Seoul Students to Take 'Emotional and Behavioral Characteristics Test' Every 3 Years... Strengthening Treatment Connections

Screening of At-Risk Groups Based on Test Results and Referral to Specialized Institutions for Treatment
Operation of One-Stop Mental Health Support Center...Providing Customized Counseling
Crisis Management Including Measures and Mourning Education When Suicide Incidents Occur

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is operating a pilot project to promote student mental health in order to detect students at risk of suicide early and connect them to counseling and treatment for management. Emotional and behavioral characteristic tests will be conducted for 1st and 4th graders in elementary school, as well as 1st graders in middle and high school, creating a system to professionally manage and support students experiencing emotional difficulties.

On the 4th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced the "Seoul-type Comprehensive Plan for Promoting Student Mental Health," which strengthens support to address student mental health issues, includes continuous counseling and treatment connections, and outlines follow-up measures for crisis situations.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to conduct annual emotional and behavioral characteristic tests for 1st and 4th graders in elementary school, 1st graders in middle school, 1st graders in high school, and students in special and various schools. Based on the test results, students will be classified into priority management, general management, and suicide risk groups, and a management system will be established within schools to connect these students to specialized institutions such as Wee Centers or Youth Counseling and Welfare Centers, or to enable them to receive professional treatment.

A "One-Stop Mental Health Support Center" will also be operated for students with emotional and behavioral problems who are in blind spots, such as those who do not receive counseling or whose parents do not consent. This center will provide customized counseling for students classified as at-risk based on the emotional and behavioral characteristic tests or those at risk of self-harm or suicide. Additionally, a "Customized Counseling Visiting Schools" service will be offered for students who have difficulty being accompanied by guardians or require urgent referral. For at-risk students from low-income families, medical expense support projects will be operated to cover medical fees, counseling fees, and psychological treatment costs.

The system of mental health experts visiting schools will monitor students who are at-risk but not connected to specialized institutions. Non-face-to-face counseling will be provided for students who are in self-quarantine or have tested positive for COVID-19. Professional counselors will visit schools to provide in-depth counseling, initial assessments, and treatment cost support. The pilot project for promoting student mental health will also be conducted over eight months until December. It will operate pilot schools for discovering student mental health issues, provide expert counseling for school staff, and implement capacity-building projects for those in charge of mental health programs.

In cases of suicide attempts or incidents, a crisis intervention system has been established to prepare for and respond immediately to crisis situations such as follow-up management. The education office, support offices, and schools operate "Life Respect Committees," which hold meetings twice a year to discuss suicide prevention measures, prepare for crisis situations in advance, and discuss response plans. When a suicide incident occurs, the Life Respect Committee convenes to hold a countermeasure meeting and conducts mourning education, psychological support, PTSD testing, and life respect education, while receiving reports on school responses and student management status.

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, said, "Education that respects life must be the foundation of our education above all else. Beyond managing student mental health through emotional and behavioral characteristic tests, I hope that the Seoul Student Mental Health Promotion Plan, which establishes an early and continuous detection system and an integrated response system for student mental health, will lead Seoul education to become a true community that respects life."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.