1Mould Our Future With Enhancing Children Emotional Wellness Today
Esther TANG, Team Leader, Adolescent Early Intervention Service Scarlet POON, In-Charge, Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness – Service Development Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service
Twofold approaches to enhance children emotional  wellness
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Previous Studies Children of mentally ill parents:
• Low in psychological well- being, social
functioning and academic achievement
psychiatric conditions and behavioral
For example: Depressed parents
• Has difficulties to support the socio-emotional needs of children
Service targets: Children and adolescents between the age of 6 and 15 whose family members suffer from mental and emotional difficulties.
Objectives: •
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Enhance their positive protective factors with focus on personal development and resilience by providing more supportive and positive life experience.
Family approach in Stand By You Service
Type of MI Schizophrenia Depression Bipolar Anxiety Disorder
Personality Disorder OCD Unknown Other
No. of MI Family
Diagnosis of MI Family Members
Family based approach
• Family Counseling • Psycho-education • Parent-child Art therapy Programs • Parenting group
– Proving a quality of time and chancing the focus on positive experiences : “”
Family based approach
Before
• Home refurbishment scheme – Effective way for worker engagement and provide better living
environment to family – Acquire knowledge for addressing their children's needs and concerns – Reduce stress and diminish their helplessness feeling: “
”, “
Mentorship program – Home visiting
• Support and caring to the children and providing timeout for parents and relieve their stress: “
”
– HappyOurs Hotline () • Extension of family support system • Having a sense of being listened, understood and accepted:
“” • Strengthening children’s awareness to share their thinking
and feelings, as well as awareness to seek help: “
”
• Life enrichment programs – Building up of family capitals and network: “
whatsapp” – higher acceptance of receiving ICCMW services for themselves – Widen life experience: “
”,“…..” – Enhancing emotional state:“D
”
• Mutual Support Elements – Being buddies: having fun together, sharing common secrets and
feelings“D”
Because……
• From our past experiences, intervention provided for children solely is not enough
• Well- being of children is significantly affected by their parents' mental state, emotion stability, parenting style and the parent-child relationship
Case Summary • Background Wong, 10 years old , Female, Single family(living with mother and
mother has been stuffing from depression at 2008-2009), New immigrant
• Presenting problem(Self approach)ADHD, Higher anxiety reaction, No friends
• What’s SBU provided ? – Family based counsellingTo find out the family communication pattern. In this
case we have find that there are two main problem : 1. Wong’s anxiety was coping from her mother and her mother has too much worry and unsettle issue, such as: Her marriage, her role of new immigrant. etc. 2. There is a cycle between family, Wong’s mother always complain her daughter didn’t……
– Art therapy handling her inner self , including the anger and anxiety coming from her family.
– Psych-education group To more understand her mother . – Big Brother and Sister project and Building up her social support network – Family ProgramBuilding up her social network and higher quality time with her
mother. – Love@ Home (Home refreshment project)Provide a better environment for
Wong study.
• Use of Family Approach • Interventions for the whole family, both
parents and children • Hence, cooperation with other helping
professions is in need
No. of Case 77 38 69 32 15 3 14
Referral Source
Internal referral
NGO School Self Unknown
No. of Case 77 25 4 9 31 28 10 32 15 3 14
Referral Source
mental Health—A community partnership program)
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Function of REACH teams
patients for secondary and tertiary care •
Training for school counselors in identifying mental 
health disorders  •
schools, social and community agencies, family  doctors and mental health service providers 
including coordinating interagency consultations  and case conferences
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Mental health promotion programs in schools and  social service agencies
http://www.aamh.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/510792/Singapore_pp7984.p
A widespread strategy used in schools in the U.S.
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positive behaviours;  implementing rewards and consequences system; identifying students 
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Different levels of Interventions for Students: 
identifying students in  one of primary, secondary and tertiary categories for intervention and  support based on level of risk or problem behaviour; crosssystem 
support team with community mental health and family involvement. 
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state, and the community. 
http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/galleries/policyfile/PBIS%20Issue%20Brief.pdf
Kidsmatters (Australia) The four components of KidsMatter are: A positive school community
• Sense of belonging and inclusion within the school •
Collaborative involvement of students, staff, families and the community 
in the school
Effective social and emotional learning curriculum taught regularly to all 
students •
Parenting support and education •
Effective parentteacher relationships
Opportunities for families to develop support networks
Early intervention for students experiencing mental health difficulties •
Processes for addressing the needs of students experiencing mental 
health difficulties •
facilitation of access to early intevention and identification of referral 
pathways  https://www.psychology.org.au/publications/inpsych/kidsmatter/
Buddies
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Content of group modified from FRIENDS, an  Australian school anxiety/depression preventive 
program
Session 2 : Knowing your feelings and responses
Session 3 : Thoughts, feelings, behaviour; 
helpful thoughts vs. unhelpful thoughts
Session 4 : Challenging unhelpful thoughts
Session 5 : Coping with difficulties in small steps
Session 6 : Getting support
Session 8 : Appreciating and rewarding oneself
Session 9 : Review, putting it together
Session 10 : Revision Game and celebration
Buddies
and some students have  resistance to stay after school
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learning characteristics
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service 
SBU) included in ICCMW, and initiate cooperation between  schools, family service and medical sector for consolidating parents’
emotional and their recovery support, and also children welfare 
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aspects 
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More attention need to be paid to cultural context and cultural  competence like new immigrants adjustment.
Mould Our Future With Enhancing Children Emotional Wellness TodayEsther TANG, Team Leader, Adolescent Early Intervention Service Scarlet POON, In-Charge, Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness – Service DevelopmentBaptist Oi Kwan Social Service
Twofold approaches to enhance children emotional wellness
Previous Studies
Slide Number 6
Family based approach
Family based approach
Family based approach
Because……
Function of REACH teams
Kidsmatters (Australia)
Pilot program : Buddies