Petaling jaya: The report on the effectiveness of the PeerZ pilot programme, which focuses on mental health awareness, is expected to be completed in September and will guide improvements to the module before its expansion across Selangor. Selangor Public Health and Environment Committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin said the report, prepared by the Malaysian Counselling Association (PERKAMA), would assess the effectiveness of the pilot module and identify areas for improvement before its statewide implementation.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Jamaliah Jamaluddin stated that the enhancements would be based on data and actual experiences from schools to ensure the programme remains effective when expanded. The PeerZ pilot project under the Selangor Mental Health (SEHAT) initiative was implemented at two secondary schools in Petaling Jaya-Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bandar Utama Damansara 3 and SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4-involving 47 Peer Support (PRS) students.
'They received structured training through two main modules, namely the Mental Health Awareness (MHA) module and the Helping Skill module, to strengthen their ability to provide early support to peers facing mental health issues,' she said during the Selangor State Legislative Assembly sitting today. Jamaliah was responding to a question from Ong Chun Wei (PH-Balakong) on the Selangor government's achievements in involving schools, teachers, and students in the programme.
She said the programme also received support from school counsellors, PRS teacher advisers, school administrators, as well as strategic partners from higher learning institutions and professional bodies to strengthen its implementation. A Youth Mental Health Awareness Carnival was also held at both schools, involving the wider school community to improve understanding, awareness, and positive acceptance of mental health issues among adolescents.
Jamaliah said the effectiveness of the pilot programme was assessed through indicators including participants' mental health knowledge and awareness levels based on pre- and post-module evaluations.