Hong Kong schools embrace ‘soothing’ mental health project

A global citizen science project led by a Reading-based psychologist is helping to improve the wellbeing of secondary school students in Hong Kong.

Project Soothe combines rigorous research with public engagement to build a bank of nature-themed photographs – including pictures of animals, flowers and landscapes – that can be viewed or shared to support mental health.

Across a series of studies, researchers have found that viewing 25 of these images significantly improves mood in adults and young people, with greater improvement seen in those with more severe mood symptoms.

Since launching in 2015, Project Soothe has collected over 800 photographs from members of the public across the world, creating a rich and diverse resource for mental health support.

Now reaching Hong Kong, the project’s soothing imagery is helping to build mental resilience and boost wellbeing among approximately 8500 students across 10 secondary schools in the region.

Creative implementation

For the Hong Kong initiative, teachers and students in Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) secondary schools adapted Project Soothe’s essential premise in varied and innovative ways, incorporating elements of teamwork, leadership and creativity.

The work began in July 2024 when Professor Stella Chan, who leads Project Soothe, delivered specialised training to equip TWGHs teachers with tools to implement the programme in their classrooms. A second training session followed in November 2024 with 100 young ambassadors recruited from the 10 pilot schools.

Building on the knowledge gained from the training sessions, students and teachers in the TWGHs schools brought their own ideas to the programme rollout.

Students submitted photographs that soothed them, which were then shared around their schools through various creative methods, raising awareness of mental health and boosting wellbeing.

In one school, soothing photographs were printed as postcards and distributed through a specially-made post box, with students delivering the cards to create a compassionate school-wide environment. 

Another school created “cheer up kits” – small gift bags with tailor-made Project Soothe keyrings, fridge magnets and stationery – which were distributed to students before exams to help reduce stress and anxiety during testing periods.

In a third school, ambassadors wrote a story based around the photos that were submitted. This was turned into a storybook, available digitally and as a printed hardcopy, for perusal by students and teachers.

Preliminary data analyses found that following the programme, students reported a significant improvement in their knowledge of mental health and confidence in using peer support in school.

Vivian Lau, Educational Psychologist at Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, said: “We were honoured to collaborate with Professor Stella Chan and her team to introduce Project Soothe in Hong Kong.

“Working alongside Professor Chan has been enriching, guiding us in raising mental health awareness and enhancing emotional literacy across ten secondary schools.

“Both students and teachers responded positively to the project, noting its effectiveness in nurturing individual wellbeing and fostering a lasting culture of care and emotional connection within schools.”

Professor Stella Chan said: “I'm so impressed and inspired by the impact Project Soothe has had in Hong Kong.

“Seeing how students and teachers have embraced this approach and made it their own demonstrates the real need for accessible mental health resources in schools.

“The creativity and enthusiasm we've witnessed shows that young people can be empowered to take ownership of their mental well-being when given the right tools.”

Next steps

The initiative represents a significant step towards enhancing mental health support within the Hong Kong education system.

Outputs from the pilot will be disseminated in an event open to all teachers in Hong Kong, paving the way for a wider roll-out of a Project Soothe intervention in schools in the future.