental health issues. As an attempt to resolve such mindsets, the counselors at CIS have tried to be closer connected to students through being more involved in school events, interacting with students on a day-to-day basis, encouraging students to visit them whenever they have an issue, or just being someone the students
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ISSUE 21
XIAO HUA
