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WU Guo, HU Xiao
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DOI:10.17265/2161-623X/2026.06.005
Chongqing Nankai Liangjiang School, Chongqing, China; Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing, China
Effective mental health education plays a crucial role modern Chinese middle school education. This study investigates the features and differences in middle school mental health education in China and USA by making a comparative analysis from the perspective of educational orientation, teaching training, and implementation paths. It was found that the American model is guided by clear professional standards and equipped with complete service systems, whereas the Chinese model, though having expanding exponentially, seems to be weaker in providing highly specialized educational services. Mental education in US shows the core ideology of being “driven by professional standards and “activity-based”, while that in China shows to be “driven by administrative policy” and “knowledge-based”. Based on a comparison of the effectiveness of the two models, the study proposes constructing a typically Chinese framework for the mental health education for middle school students, based on students’ real psychological needs, and the dynamic balance between the professional norms and the adaptation to local cultural characteristics.
mental health education, middle school students, China, USA, comparative analysis
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