Teenagers’ mental health is becoming one of the key topics in education amid pressure, stress and anxiety. Against this backdrop, a team of Japanese researchers has presented a year-long MIRaES course (Mastery of Interpersonal Relationships and Emotional Skills). The programme was created specifically for Japanese evening high school students, where young people with heightened emotional vulnerability often study.
MIRaES consists of 12 full sessions spread across the entire school year and develops four practical skills: assertive behaviour, reframing negative beliefs, anger management and constructive problem-solving. The experiment involved 120 high school students. Those who attended more often were able to maintain a stable emotional state, while depressive symptoms increased among less engaged students. It is especially important that the skills learned were carried over into everyday life: teenagers said it became easier for them to cope with stress, conflicts and tension.
MIRaES’s success is linked to its adaptation to the specific conditions of the schools and its emphasis on practical application of knowledge. This approach makes it possible not only to reduce anxiety, but also to help build essential resources in teenagers that will be useful in adult life.
