KUALA LUMPUR: Nurturing emotional resilience in children requires stronger collaboration between parents, teachers and counsellors, alongside better access to mental health resources and early intervention systems, experts say.
Chuah Hooi Mei, senior lecturer and programme leader for counselling at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT), highlighted the lack of a centralised online platform for mental health resources as a key challenge.
“Parents spend a lot of time searching for help, which delays intervention,” she said at the Academic Forum on Mental Health and Emotional Resilience in Schools yesterday.
Chuah also pointed out the scarcity of trained child counsellors, especially outside urban areas.
“This, combined with stigma, limits options for families. Children may fear being labelled as ‘crazy’ or ‘mentally ill’, which prevents them from seeking necessary help,” she said.
She stressed that enhanced training for counsellors, including creative arts therapies and other effective models, is crucial for supporting both children and parents.
Imatul Nor Hazizan, a psychologist at the Titiwangsa Health Office, said a major gap is the lack of a structured system to detect early signs of emotional distress.
“Students may not show obvious behavioural issues but display subtle signs such as poor sleep, low energy, withdrawal, eating alone, physical aches, or severe anxiety. Identifying these early is crucial,” she said.
Imatul added that teachers, who are often overwhelmed with academic duties, can implement simple “temperature checks” in class to spot stress patterns and relay concerns to counsellors.
Nazrul Azizi, president of YoungMinds Malaysia, called for a paradigm shift in teaching, emphasising emotional resilience for students growing up in a hyper-connected world.
“Many children cannot differentiate between stress, anxiety, shame, frustration and sadness.
Teaching emotional intelligence from a young age can shape future generations. Children often turn to teachers first, so teachers need mental health first aid skills, even if they are not psychologists,” he said.
Tan Siew Choo, principal of SMJK Chong Hwa Kuala Lumpur, observed the considerable pressure on teachers as they attempt to balance academic key performance indicators with their responsibilities for pastoral care.
“It is unfair to place full blame on teachers when problems arise. Schools refer serious cases to teachers and, when needed, to the Health Ministry, despite long waiting lists,” she said.
Prof Dr Ananda Kumar Palaniappan of TAR UMT stressed that support from all stakeholders – peers, teachers and parents – is vital.
“Communication breakdowns among these groups hinder emotional resilience,” he said, proposing a 360-degree system for evaluation, implementation and monitoring.
“This collaborative approach can enhance emotional resilience without requiring special infrastructure, focusing instead on identifying and addressing student issues together,” he added.
