Youth Mental Health & Suicide Prevention
Parenting
Log-in details and reminders will be emailed by Zoom (under AIM SG name) automatically following your registration. Please do look for them under your spam or junk email folder in case you don't see them and add our email hello@asiainstituteofmentoring.com to your safe list/whitelist to receive the login, news & updates.
Synopsis
September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. Youth mental health issues have been on the rise, even before the onset of the pandemic, and continues unabated:
A recent poll showed that > 50% youths (globally) were adversely impacted by the pandemic.
A study published in 2022 showed that one in three young people in Singapore exhibit symptoms of mental health issues (up from 1 in 3 back in 2017, a huge jump largely due to the impact of the pandemic);
Another study published in 2021 revealed, the number of those aged 10 to 24 diagnosed with depression at one healthcare group grew four-fold between 2013 and 2018 – a more rapid increase than for any other age group;
In Singapore, suicides for youths age 10-19 had doubled year-over-year. Suicide is now the leading cause of death among young people in this age group;
In 2023, youth mental health become the topic of a national conversation when a 16-year-old River Valley High School student, who had previously attempted suicide, allegedly killed a schoolmate;
Another study shows that as much 27% of youths in Singapore harbor suicidal thoughts; more and more young people are engaging in self harm;
Youth mental health and suicide has now become a crisis that needs immediate attention and action.
As parents and as a society, we find ourselves living in such a complex and volatile world - social media, rising cost of living, climate anxiety, polarized geo-political situation, the pervasiveness of technology and the rapid encroachment of AI in every facet of our lives. Raising a child is becoming an increasingly more challenging task is an understatement. With the rising rate of youth mental health issues and youth suicides, more and more parents are at a loss of what they need to do as their children grow into teenagers and young adults.
Come join us as we explore the critical topic of youth mental health and suicide prevention.
Over-The-Rainbow (OTR) is the mental wellness initiative of the WholeTree Foundation, the not-for-profit family foundation of Yen-Lu & Yee Ling Chow founded in loving memory of their dear son and only child who ended his own life at the age of 26 after suffering for many years from manic depression.
Since launching in October 2012, OTR has been a pioneer and trailblazer in the space of youth mental wellness - innovating and pushing the mental health envelope with outreach events, community initiatives, media projects, mental wellness programs, workshops and festivals, volunteer training programs, peer support systems, online support platforms, mental wellness magazines, newsletters and social media campaigns. These initiatives and activities collectively have touched nearly a million lives through both online and offline touch-points, and transformed many others.
From an organization that pioneered mental wellness as a journey and championed prevention and preemption over clinical intervention with innovations such as Holistic Self-Care, Circle-of-Care, Guardian Angels, Wellness Space, Mental Wellness Festivals, Youth Matters, OTR Listens, Rainbow Connection magazines, Think x Rainbow, and a change inside-out approach to life and human wellbeing, innovation is a constant driving force for positive change.
What started from the ashes of a heart-shattering family tragedy has transformed into a thriving organization with a mission that turned into a movement to transform mental wellness for the 21st century.
About Think Psychological Services 
Think Psychological Services is a private psychological and counseling practice founded in 2011. We provide a full range of psychological and counseling services for both adults and children.
Since our inception, the practice has grown to become one of the leading providers of private psychological and counseling services in Singapore. Our team of qualified professionals include clinical psychologists, child psychologists, educational & developmental psychologists, counselors and behavior therapists.
At Think Psychological Services, we take a holistic approach to empower individuals by helping them address their immediate concerns, building on their strengths and preparing them to overcome future challenges. We firmly believe that any patient at Think Psychologist Services deserves nothing less than the best psychological and counselling services to improve their quality of life.
The PleaseStay. Movement is an advocacy group calling for unity and support to prevent suicide among young people. We believe that no youth should be lost to suicide and that all of us play a role in supporting those at risk. We want to engage government, other agencies and the public to find better solutions to safeguard our young and help prevent suicide in Singapore.
Zoala is an innovative AI-based mental wellness app designed for adolescents. Utilising advanced technology, Zoala is trained to comprehend the everyday challenges faced by young individuals and provides practical advice, support, and guidance to enhance their mental well-being. Collaborating closely with healthcare and education advisors, as well as other strategic partners, the company endeavours to establish a comprehensive mental wellness support system. This system aims to bolster mental health literacy within schools, our broader community, and among adolescents, ultimately fostering a healthier and more resilient generation.
Elaine Lek
Co-Founder, PleaseStay Movement | Heads one of Singapore’s established ceramics tableware companies
Professionally, Elaine Lek heads one of Singapore’s established ceramics tableware companies but it is her work as co-founder of the advocacy group, the PleaseStay Movement which has brought out her courage and determination in championing more support for suicide prevention among youths. Since tragically losing her beloved son, Zen, to suicide in Oct 2018 in Melborne, Elaine has been unwavering and outspoken about the need for everyone, including government agencies, to help youths-at-risk of self-harm and to stop the rise of suicide among youths. She started The Zen Dylan Koh Fund which provides free counselling for disadvantaged youths under 25 years (with Limitless) and to date, it has helped more than 61 youths and many from completing suicide. She also led the way in forming Healing Hearts, a support group for suicide-bereaved mothers (with the Therapy Room). Elaine has given numerous talks and countless interviews to enlarge the conversation on suicide so as to break the stigma and notoriety associated with youth mental illness, social adversity and self-harm. She honours the memory of her son through her fervent advocacy work as Zen himself was always inspired to reach out to those in need. She hopes that the PleaseStay Movement can help strengthen the call for a coordinated and comprehensive National Strategy for Suicide Prevention to raise awareness on mental issues, support those who are vulnerable and save young lives.
Jeff Lee
Founder & CEO, Zoala
Jeff Lee is a seasoned problem solver in the IT&T industry with over two decades of experience, cultivating a career enriched by diverse experiences across multiple countries. Armed with a Bachelor's degree in Computing, he commenced his journey as an application developer, swiftly advancing to pivotal roles in addressing industry challenges. Starting in Malaysia, he honed his problem-solving skills before extending his influence to Hong Kong and Australia.
Jeff's entrepreneurial journey has been characterised by a range of experiences. His successful ventures in Australia and Malaysia served as catalysts for his passion and support for his current venture, Zoala. Zoala embodies his unwavering commitment to leveraging technology for societal betterment, particularly focusing on adolescent mental wellness. Jeff's multifaceted experience, combined with his academic achievements, serves as an ongoing source of inspiration to those around him.
Jeff holds an Executive MBA from NUS Business School and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Psychology. As he navigates the dynamic landscape in Singapore, his extensive industry experience continues to fuel his pursuit of innovative solutions.
Michelle Choy
Occupational Therapist, Parent Coach and International Certified Professional Trainer, IPMA (U.K.)
Pamela See
Founding Partner of Think Psychological Services; Registered Educational and Developmental Psychologist with the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS), AHPRA – Psychology Board of Australia and is a full member of Singapore Psychological Society (SPS)
Pamela is a founding partner of Think Psychological Services, a leading private psychological practice for children and adults in Singapore.
She is a registered Educational and Developmental Psychologist with the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS), AHPRA – Psychology Board of Australia and is a full member of Singapore Psychological Society (SPS).
Pamela specialises in Educational and Developmental Psychology at Think Psychological Services and has extensive experience working with children with autism and other learning difficulties in Australia and Singapore. She is extensively trained in designing behavioural programs in all areas of development, education and behaviour. In addition she is certified to administer a wide range of psychometric assessments for children such as Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI-R), Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Stanford Binet, WISC and various other abilities tests.
Pamela has worked closely with Singapore schools (local and international) and government agencies where she assessed children with learning difficulties, attention problems, language difficulties and intellectual disabilities. She has helped successfully integrate many young expat and local children with special needs into the mainstream school system (both public and private), in addition to providing on-going counseling and support services to their families. For expat families that come to Singapore for services, Pamela continues to provide support via Skype to ensure that therapeutic plans are kept in place. She also provides counselling and intervention plans for children who have been bullied, have low self-esteem, poor social skills, anxiety and depression. She regularly conducts workshops for both parents and teachers on topics such as challenging behaviours and managing students with learning and developmental difficulties.
Khoo Kee Suen
Intern, Over The Rainbow
Kee Suen is an intern with Over The Rainbow, who graduated from St. Joseph's Institution in the IB diploma programme, where he also served for 8 years in the Scout Movement. He is an incoming freshman at the University of Cambridge, pursuing a BA in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences.
Yen-Lu Chow
Founding Executive Chairman WholeTree Foundation; Over-The-Rainbow; Asia Institute of Mentoring | Founding Partner Fatfish MediaLab | Executive Mentor YSI SEA | Founder of the Deep Human Movement
About Asia Institute of Mentoring
Asia Institute of Mentoring (AIM) is a non-profit volunteer based organization with a mission to bring mentoring to the spotlight in Asia, raise the quality of mentors and the standard of mentoring, bringing mentoring to all facets of society to impact millions of lives.
We are committed to create an Asia-based people-powered mentoring movement to move people … to learn, to share, to give forward, to transform, to harness the deep human potential, and create social impact – bringing about a kinder, gentler, more inclusive, just and sustainable world for all.
Join us as a member here.
