Parents talks 2020-2021

Dr. Michael Eason, Psychologist and Counselor at Lifespan Counselling shared his expertise and experience on teen substance abuse and addictions especially in Hong Kong.  He discussed trends on drugs, alcohol and vaping amongst youth, the underlining causes, risks and impact on the body. Parents were provided with preventative strategies, signs to look out for and tools to start conversations with their teen around this topic.  

A huge thank you to Valentina Tudose, a sex and relationship expert, for presenting this talk on a sensitive topic.  

She discussed the framework and language we can use to talk about this topic with our children. 

• What role does sex play in healthy relationships 

• When is the right time to speak to children and teens about sex and what is the age-appropriate language 

• What do teens need to know about Consent and Boundaries 

• How to handle the discovery your teen has been sexting and how to make it a learning opportunity and keep them safe

• What are teens actually doing to explore their sexuality in the modern world 

• What do children make of porn

A huge thanks to Dr. Frank K. W. Leung, counseling psychologist and Founder & Director of Care & Beyond – wellness services, who discussed the importance of positive relationships within a family and the effect on children.  He explored types of communication styles and dynamics within a family with tips for parents.  He also touch on the topics of separation, divorce and bereavement, the concept and the coping strategies.  There were tips on how to maintain healthy parent-child relationships.  

Many thanks to our very own Ray Heath, Head of KGV's Psychology department who presented this talk on the teenage brain.  She discussed how neuroscience and psychology can help us understand why teenagers behave as they do and how we as parents and teachers can help them most effectively. She shared how to facilitate opportunities for students to manage their learning and their lifestyle, in order to make the most of their brain potential.

KGV PTSA joined hands with Okayminds, a social enterprise promoting mental health and wellbeing, to deliver a talk on depression in teens, from a public health perspective. 

Our speaker Dr Nimisha Vandan, is a PhD holder in public health together with other qualifications and has engaged in numerous projects on mental health.  Thank you very much Dr Vandan, for providing us with valuable information on depression and how parents can work with their teens to help them through this. 

KGV PTSA in collaboration with HeartChat, a Mental Wellbeing social enterprise presented this online webinar on ‘Eating Disorders and Body Image’.  

 Our keynote speakers were Gabrielle Tuscher, Eating Disorders specialist and psychologist and Steph Ng, founder of ‘Body Banter’ initiative and avid mental health advocate.  They discussed what eating disorders mean, the symptoms, common triggers, causes and the connection with body image. They shared how it develops and common misconceptions parents have  as well as  strategies on how you can detect and support your child through this struggle and when to seek help.

There as some experience sharing on this topic about their journey to and recovery from eating disorders and body image issues.

Many thanks to our speakers for sharing this very interactive and elaborative talk. 

A huge thank you to Katrina Rozga for educating our parents on Anxiety with teens.  This talk was well attended and received much positive feedback. 

Talk Details 

Anxiety is the world's most common mental health issue and is experienced by a majority of the population at one point in their lives. Adolescent's are not exempt from this and are often more susceptible due to the nature of their still maturing brains.  Katrina Rozga, specialist in Counselling Psychology will present this talk with Q & A at the end.