Mental Wellness Workshops: A Preventive Approach

Hi everyone:

In this special update, I would like to highlight my mental wellness workshops (click MENTAL WELLNESS tab at www.awakeningminds.sg) that are targeted at youths (secondary school students and onwards), and/or educators and parents. Within our education system, parents and educators are often overly focused on cultivating academic pursuits at the expense of the mental and emotional well-being of the students. They are planting the seeds of future emotional distress and duress in often intelligent, but emotionally sensitive students. It is important to highlight the fact emotional stress is also not conducive for the students' academic performance. Even more seriously, these students may succumb to mental illness in subsequent years as they confront increasingly difficult life challenges at the tertiary level and head towards adulthood.

Therefore, it is the mission of Awakening Minds.sg to not only enlighten the public and the schools (adults and students) about mental wellness/illness, but also to highlight the preventive aspect in my talks/workshops. Instead of addressing the mental and emotional needs of individuals when they have succumbed to mental duress, my talks and workshops will identify measures and strategies for supporting healthy socio-emotional development.

Youth Empowerment Series -- Talks/Workshops for Typical Secondary School Students [MENTAL WELLNESS]

• On the Brink of Adulthood: Stressors and Strategies. Faced with the stressors of adjusting to adulthood, many youths experience their first episode of depression or manic-depression during their university years. What students as well as their caregivers can do to ease this challenging transition will be discussed. In a workshop format, students will have the opportunity to explore and identify their concerns. They will also be able to map out ideas and strategies to help them to ease their transition.

• ALL NEW! Girl Power: I Love Being a Girl! Targeted at female students aged 14 and above, this workshop will explore the following topics in a series of dynamic and interactive writing exercises and creative activities: societal notions of womanhood and constraints; body image; girl pride; female role models; and their perceptions, desires and life projects.

With these two workshops, I hope to empower our future generations of young people to embrace their unique identities so that they have the courage, self-esteem, spirit and conviction to bring their dreams to fruition. When everyone is doing what they love, they will also be doing what they do best and we will have an incredible world.

Talks/Workshops for Educators, Parents and Students [MENTAL WELLNESS]

• Society’s Role in Combating Mental Illness!. A provocative talk to challenge society to play a positive role in dealing with the issue of mental illness and to identify ways for the public to contribute to building a society that genuinely embraces those who are different.

• Pursuit of Mental Wellness and Finding Your Authentic Self. An intimate glimpse into the importance of living the life you are meant to live as a means to achieving mental wellness and preventing mental illness. It also challenges adults to examine their role in promoting or undermining the quest of the young people under their care.

• Dealing with Depression for Yourself, Colleagues and Students: Insights, Strategies and Suggestions. This workshop provides an informative overview of depression. How teachers can cope with their own depression or help others such as colleagues and their students within the context of the school setting will also be addressed.

To learn more about me and the workshops that I have conducted, please click the "Events" tab of my Awakening Minds.sg Website (www.awakeningminds.sg). I look forward to hearing from you and customising a workshop that will meet your objectives and transform your perspectives.

Sincerely yours,

Kah Ying

+6581634509