[Singapore, 5 April 2013 (Friday)] – The Singapore Management University (SMU) today announced the official launch of the Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre (WKLSWC; 黄马家兰学生心灵辅导中心). Strategically located at the Concourse of the University’s Li Ka Shing Library, the new facility was unveiled by Speaker of Parliament and Advisor to the National Council of Social Services, Mdm Halimah Yacob, who officiated at the launch ceremony as the Guest-of-Honour. The event was attended by some 150 guests, including the friends and supporters of Mrs Wong Kwok Leong, partner organisations of WKLSWC, past and current SMU peer helpers, representatives of education institutions, as well as SMU management and staff.

A focal point for all matters pertaining to the mental & emotional wellness of SMU students, the Centre is named after Mrs Wong Kwok Leong (黄马家兰) as a gesture of appreciation by SMU. Mrs Wong, a respected 74-year-old philanthropist, has pledged S$1.6 million as her second gift to SMU in the form of endowed donation.  Mr Timothy Hsi (奚克智) is the Director (主任) of the new Centre.

The WKLSWC (previously called the Centre for Counselling and Guidance) is dedicated to providing SMU students with top quality mental health support. This facility provides safe spaces for students to explore and manage their personal lives through attending sessions with professional counsellors or simply to have a mental repose from the  rigours of their academic pursuits.  It comprises two sections – the Counselling Place and the Cosy Haven, which offer an array of developmental, preventive, and therapeutic services such as individual and group counselling, workshops, seminars and programmes that promote the intellectual, emotional and social well-being of SMU students.  WKLSWC offers easy access to the SMU community with a level of privacy and confidentiality to all students who visit and utilise the extensive resources available.

Besides clinical work, WKLSWC also seeks to produce relevant research and publications which address the mental health and emotional well-being of young adults like students in the SMU community.

SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer (迪枚晔教授）said, “While SMU has always focused on offering an outstanding education to our students, we also hope to nurture them as caring and responsible individuals. Over the years, our Peer Helping programme has been effective in developing their ability to spot any fellow peers in distress and to lend a timely helping hand.”

“We are very grateful to Mrs Wong Kwok Leong for her generosity in pledging a second gift to SMU. This would allow the professional counsellors from the new Student Wellness Centre named after her, and the peer helpers to continue with their good work and introduce more programmes to improve the emotional and mental well-being of our students,” Professor De Meyer added.

Donor Mrs Wong Kwok Leong said, “I hope this gift to the Student Wellness Centre will inspire generations of the SMU community to acquire and develop the critical skills to cope with life’s pressures, because their well-being determines the well-being of our society not only for today, but also for tomorrow.”

Apart from covering the relocation and renovation costs of WKLSWC, the gift from Mrs Wong will go towards supporting the following undertakings by the new Centre:

The unveiling of WKLSWC comes close on the heels of a book launch for the title “A Basic Guide on Peer Helping” by SMU on 18 January 2013. The first of its kind published by an education institution in Singapore, the 181-page book provides comprehensive and useful information for mental health practitioners and professionals in schools and institutions.  “A Basic Guide on Peer Helping” 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 the highly-successful Peer Helping programme at SMU.

About Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre  (WKLSWC)

WKLSWC (http://smu.edu.sg/wklswc) comprises two sections - the Counselling Place and the Cosy Haven.

The Counselling Place

The Counseling Place is staffed by professional counsellors who provide assistance and support for students facing challenging circumstances in their lives. Counsellors at the Counselling Place works with students to resolve existing issues, prevent potential difficulties, and to develop new skills that works to improve their lives. Counselling formats include individual and group counselling, seminars and workshops. Counsellors also provide consultation to various university departments and centres who work closely with students.

The Cosy Haven

The Cosy haven is a public space within the Centre which serves primarily as a place for individuals to de-stress or as a touch-point where students needing a peaceful place to recover from the daily challenges of academic life can go to. The Cosy Haven is equipped with massage chairs, wellness related magazines and books, board and video games as well as wireless headsets playing soothing music for the stressed out individual. The Cosy Haven also has a small yoga studio (Serenity room), perfect for students needing a quiet place for personal meditation and/or reflective moments. This facility is run by the SMU Peer Helpers.

Services 

Individual Counselling

Individual counselling is the most common form of therapeutic treatment.   Counsellors at the Centre adopt a short-term model for counselling. The client will be assigned to a counsellor from the team who will attend to him/her throughout the course of the therapy. Each counsellor adopts different theoretical approaches to therapy and as such, each client’s experience will be different. Individual counselling is available for those  face personal issues (e.g. anxiety, depression, stress, low self-esteem), interpersonal problems (e.g. shyness, anger management, feelings of isolation), and academic or career-related issues (academic performance, determining career values).

Group Counselling

Group counselling or therapy are for students who feel they could benefit from sharing similar experiences, giving and receiving affirmative feedback, and trying of new interpersonal behaviours in a safe, controlled environment. There is benefit in individuals sharing common experiences because the disclosure actually helps to enhance a group's effectiveness. Students interested in group counselling meet with one of our professional counsellors to assess the match between the individual's needs and the available groups.

Workshops and seminars

WKLSWC conducts various workshops and seminars for the student community. Workshops conducted include “Mindfulness and Stress” and “Stress Management Techniques”.

Professional counsellors also conduct various workshops targeted for members of the faculty or administrative staff who have extensive contact with students. These workshops are aimed to increase the participants’ knowledge and to equip them with the skills to be able to identify students in distress, offer assistance and to refer them to the relevant resources for follow-up action.

Services for students with disabilities

Students admitted to SMU are accepted based on the range of academic criteria and other specified entrance requirements. At the point of application, they are not required to declare if they have a physical or other disability as this ensures that all applicants receive the same level of consideration during the admissions process.

However, applicants with disabilities who feel that their situation might substantially hamper their academic progress are invited to discuss their situation with the relevant programme leader/ manager at the point of application.

About the SMU 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.

With an elective course training about 200 students every academic year, WKLWSC has produced some qualified 1,200 peer helpers 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.

Trained and supervised by a team of dedicated and experienced professional counsellors from WKLSWC, 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.

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.

About the Wong Kwok Leong Endowed Scholarship

The Wong Kwok Leong Endowed Scholarship was set up in 2007 by the late Mr Wong and Mrs Wong during their 50^th wedding anniversary, to inspire full-time undergraduates in SMU with demonstrated financial need, to achieve academic excellence. Three scholarships, valued at $10,000 each, are awarded annually. Each scholarship is tenable for one year.  Since 2007, 18 SMU students have been awarded this scholarship.

In line with Mr and Mrs Wong’s strong commitment and lifelong dedication towards philanthropy and giving back to the society, the Scholars are strongly encouraged to be actively involved in community service.