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For: Claudia Loh, 16, Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School
Hong Kong students face an immense amount of pressure. One 2023 study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) found that 24.4 per cent of children and adolescents had experienced at least one mental health issue in the past year, and more than 8 per cent of secondary school students had thought about suicide.
The demand for the Hospital Authority’s psychiatric services has also been on the rise in recent years. It is clear there is a mental health crisis in Hong Kong, and we need to take urgent action.
Most students need help. But the stigma surrounding mental health issues makes speaking up difficult. Students may feel reluctant to admit, even to themselves, that they need support. Therefore, mandatory counselling sessions would benefit students and society.
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First, for a student who struggles but does not reach out for help, required counselling would ensure they get the support needed. For society, this move would help destigmatise mental health issues and normalise seeking help. In the future, people will be less reluctant to admit they need help and seek it.
Even for students who don’t necessarily need mental health support, it can be beneficial to talk out any problems they might have. They can also build resilience and learn good coping mechanisms to lead healthier lives.
While hiring counsellors may be expensive, I believe it is worth the cost. Mental health is just as important as physical health. Schools have nurses, so why not therapists? Mental well-being is integral to development and greatly affects our quality of life.
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Still, it is important to recognise that not every school can afford mandatory counselling sessions led by professionals. As an alternative, community members and older students should be trained by counsellors and armed with resources. Then, they can help counsel younger students and lead mental health support initiatives.
As older students were once in the place of younger pupils, they can provide their perspectives and tailored solutions. While this may not be traditional counselling, it still provides structural support for students. This alternative would not replace professional help but supplement it.
In conclusion, it is essential that students are taught effective coping mechanisms and have access to support in school.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.
Against: Cadence Kwok, 19, Marymount Secondary School
While counselling should be readily available to students, making it mandatory would have downsides.
For students who find their stress levels manageable, this requirement puts unnecessary pressure on them.
Moreover, these required sessions would eat away at the limited free time that students enjoy, which could have been used to explore their non-academic interests or simply get some well-deserved rest. With already hectic schedules, compulsory counselling would be more burdensome than beneficial.
Some may argue that students are afraid to reach out for help, and school counselling would give them access to professional support. But if their participation is required rather than a decision they have made, would they truly open up about their emotions?
Students would be reluctant to express themselves fully if they feel they are being “forced” to attend. This makes sessions less effective, as counsellors will not get a thorough understanding of each student’s emotional state.
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For students in dire need of help, this initiative provides inadequate support. A much higher demand would drastically increase counsellors’ workload. Previously, they may have worked with a few cases and easily stayed up to date with each person’s circumstances.
Now, they would have to provide counselling to every student in the school. Inevitably, students in need would not only receive less individual time with a counsellor, but the quality of counselling would drop as well.
To conserve time, counsellors may organise group sessions to fulfil their duty in the most efficient manner, rather than one-on-one sessions. Then, each student would not get sufficient time to focus on their personal struggles, and attention would be diverted towards more talkative students.
Advice given may not be as concrete and specific to each individual. Counselling then fails to achieve its intended purpose of offering practical suggestions to enhance mental health.
It is undeniable that students must find ways to relieve their day-to-day stress and uplift their mood. School counselling provides a safe space to talk things out and gain a more mature, adult perspective on the obstacles they face.
However, mandatory counselling sessions are not the solution. It is better to continue providing counselling for students who voluntarily sign up.
