The conference, titled “The Role of School Psychology in Promoting Wellbeing of Students and Families”, was co-organised by The Consortium to Advance School Psychology – International (CASP-I) and Hanoi National University of Education. The conference’s objective was to bring together psychologists and related stakeholders to advance the profession and services of school psychology to promote the well-being of students and their families. In two days (August 1 – 2, 2018), the conference attracted around 300 American and Vietnamese psychological researchers and practitioners, policy makers, university managers and lecturers, psychological students, parents, and school managers and teachers from different education sectors.
At the conference Duy presented his paper, co-authored by A/Prof Ross Wilkinson, titled “Students’ mental health during university transition across the cultures: An attachment perspective”. The presentation focused on an attachment theory perspective of mental health issues of students during their transition to university. Up to now, studies on attachment in Vietnam have been focused on the infant – mother relationship rather than adult (including university students) attachment. With his presentation, Duy hoped to popularise the concept of adolescent and adult attachment and promote the use of this concept among school psychologists and researchers in Vietnam.
Duy began his research program this year with a cross-cultural project looking at the mental health, attachment and social integration of first-year university students in Australia and Vietnam. With the support of an Australia Awards Scholarship, this former university lecturer and psychological counsellor hopes to be successful with his studies before returning to Vietnam and using his new knowledge and experience to develop a support program for university students in Ho Chi Minh City.
Photo: Duy Le (blue shirt) and his former lecturers at the conference
