Counselling support for the mental health of children in Hong Kong’s international schools during the COVID-19 pandemic: parents’ perspectives

ABSTRACT

Objective

This study investigated how school counsellors in international schools in Hong Kong supported the wellbeing of students and families during the period of school closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of parents.

Method

Sixteen parents with children in eleven different international schools in Hong Kong were interviewed and the data were analysed thematically.

Results

Strong pre-existing relationships, role clarity, and open communication between counsellors and parents were associated with the effective adaptation of counselling services to the changing needs of parents during the school closure period, but these characteristics were often weak or absent.

Conclusions

Parents’ perceptions of counselling during the school closure period provide important feedback that schools can use to build more integrated and responsive support services. Counsellors can support students’ wellbeing more effectively during crises by communicating their roles clearly, building strong relationships with parents, and helping students to maintain a diverse experience in their schooling.

KEY POINTS

What is already known about this topic:

• (1) School counsellors carry out a multifunctional role in schools, and their roles are often not clearly defined.

• (2) Schools can be conceptualised as ecologies, of which parents and counsellors are part.

• (3) Parental involvement in psychosocial programmes and school counselling is associated with better outcomes.

What this topic adds:

• (1) This study investigates how the perspectives of parents may inform the development of school counselling services which are more responsive to crises.

• (2) The findings suggest that role clarity, strong relationships and clear communication between school counsellors and parents are associated with more effective counselling support.

• (3) Parents’ feedback is an important, but underutilized, source of information enabling schools to develop more responsive counselling support.

KEYWORDS:

• School closure
• COVID-19
• school counselling
• international school
• Hong Kong

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

Funded by theCentral Research Allocation Fund of The Education University of Hong Kong [Grant number 04A01].