NYJC Inaugural Parents’ Workshop

On Saturday 18th April, NYJC welcomed Ms. Ong Ee Lin, Clinical Psychologist and Mr. Matt Yee who addressed the parents of JC 1 on the topic “Cyber-Wellness and Internet Addictions”. Ms. Ong is a full-time member of the Singapore Psychological Society and her research experience specializes in behavioral analysis. Although the American Psychiatric Association (APA) does not consider gaming addiction to be a mental health disorder at this time, internet addiction and gaming addiction are without doubt becoming serious issues, with far-reaching ramifications.

The talk focused on creating awareness among parents of the growing addiction and disturbing trend. Ms. Ong discussed the psychological and physical symptoms of the addiction and what are the warning signs. She offered insights to the problem and provided tips on how to communicate with their children using a simple style called “Motivation Interviewing”. Matt Yee gave the parents a “feel” of the most popular games in the market today and their alluring effects. The speakers were engaging and the workshop was well received by the parents who attended. The parents indicated on the feedback evaluation form that they are interested in attending other topics NYJC will be holding every term. For parents who have missed the talk, the speakers have also kindly granted us permission for their slides to be made available on the Nanyang JC website.

This occasion marks the unique partnership NYJC has with our parents. We hope to establish partnership with our parents through an Internet Resource Network and regular workshops conducted by professional speakers so that our students’ mental health and well-being needs are better enhanced.

We hope to see more parents at our next talk on “Parent-Child Relationships” to be held on 18th July 2009 from 2pm-4pm at NYJC. The speaker is Sean Liew, a Consultant Psychotherapist with ten years of experience in the areas of individual, family therapy, pre-marital and marital therapy. Please register with us if you are interested.

Kwan Foong Yee, M.A.
NYJC Allied Educator (Counseling)
kwan_foong_yee@moe.edu.sg
Tel: 62842281