Recognizing the growing mental health needs of younger generations — including emotional distress and anxiety around personal growth — FarHugs, Taiwan's largest online mental health counseling platform, joined forces with ChenLi Education, Taiwan's largest K-12 educational group, to launch the "Free Mental Health and Personal Growth Support Program for Ages 12–45" last October. The program officially concluded in March 2025.
Widely Recognized Results, Looking Forward to More Mental Health-Friendly Social Action
Looking back on this public interest initiative, both enrollment numbers and course completion rates exceeded one thousand — a remarkable achievement. The program was honored with the Buying Power Social Innovation Products and Services Procurement Award and was recognized by the TOPS Taipei Good Purchase Promotion Platform, with Mayor Chiang Wan-an personally presenting the Procurement Innovation Pioneering Award.
FarHugs and ChenLi Education launch Taiwan's first-ever public interest initiative, receiving the Buying Power Social Innovation Products and Services Procurement Award and the TOPS Taipei Good Purchase Promotion Platform's Procurement Innovation Pioneering Award
This public interest initiative was recognized by the TOPS Taipei Good Purchase Promotion Platform, and Mayor Chiang Wan-an personally presented the Procurement Innovation Pioneering Award.
Chen Li, founder and chairman of ChenLi Education, and Tseng Shu-ling, chairperson of ChenLi Education, jointly stated: "We have accompanied students for over forty years and have come to deeply understand that mental health is an issue that cannot be overlooked in educational settings. If children and parents are struggling mentally, academic support alone is far from sufficient. We are therefore very glad to have collaborated with FarHugs, an organization with deep roots in mental health, to incorporate psychological services as part of our brand's mission."
FarHugs CEO Hsieh Yi emphasized: "We have always believed that mental health support should not only appear in times of crisis, but should be a resource that everyone can access in their daily lives. This public interest initiative is just the beginning of co-creating social value with businesses. Looking ahead, we hope to work with more companies and professionals to build more comprehensive mental health programs — truly opening the door to psychological care and bringing it warmly and naturally to everyone who needs it."
Young Adults Facing Diverse Challenges, Seeking Deeper "Self-Discovery" and "Career Support"
Among the participants who actively enrolled in this public interest program, the majority were 25–34-year-old working professionals. The three most popular topics were "Self-Discovery," "Career Development," and "Intimate Relationships" — reflecting the diverse challenges and issues faced by today's young adults. It also shows that mental health and personal growth needs are increasingly being taken seriously — no longer something people only pay attention to when work or life goes wrong, but rather a form of daily maintenance that can serve as a key pathway to improving quality of life, clarifying goals, and finding the courage to move forward.
Many participants shared feedback after completing the program: "I used to think that feeling lost about my career meant I could only keep accumulating trial-and-error experience — until I had a one-on-one in-depth conversation with a coach, and I suddenly realized I was also capable of taking the first step toward change on my own." "The counselor's companionship and questions helped me recall forgotten moments, and made me believe for the first time that I, too, deserve to be understood." "When the counselor gently and methodically helped me articulate my values, I felt as though I was meeting myself for the first time. After regaining my center and direction, my steps forward became much more grounded."
Providing the Strength to Take That First Step — A Gateway for Young Adults to Access Mental Health Services
This public interest initiative successfully enabled many young people to use mental counseling and coaching services for the "first time," with nearly a hundred participants choosing to continue their self-exploration on a self-funded basis after completing the free courses. FarHugs CEO Hsieh Yi was deeply moved, sharing: "The subsidy for these three free sessions was never intended to be a brief, one-time experience. Rather, we hoped to create a turning point — one that would encourage people to entrust their personal challenges to professionals and, in turn, be willing to invest in themselves."
Indeed, from the steady stream of positive feedback we have received, we found that young adults are not unwilling to seek help — they have simply lacked accessible, user-friendly mental health resources for too long. Many participants noted this was the first time in their lives they had an in-depth conversation with a counselor or coach. FarHugs' proprietary remote video counseling platform lowered the barriers for those previously constrained by geography or time, offering them an opportunity to open up more easily.
Psychologist Huang Pei-yu shared: "Some participants booked sessions for themselves, while others wanted to learn how to help a loved one experiencing depression — this shows that mental health resources are gradually being seen as practical tools for everyday life."
She added: "When participants understand that depression is no longer a taboo topic but a condition that can be understood and cared for, I believe this experience will positively shape how they see themselves going forward. Having walked through the low of depression, they may one day become their own guide — and even a little ray of sunshine for someone else."
Career coach Hung Yen-ju said: "This public interest initiative was like a ray of dawn, shining into the hearts of many young people who had previously felt powerless to seek help. Especially those facing career-transition anxiety, or even participants who had experienced consecutive layoffs — I am so glad to have had this opportunity to help them cut through the fog and find a glimmer of light, rediscovering their career direction and the motivation to move forward." She felt that this initiative not only helped many lives in urgent need, but also quietly educated the market, introducing more people to the concept of video-based counseling and coaching and encouraging them to give it a try.
From Self-Reconciliation to Interaction with Therapy Dogs — Creating a Gentle and Diverse Mental Health Experience
This program featured more than 20 professional instructors from fields including psychology, psychiatry, and career counseling, covering topics such as stress management, relationships, self-discovery, life planning, mindfulness practice, and internet addiction recovery.
For highly sensitive individuals and those who are less comfortable with social interaction, the program partnered with a Taiwanese therapy dog training team, inviting an introvert-friendly "therapy dog teacher" session led by therapy dog coaches Qi Feng, Bo Ti, and Nai Cha serving as the "dog teachers." Through gentle interaction, they accompanied participants in addressing social anxiety and crowd-related stress. Participants called it "healing and fun" and said it felt like "playing with a joyful friend — unexpectedly lowering my guard."
The therapy dog team's CEO Chen Yi-jun shared: "This collaboration with FarHugs showed us how profoundly 'interactive companionship' can impact people when offered in the right moment and the right setting. The dogs are not only therapeutic presences — they are gentle partners who guide participants toward self-awareness and learning to express emotions."
Psychologist Zhou Zi-xun also reflected: "Our culture prizes independence and strength, but this kind of independence can sometimes cause people to forget that it is actually okay to ask for help. Mental health deserves more attention than ever before. I encountered many members of the public who had never worked with a psychologist, and through this program they received help and developed a greater appreciation for mental health resources."
Reaching Into More Corners of Need — Making It Easier to Ask for Help
Career coach Li Yi-fang offered warm words about this initiative: "Thank you to FarHugs and ChenLi Education for such a wonderful and meaningful program. I am so glad to have been able to use my own skills to help many working professionals find greater direction. I also welcome seeing more similar programs in the future, so that more people know that when they need support, professional help is available — and that this has a positive impact on clients, on the industry, and on society as a whole."
FarHugs has already partnered with nearly 50 companies, tailoring themed seminars to address workplace issues each organization faces, and offering a wide range of employee mental health programs. Going forward, the platform hopes to connect even more mental health support resources and systems, expanding into more areas of life and work.
