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The mental health of high school students faces challenges and opportunities under the new era, presenting complex characteristics of “high sensitivity, high stress, and high developmental needs.” The main challenges and prominent problems are as follows: (1) The “internalization” of academic pressure and future anxiety; (2) The “social dilemma” of digital natives: They cannot empathize face-to-face, resolve conflicts, and build intimate relationships. Issues such as cyberbullying and social comparison (e.g., “Moments anxiety”) also bring new psychological burdens; (3) The confusion of self-identity and the loss of a sense of value: Under the impact of diversified values, they think about “Who am I?”, and “What is the meaning of life?” earlier and more deeply than any generation. If they fail to establish a solid self-identity, they are prone to feel nihilistic, meaningless, or get lost in the pursuit of popular culture; (4) The universal lack of emotional regulation ability: The fast-paced, high-stimulus life makes many students lack the patience to deal with negative emotions. They are used to instant gratification, and when they encounter setbacks, criticism, or pressure, they are prone to emotional collapse or adopt unhealthy coping mechanisms such as repression and avoidance (e.g., indulging in the internet). Lack of effective emotional regulation strategies; (5) “Disconnection” from nature and the real world: “nature deficit disorder” is prevalent, and there is a lack of channels to release stress and obtain tranquility through physical exercise and contact with nature, and sensory experience is monotonous.

Meanwhile, the new era has also brought positive opportunities: (1) Higher acceptance: Students have a more open understanding of mental health and are more willing to talk about and seek help; (2) More resources: They can access a wealth of psychological knowledge and self-help resources through the internet; (3) Stronger sense of individuality: They pursue individual expression and self-realization, which provides intrinsic motivation for cultivating positive psychological qualities.

This report revolves around the four non-intellectual factors that are prevalent among the current high school student population: insufficient emotional intelligence development, lack of contact with nature, absence of reading habits, and scarcity of positive psychological qualities. Using the psychological club to carry out a variety of activities, it addresses both “curing existing diseases” and “treating non-existent diseases”, transforming from “passive intervention” to “active prevention”. It moves from the traditional classroom model to the flexible club model, exploring an effective path to realize the concept of “positive mental health education”.

1 Emotional Intelligence Training Camp

1.1 Situational Analysis of Emotional Intelligence Development for High School Students (Focusing on Issues)

(1) Weak emotional recognition and management ability: Difficulty in accurately recognizing one’s own and others’ emotions, prone to irritability, sensitivity, or repression; large emotional fluctuations, easily dominated by negative emotions, affecting learning status and interpersonal relationships;

(2) Lack of empathy and poor communication skills: not good at putting oneself in others’ shoes, which can easily lead to conflicts in teamwork (e.g., group study); communication style is straightforward or even sharp, which can easily hurt others’ feelings;

(3) Poor frustration resistance: When facing setbacks such as failing exams or criticism from teachers and parents, it is easy to fall into self-denial, complaining, or giving up, lacking the resilience to recover and learn from failure.

1.2 Objectives and Methodology of Conducting the Course

(1) By carrying out experiential activities: EQ System Testing Training, group psychological counseling, psychological discussion, and film appreciation system improve students’ emotional expression, emotional management, effective communication, conflict resolution, and other skills;

(2) Implementation cycle: One semester. About 15 times, each activity lasts 1 hour;

(3) Club size: About 25 people;

(4) Course preparation: “Emotional Intelligence Test” (Wood & Tolley, 2007), group sand table, healing-themed movies such as “The Barber” “Pachinko” “The Flipped”, etc.

1.3 Teaching Content and Process

(1) Team building: 1 session. Breaking the ice and getting to know each other through a large-scale sand table exercise, feeling the commonalities and differences among the group members, and achieving preliminary cohesion and cooperation among the members of the association;

(2) Teachers use one class hour to explain the connotation of emotional intelligence, the significance of emotional intelligence training, the expected effect of this course, and student Q&A;

(3) Apply 10 class hours (1 hour each time) to conduct EQ tests and situational discussions on five major topics including self-regulation (emotion management and control, excessive self-regulation), self-awareness (importance of self-knowledge, aspects of self-awareness), motivation (inducement and motivation, external motivation and internal motivation, different aspects of motivation), various aspects of empathy, various aspects of social skills, etc., to improve students’ EQ and break students out of their “social dilemmas”;

(4) Utilize three class periods to watch movies, deeply analyze the emotional states of people of different ages, understand the various aspects of life, and help students find the meaning of life.

1.4 Presentation of Results

(1) Students gain in-depth analysis of the five major modules of emotional intelligence training, see their growth and changes, write a self-evaluation report for the semester, and provide feedback on the gains of this semester;

(2) Use broadcasting, hand-copied newspapers and other forms to spread knowledge about emotional management, effective communication, conflict resolution and other skills (Luo, 2012) on the campus.

2 Campus Plant Appreciation and Positive Psychological Construction

2.1 Situational Analysis of High School Students’ “Connection with Nature” (Focusing on Issues)

(1) “Nature Deficit Disorder”: Feeling unfamiliar, distant, or even afraid of the natural environment; preferring to stay indoors and indulge in electronic screens;

(2) Monotony of sensory experience: Sensory stimuli mainly come from artificial environments (screens, audio), lacking rich experiences of colors, sounds, smells and textures in nature;

(3) Weak life education and ecological concept: lack of intuitive experience of life’s growth, circulation and vulnerability.

2.2 Objectives and Methods

(1) Make full use of the concept of educating people with the environment, organize club members to observe one campus plant every week, use the five senses training method to establish a connection with plants, consult relevant information to gain an in-depth understanding of plants, improve the awareness of the environment, feel the changes of the four seasons, the life state of plants before and after the solar terms, and feel the meaning of life from the growth of plants. Write experience and plant observation reports, use the power of nature to heal your mood, build positive psychological qualities, and cultivate students’ curiosity, insight, appreciation of beauty, gratitude, optimism and other positive psychological qualities;

(2) Implementation cycle: One academic year. About 30 times, each activity lasting about 1 hour;

(3) Club size: About 15 people;

(4) Course preparation: Recommended reading list for students: “How to Observe a Tree” (Hugo, 2016), “How to Observe a Flower” “How to Observe a Seed”.

2.3 Teaching Content and Process

(1) Content of observation: First semester: Autumn: Focus on observing the ginkgo trees, pomegranate trees, maple trees, ivy, and sunflowers on the campus. Winter: Focus on observing the persimmon trees, magnolia trees, and locust trees on the campus. Second semester: Spring: Focus on observing the magnolia trees, crab-apple trees, poplar trees, mulberry trees, roses, and unnamed plants in various corners of the campus. Summer: Focus on observing the grape trees, various vegetables in the vegetable garden, sycamore trees, and walnut trees on the campus;

(2) Observation method: Walk around the campus with a psychology teacher every week, relax your mood, and check the relevant knowledge of the plants that need to be observed in this lesson with your mobile phone. After sharing, surround the plants together for observation, touch the bark and leaves of the trees by hand, smell the special fragrance of the plants, observe the various parts of the flowers and fruits, listen to the sound of the hands rubbing against various parts of the plants, measure the thickness of the trunk, the size of the leaves and the volume of the fruits with your hands, and establish a close connection with the plants;

(3) Follow-up observation: Take fixed-point photos to record the growth changes of a certain plant, feel the impact of time, temperature, rain and snow on plants, and form an observation report;

(4) Share: For each class, propose your own questions and guesses about the plants you focused on observing, mention the discoveries you’ve never made before, and express your own feelings and insights. In each class, create a piece of writing about your feelings towards a certain plant, post it in the club’s WeChat group, and it is recommended to record it in the form of poetry. Take a photo of a special angle of the plant you observed.

2.4 Presentation of Results

(1) Pre-and post-activity survey data changes; (Adolescent Subjective Happiness Scale, Adolescent Resilience Scale);

(2) A collection of poems written by students;

(3) Botanical sketching on campus;

(4) Write a plant observation report;

(5) A collection of campus photography.

3 Time-Traveling Psychological Detective Agency

3.1 Situational Analysis of Reading Ability among High School Students (Focused on Issues)

(1) Fragmented and utilitarian reading: The content of reading mainly focuses on short articles on social media, online novels, or teaching aids, lacking patience for classic, in-depth texts;

(2) The decline of deep reading ability: difficulty in maintaining focus for long periods, a weakened ability to understand complex texts, and diminished capacity for critical thinking;

(3) Lack of expressive ability: Due to the insufficient quality and quantity of input, written and oral expression tend to be networked, patterned, and lack logic and appeal.

3.2 Objectives and Methods

(1) By reading the Four Great Classical Novels, Tang poetry, Song lyrics, the Analects, and other famous works in a fun way, and by applying psychological analysis to the characters, students will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the works and the authors’ psychological states behind them. This will enhance students’ interpretation and understanding of the authors’ psychological states behind the works and promote the healthy development of their views on life and the world. It will also cultivate students’ reading habits and make reading more enjoyable for them;

(2) Implementation cycle: One semester. About 15 times, each activity lasting about 1 hour;

(3) Club size: About 20 people;

(4) Course preparation: The school has purchased the Half-Hour Comics series books (Chen & Half-Hour 2019) in advance, such as “Half-Hour Comics Tang Poetry” “Half-Hour Comics Song Lyrics” “Half-Hour Comics Analects”, and “Half-Hour Comics Four Great Classical Novels”. Students can also read other series books such as “Half-Hour Comics World History” and “Half-Hour Comics Chinese History”.

3.3 Teaching Content and Process

(1) In the first to eighth classes, use psychological society and spare time to lead students to read books extensively, and find their favorite historical figures or the protagonists of literary works;

(2) Lesson 9-12: Guide students to delve into an in-depth character analysis and share and discuss, digging deeper into the characters from the following aspects: First, core personality structure and driving force: instinct and desire (Freud’s “id, ego, superego” theory), hierarchy of needs (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs); second, personality traits (Big Five personality theory, etc.): How does the character score on the Big Five personality traits, namely extraversion, neuroticism (emotional stability), openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness? For example, Lin Daiyu may score high on neuroticism (sensitive, emotional), high on openness (poetic and imaginative), low on agreeableness (verbal acerbity), and extremely high on conscientiousness (devoted to the end), whereas Zhuge Liang scores extremely high on conscientiousness (devoted to the end) and very high on openness (good at using stratagems);

(3) Developmental psychology perspective: childhood experiences and original family; critical life events: analyze major events that change the trajectory of the character’s destiny;

(4) Analysis of interpersonal relationship patterns: power relations, intimate relations, social identity and belonging, etc., considerations in psychological interpretation: a. avoid “pathological” labels; b. contextualize with the times; c. support with evidence; d. respect complexity: great figures are often multi-faceted, contradictory, and evolving. Accepting the complexity of their humanity and the unknowable is, in itself, a profound form of understanding. The 13th to 15th lessons will be presented in the form of mind maps and a combination of text and images, with multiple character psychological analysis and summaries, or sharing of feelings about the entire book.

3.4 Presentation of Results

(1) Create a semester mind map of about 4K size, frame it and display it publicly. This is to advocate for more students to engage in in-depth reading activities;

(2) Students clock in to record the number of readings, enhance a sense of achievement and purpose, and assist students in learning.

4 Art Therapy and the Cultivation of Positive Psychological Qualities

4.1 Situational Analysis of the Development of High School Students’ Positive Psychological Qualities (Focusing on Problems)

(1) Low self-esteem and self-criticism: Excessive focus on one’s shortcomings, inability to see one’s positive psychological qualities, and being overly demanding of oneself;

(2) A shift in the focus of social relationships: Peer relationships become an important source of emotional support and self-worth, but peer pressure comes with it. Lack of positive psychological qualities such as “benevolence” “teamwork” “social intelligence”, and “forgiveness”;

(3) Preliminary formation of values and life outlook: starting serious thinking about the meaning of life, future goals and social values. There is an urgent need to cultivate positive psychological qualities such as “caution” “honesty” “leadership”, and “spirituality”.

4.2 Objectives and Methods of Opening

(1) Using a variety of art materials, using artistic creation as a medium, through the non-linguistic expression and creative process of art, to explore, experience and strengthen the positive psychological qualities of individuals, consciously cultivate gratitude, hope, curiosity, Love and being loved, courage, self-discipline and other 24 positive psychological qualities, as well as positive emotions, engagement, interpersonal relationships, sense of meaning, sense of achievement and other PERMA’s five elements of happiness, eventually improve students’ self-efficacy, happiness and sense of life meaning, and cultivate students’ sound personality;

(2) Implementation cycle: One semester. About 15 times, each activity lasting 1 hour;

(3) Club size: About 25 people;

(4) Course preparation: a variety of art materials, related books on positive psychology written by Martin Seligman (Seligman, 2020).

4.3 Teaching Content and Process

(1) Experience-centered learning: Abandoning the sermonizing method and emphasizing “learning by doing”. Each activity is centred on a guiding art task;

(2) Emphasizing the value of the creative process itself, rather than the aesthetic value of the final product;

(3) Structure and flexibility coexist: Each lesson has clear themes (e.g., “gratitude” “courage”) and follows a basic process of “introduction-creation-sharing-integration”;

(4) Flexibility: respecting the individual differences of members, allowing them to express freely within the framework of the theme, providing a variety of art materials (such as paints, air-dry clay, fabric, newspaper collage materials, grains, masks, cultural T-shirts, mandala coloring line drawings, quartz sand, etc.) for choice;

(5) Create a safe and non-judgmental space: The sharing and discussion portion following the creative process is crucial. Guiding questions such as, “What was your experience during the creative process?” “What part of this piece best represents your hope today?” “How does this strength show up in your life?”

(6) Possible THEME activities: A semester can create 8-10 works, pay attention to give full time and complete sharing. The mask of emotions, the journey of exploring advantages, our spiritual home, to cultivate the positive psychological qualities of “self-awareness” “optimism” teamwork”, and “hope”. My birth collage, tree of growth, my body organs, broken and repaired (accept my imperfection) - to cultivate the positive psychological qualities of “gratitude” “courage”, and “insight”. The beauty of the five senses, The Book of Life, My Healing Objects, Technology and Vigoro us Efforts - the active psychological qualities of “Love and Being Loved” “Curiosity”, and “Critical Thinking”.

4.4 Presentation of Results

(1) Hold a themed art exhibition, with members providing works they are willing to display;

(2) Changes in survey data before and after student activities (self-efficacy, subjective well-being);

(3) The psychological teacher can write an anonymous summary report, in the form of a case analysis, to expound the operation mode of the club, the changes of the members observed (such as participation, emotional state, improvement of interpersonal interaction), and to prove the effectiveness of the mode, to provide a basis for subsequent activities.

References

[1] Wood, R., & Tolley, H. (2007). EQ test (X. Q. Li, Trans.). Beijing: China Light Industry Press.

[2] Luo, Z. (2012). Student emotional regulation and counseling. Beijing: Kai Ming Press.

[3] Hugo, N. R. (2016). How to observe a tree? Inquire into the extraordinary secrets of common trees. Beijing: Business Publishing House.

[4] Chen, L., & Half-Hour Comics Team. (2019). Half-hour comics, Tang poetry. Nanjing: Jiangsu Phoenix Literature Publishing House.

[5] Seligman, M. (2020). Knowing our inner selves: Accepting ourselves (J. Ren, Trans.). Hangzhou: Zhejiang Education Publishing House.