Excerpted from the Education Bureau website
In recent years, the mental health of schoolchildren in Hong Kong has drawn widespread attention. Aside from family life, school life is the most critical factor influencing a student's well-being. In response, the Education Bureau launched the Curriculum Framework on Parent Education (Primary & Secondary School) respectively in 2022 and 2024. This initiative enables schools to source suitable educational activities for students and their families, aiming to optimize the environmental systems surrounding students, and create positive conditions to enhance their mental health.
Our team has worked with over twenty schools and organizations to promote family education. We have noted that while parents worry about their teenage children, students often misinterpret this concern, affecting their school performance and development. Schools, focused on teaching, sometimes struggle to address family issues as students may hesitate to share personal matters.
Balancing expectations among students, parents, and schools is key to parent education. By integrating theories of family therapy, clinical psychology and feedback from parents and staff , we've developed family education activities that align expectations and foster a supportive environment for children's growth.
The Importance of Parent Education
01
Promoting Student Mental Health
By helping families cultivate a safe and stable home environment, children feel more secure learning at school, significantly reducing their risk of depression and anxiety.
02
Transforming Family Relationships
Guiding parents to recognize their own emotional needs enhances overall family functioning, turning the home into a nurturing foundation for children's growth.
03
Aligning Home and School Expectations
Striking a balance between student needs, parental hopes, and school expectations aligns all parties to collectively build a supportive environment where children can truly thrive.
Challenges of School-Based Parent Work
Reluctance of students and parents to disclose family matters at school
Schools' expertise is in teaching, not resolving family issues
One-off events often fail to produce intensive learning outcomes
Overemphasizing parenting skills while overlooking parents' emotional needs
Our Philosophy
01
Independence as the Goal
Growing up is a natural journey toward autonomy. True education equips children with the confidence and resilience to navigate the world on their own terms.
02
Family as a Launchpad
Strong family ties provide the secure emotional base that fuels discovery. A supportive home gives children the courage to step out, take risks, and freely develop their unique identity.
03
Growth Through Boundaries
Healthy parenting thrives on mutual respect. By nurturing their own well-being and setting clear boundaries, parents model self-care and create a safe environment for individual growth.
04
School as Social Frontier
Healthy parenting thrives on mutual respect. By nurturing their own well-being and setting clear boundaries, parents model self-care and create a safe environment for individual growth.
Highlights of Our Parent Education
01
Comprehensive Solutions
Event formats include lectures, workshops, and organizing Parent Ambassadors; event content also encompasses parents' personal growth, parent-child relationships, marital relationships, handling adolescent emotional issues, and Special Educational Needs (SEN), satisfying parents' multi-faceted growth needs.
02
Designed Based on Clinical Experience
Our multidisciplinary teaching team combines expertise in clinical psychology and family therapy, bringing deep insights into youth mental health and family dynamics. Informed by frontline clinical observations and grounded in proven psychological theories, our curriculum design aims to holistically enhance adolescent emotional well-being and strengthen overall family functioning.
03
Promoting parental reflection and change
Our courses focus not only on parenting skills and changing children's behavior, but also invite parents to understand deep-seated factors such as their own emotional needs, developmental regrets, and parenting beliefs, understanding how these affect parent-child relationships and boundaries, transforming family relationships from the inside out, enhancing individual family members' and overall family functioning, and letting family relationships become nourishment that enriches life.
04
Highly Recognized by Parents and Educators
During the pilot period in groups and past partner schools, the course content was not only deeply welcomed and recognized by participating parents, but also gained high recognition from teacher teams. Our course can simultaneously respond to parents' needs and school standards, successfully building a bridge between family and school.
Family Education Talks
T1
So Far Yet So Close - Getting along with Adolescent Children
As adolescents gradually develop outward, parents find it hard to stay close. Facing children who drift in and out, how should parents cope? The speaker will explore with parents the right distance for staying close to adolescents.
T3
My Dream Teammate - How to Coordinate Parenting with Your Partner?
Differences in parenting beliefs and approaches can sometimes become a battlefield between couples, with children growing up amid the crossfire. Can we avoid and resolve these conflicts? The speaker will explore with parents the factors that create these dilemmas and possibilities for resolution.
T2
The Complex Links Between Family Relationships and Mental Health
Through clinical cases, we explore how family atmosphere and students' concern for family members affect their mental health and development. The speaker will reflect with parents on the difficulties and pathways for young people growing toward independence.
T4
What Kind of Parents Do Children Need?
Many parents who set high expectations for their children set even higher ones for themselves. Do children want perfect parents? The speaker will share factors beneficial to children mental health and development, helping parents rethink what kind of parents to be.
T5
Depression, Anxiety, School Refusal...What Can I Do to Help My Child?
When children develop mental health issues, parents often feel anxious yet powerless. Beyond seeking professional services, what else can parents do for the family during this difficult time? The speaker will explore with parents the roles and strengths they can still exercise in adversity.
T6
Getting Along with ASD and ADHD Children
Children with developmental disorders crave autonomy just like their peers—but balancing that drive with their need for extra support can lead to friction. How do we navigate this delicate tension? The speaker will share actionable, strength-based strategies to reduce conflict, build mutual understanding, and empower your child to safely step into their independence.
T7
Kids/Teeagers are Unmotivated in Learning - What Can We Do?
Struggling to motivate your child? You aren’t alone. Behind every reluctant learner is an untapped spark. In this session, our speaker will decode the science of learning motivation theory and translate it into practical, everyday parenting strategies. Discover how to shift from constant pushing to fostering a genuine, self-driven desire to learn.
T8
Kids/Teenagers Glued to Their Phones - What Can We Do?
Devices are a permanent fixture in modern childhood, leaving parents of both young kids and teens struggling to find balance. When your child is glued to a screen, how do you set boundaries without sparking a battle? The speaker will explore with parents how to maintain closeness and understanding.
Workshops & Groups
W1
"So Far Yet So Close" Parent Workshop (4 sessions)
Target:
Parents (different curriculum for parents in primary and secondary schools)
Capacity:
30-40
Duration:
2 hours per session
Session outline:
-
Understand children's developmental tasks and boundaries with parents
-
Explore how parental anxiety affects interactions with children
-
Explore underlying factors of parental worries: emotional needs, parenting beliefs...etc.
-
Explore the impact of parental interactions on children's independent development
W2
"We and Me" Mothers Support Group (8 sessions)
Target:
Mothers
Capacity:
12
Duration:
2 hours per session
Session outline:
-
Where does my reactivity come from?
-
What kind of mother am I?
-
How did my family of origin shape who I am today?
-
How do my unfulfilled needs affect my behaviour today?
-
Rediscovering who I am
-
Building self - my rules and boundaries
-
Establishing and maintaining boundaries
-
Reflections and outlook on the motherhood journey
W3
"Space for Husbands" Group (4 sessions)
Target:
Fathers
Capacity:
12
Capacity:
2 hours per session
Session outline:
-
What are the fathers' needs?
-
What are the fathers' roles in the family?
-
Interactions with spouse and children
-
What is the meaning of being a 'father'?
W4
Is Marriage Bitter or Sweet? Couples Support Group (6 sessions)
Target:
Couples
Capacity:
12
Capacity:
2 hours per session
Session outline:
-
Divide and conquer or move together?
-
Boundaries in marriage
-
Power in the family
-
How to make family decisions?
-
Children, spouse, self - who comes first?
-
Home sweet home
W5
Core Parenting Skills for ASD & ADHD Children (8 sessions)
Target:
Parents of children with ASD or ADHD
Capacity:
12
Capacity:
2 hours per session
Session outline:
-
Reduce impulsive responses and ease parent-child conflicts
-
Reinforce positive behavious, when and how
-
Respond to children' emotional needs
-
Navigate the Ups and Downs in parenthood
-
Build patience and resilience for sustained effective interaction patterns