The rising number of teenagers with psychological problems has captured nationwide attention. In Shenzhen, most middle schools have their own psychology instructors. However, the majority of them are responsible for other courses at the same time and most of them did not major in psychological studies. Currently Chinese psychological education is trapped in a dilemma: While there are plenty of potential patients, very few are willing to seek treatment, according to a report by Shenzhen News.

Current situation: students are reluctant to seek treatment when they have psychological problems

When new semester started this autumn, Wang Sheng (name changed), a high school student, felt loaded with invisible pressures. He felt disconnected from all his classmates. It seemed that everyone in his class, or even from other classes, looked at him in disgust. He had been filled with this emotion for more than one semester. Now his close friends appeared more distant from him as each day passed. When Wang Sheng returned home, he rarely communicated with his parents.

The changes in Wang Sheng troubled his parents greatly. They knew something was wrong with their son's mind. "If we can't find a solution, this kind of thinking will negatively affect my son's future," worried Wang Sheng's father. Significantly, Wang Sheng was aware of the problem he had. He also knew that the best way to address it was to consult a psychology teacher. Actually, there was a consultation room in his school, but Wang Sheng was unwilling to go.

Wang Sheng explained that the psychology counselor in his school was also his political teacher. "I can't share my deep feelings with a person who instructs me every week," Wang Sheng protested. He was afraid that the teacher would get a bad impression of him after hearing his private thoughts. Such consideration had troubled Wang Sheng for a long time and caused added pressure to the poor boy. As a result, Wang Sheng's emotional stress was worsening day by day.

Similar cases are common in middle schools. In spite of the psychological problems they may be suffering, students are strongly against the idea of talking to a teacher. They are afraid that their secrets will be publicized in the school and they will feel shamed.

Huang Xin (name changed), a junior middle school student, recently felt that she had fallen in love with a boy in her class. It confused her but she dared not to tell anyone because she thought such feelings were not allowed.

Huang Xin knew clearly that it was too early for her to discuss love, but she was obsessed by her feelings. When asked why she did not consult a teacher, the weary-looking girl retorted, "How can I discuss such things with a person who also instructs me in morality?"

In a sample survey, over 65 percent of middle school students were against the idea of consulting teachers about psychological problems. All of them considered their problems private.

Zhang Hui has been in charge of psychological consultation in a Luohu-based middle school for over 10 years. She said most of her students were rather reluctant to consult her about mental problems. "Every day, only one or two students will come to me," Zhang Hui said. She added that this was far lower than the actual number of students suffering from various psychological problems in the school.

In Zhang Hui's opinion, the current situation of middle school students poses a big challenge to psychology teachers. Although psychology teachers can be found in most schools, they are responsible for other courses as well. On one hand, they are incapable of providing professional guidance to students. On the other hand, they have multiple roles that make it difficult to gain a student's trust. Furthermore, currently, psychological guidance falls under the jurisdiction of the department of moral education, although strictly speaking, psychological studies are totally different in academic scope from moral education.

The sample survey indicated that most student worries centered around bad interpersonal relations, high academic pressure and a guilty conscience resulting from awakening of love. Of these, academic pressure was relatively easy to address via communications with teachers and classmates, while the other two were difficult to tackle because most of the students were unwilling to share such feelings with others.

Reasons: the dual-role of psychological teachers makes students terrified

Deng Menghong, a qualified psychological counselor in Shenzhen, held that middle schools should recruit professional counselors to spread psychological knowledge, raise students' awareness of mental health, discover early signs of abnormal behaviors, and provide timely help to students and parents.

While addressing student unwillingness to consult psychological teachers, Deng pointed out that successful counseling was based on mutual trust between counselor and patient. A patient would bare his heart only when he felt secure. Thus, it was a common rule in psychological counseling fields that a counselor should not offer professional services to acquaintances. In middle schools, however, things appeared totally different. Counselors were also teachers in class. It was thus hard for students to clarify their roles. When students felt privacy was invaded and was afraid of being reproached, it was natural for them to retract further into their shells.

Suggestions: fostering mutual trust is key to solving the dilemma

Deng Menghong thought China should follow the practice of other countries to promote cooperation between middle schools and professional psychological counseling organizations. It would be easy for students to share their thoughts with a stranger and it would relieve the burden on school administrations. Psychology teachers in schools could take charge to disseminate related knowledge and watch out for early signs of psychological problems, while professional counselors could provide effective psychological counseling services so as to cure students as early as possible.

Wang Jian, director at a Shenzhen psychological education center, pointed out that psychology teachers in middle schools were unable to meet students' needs both in terms of quantity and in terms of professional skills. More qualified counselors should be introduced into schools. However, Wang thought it unrealistic to solve the current dilemma by promoting cooperation between professional institutions and middle schools. Wang revealed that by the end of 2007, a psychological guidance center with two or three specialists would be set up in Shenzhen to help teenagers solve their psychological problems.

When being asked how to encourage students to consult teachers about psychological problems, most people held that the key was to foster mutual trust. It requires great courage to tell secrets to others. Thus, teachers should be alert to any subtle changes in student behaviors, make friends with them, understand their worries and carefully guard their secrets. When dealing with a psychological crisis caused by traumatic events such as pregnancy, teachers should try their best to relieve the stress on the student, ask his/her opinions on what to do and finally, help the student in need and his/her parents to address the problem in a rational manner.

Background: most psychological educations are mere formality in middle schools

Insufficient professional counselors currently are handicapping psychological education in China. Most psychology teachers also work in administrative departments, moral education departments, medicare departments or even teaching departments of their respective schools. Hindered by a hazy understanding of psychological knowledge, they also have a poor command of necessary skills. In some particular schools, psychology teachers and their consulting rooms are nothing but an empty shell: such facilities are just set up to pass routine inspections. If no significant changes take place in this field, Chinese psychological education will not see any major advancement.

"A team of professional consultants should be organized to effectively implement psychological education in schools. Meanwhile, scholars and specialists should be invited to enrich counselors' knowledge on the latest academic progress and to give them up-to-date instruction on counseling skills," remarked a teacher who has worked in this field for many years.

(China.org.cn by Chen Xia, October 9, 2007)