HPB Launches Design Guide to Strengthen Quality of Tier 1 Mental Well-Being Programmes

Singapore, 15 May 2026 – As part of Singapore’s efforts to build a mentally resilient population, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) today launched the Design Guide for Tier 1¹ mental well-being programmes, a national reference to raise the quality, consistency and impact of upstream mental well-being programmes.

The Design Guide supports the national shift towards preventive, capability-building and population-level approaches to mental well-being. By providing structured guidance to help organisations design programmes that strengthen foundational skills such as coping, emotional regulation and help-seeking, Singaporeans can access more programmes that build mental resilience and safeguard their mental well-being.

According to the National Population Health Survey 2024, Singaporeans have shown greater willingness to reach out when experiencing mental health concerns, from 78.4 per cent in 2023 to 81.8 per cent in 2024^2.

A Practical Framework for Quality Mental Well-being Programmes

Mental well-being is a foundational enabler of overall health and social resilience. In line with national priorities to promote early intervention and reduce downstream burden on care services, the Design Guide focuses on Tier 1 programmes that serve broad population groups and are delivered in everyday settings such as workplaces, schools and the community. It supports the Tiered Care Model for Mental Health under the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, which organises mental health support into four tiers based on the interventions required to manage an individual’s needs. Tier 1 support focuses on promoting mental well-being and building resilience among individuals who are coping well.

By emphasising intentional programme design, clarity of objectives and alignment with desired outcomes, the Guide supports a more coherent national approach where mental well-being programmes:

• Are clearly positioned as preventive and skills-oriented;

• Are designed with the needs of target populations in mind; and

• Contribute collectively to a stronger, more resilient society.

This helps ensure that investments in mental well-being deliver value at both individual and societal levels.

Clear Value for Training Providers and Programme Developers

For training providers and organisations developing Tier 1 mental well-being programmes, the Design Guide serves as a common national reference that brings greater clarity to what constitutes well-designed, upstream mental well-being programmes.

The Guide supports providers by:

• Offering a structured approach to programme design, from defining objectives to considering delivery and evaluation;

• Enabling alignment with national directions and stakeholder expectations; and

• Supporting more consistent quality across programmes developed by different organisations.

By using the Guide, providers can strengthen the credibility and clarity of their offerings, while contributing to a more aligned and effective mental well-being ecosystem.

Meaningful Benefits for Singaporeans

For Singaporeans, the Design Guide helps ensure that mental well-being programmes they participate in are purposeful, accessible and relevant to everyday life.

Well-designed Tier 1 programmes:

• Focus on equipping participants with practical skills, such as managing stress and regulating emotions, that support daily functioning and resilience;

• Are appropriate for broad participation; and

• Provide a foundation for individuals to cope better with stress and challenges over time.

Collectively, this contributes to a more supportive environment where mental well-being is strengthened early and sustainably.

Strengthening the Ecosystem Through Shared Standards

HPB developed the Guide with the support of a Resource Panel, chaired by HPB’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tay Choon Hong. The Panel comprised mental health experts, practitioners and researchers from institutions including the Institute of Mental Health, Singapore Psychological Society, Care Corner Singapore, Singapore Institute of Technology and the National University of Singapore. For a full list of the Resource Panel members, please refer to Annex A.

Over a period of 1.5 years, the Resource Panel assessed the evidence behind different mental well-being techniques and skillsets, and developed recommendations that are evidence-informed and relevant to the local context.

HPB’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tay Choon Hong said, “The Design Guide represents an important step in building a stronger national ecosystem for mental health promotion. By providing service providers with a common, evidence-informed foundation to work from, the guide can help ensure that programmes developed across the ecosystem are consistent, purposeful and focused on building foundational mental well-being skills.”

Resource Panel member, Dr Jean Liu, associate professor from the Health and Social Sciences Cluster at the Singapore Institute of Technology added, "It is timely to launch a guide that supports practitioners to move upstream, designing evidence-informed mental health interventions for the population. Our panel of experts drew on the latest research and the experience of practitioners, resulting in a rigorous and practical framework to inform service providers."

Please refer to Annex B for more information on the Design Guide.

Building a Stronger Mental Health Ecosystem for Singaporeans

Since late February 2026, service providers have been pledging their commitment to adopt the Guide in their programme design. As of 14 May 2026, 27 organisations including mental well-being programme service providers and Institutes of Higher Learning have pledged to adopt Design Guide recommendations. HPB encourages organisations involved in mental well-being promotion to adopt the Design Guide as they design or review their programmes, and to work collectively towards raising standards and strengthening impact at the population level.

“As a service provider, we recognise the need for a framework for mental well-being activities,” said Mr Asher Low, Executive Director of Limitless. “The Design Guide gives us the confidence that our programmes are aligned with best practices and will benefit participants who attend our activities. Having this framework helps us design programmes more systematically, while ensuring consistency in quality across different providers serving the community.”

Service providers interested in pledging adoption can do so at https://go.gov.sg/mwb-designguide-pledge. Please refer to Annex C for more information on the Design Guide Pledge.

Through the Design Guide, HPB is building a more coordinated and effective ecosystem of mental well-being programmes so that wherever Singaporeans turn for support, they can trust that the programmes they access are grounded in evidence, relevant to their needs and equipped to give them practical skills for everyday mental well-being.

The Design Guide is publicly available on https://go.gov.sg/mwb-designguide and HPB will review it periodically to reflect evolving evidence and emerging needs.

-END-

¹ Tier 1 refers to mental well-being promotion for healthy individuals (i.e. coping well, with no or minimal symptoms of mental health conditions), with the objective to promote and maintain mental well-being and prevent development of mental health conditions. Source: MOH(2023) National Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy

² National Population Health Survey (NPHS) 2024 surveyed Singapore residents aged 18 to 74 years.

Annex A

Resource Panel of Subject Matter Experts for the Design Guide for Tier 1 Mental Well-being Programmes

Annex B

Design Guide for Tier 1 Mental Well-being Programmes

In consultation with mental health professionals and stakeholders such as mental health experts, practitioners and service providers, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) has developed evidence-informed and practical recommendations for mental well-being programmes.

The guide focuses on upstream prevention - helping people build psychological resilience and develop essential coping skills before challenges arise, and equipping people with the skills to support others.

Based on the best available evidence at the time of development, the guide aims to aid service providers and trainers in designing and implementing mental well-being programmes for residents.

With a focus on knowledge sharing and skills-equipping, the guide provides a reference for service providers to develop mental well-being programmes for individuals who are mentally healthy (coping well with minimal or no symptoms of mental health conditions).

They are presented under two themes.

Theme 1: Imparts Knowledge & Skills to Improve Individuals’ Mental Well-Being

i. Knowledge

Include information on:

• What is mental health and well-being

• Lifestyle and self-care behaviours that promote mental health and well-being

• Avenues for Mental Health Support (i.e. First Stop for Mental Health)

ii. Skillsets

Include one or more of the following skills:

• Cognitive skills

• Positive thinking

• Mindfulness

• Relaxation

• Interpersonal and communication skills

• Self-management skills

Theme 2: Imparts Knowledge & Skills to Support Others in Distress

i. Knowledge

• What is mental health and well-being

• Lifestyle that promotes mental health and well-being

• How to identify individuals with coping difficulties, burnout or emotional distress?

• What is self-care and how does it help?

• What are the avenues of support available? (i.e. First Stop for Mental Health)

ii. Skillsets:

• Supportive skills (e.g. Active listening, providing informational support)

• Psychological First Aid skills (e.g. Prepare, Look-Listen-Link)

In addition to the above recommendations, the guide also includes design considerations, feedback questions and supplementary resources. It will be reviewed periodically as further evidence emerges, to ensure the recommendations reflect the most current understanding and best practices.

The Design Guide is available at https://go.gov.sg/mwb-designguide.

Annex C

Design Guide for Tier 1 Mental Well-being Programmes Adoption Pledge

The Design Guide for Tier 1 Mental Well-being Programmes adoption pledge is a collective commitment by service providers of mental well-being programmes to provide evidence-based programmes for the general population who are coping well with no or minimal symptoms of mental health conditions.

The pledge seeks to obtain commitment from service providers to deliver mental well-being programmes that incorporate evidence-informed recommendations such as knowledge skillsets, design considerations and evaluation questions as recommended in the guide.

Providers can submit their pledge at https://go.gov.sg/mwb-designguide-pledge.

As of 14 May 2026, the following organisations have pledged to adopt the Design Guide. Organisations are arranged in alphabetical order:

1. Blended Concept Pte Ltd

2. Care Corner Singapore

3. Club HEAL

4. Empatho Pte Ltd

5. Happiness Initiative

6. iGROW Pte Ltd

7. Institute of Mental Health

8. Institute of Technical Education

9. Kaleidoscope Labs Pte Ltd

10. Limitless (Ltd.)

11. Minmed Group Pte Ltd

12. Nanyang Polytechnic

13. Nanyang Technological University

14. National University of Singapore

15. Ngee Ann Polytechnic

16. Republic Polytechnic

17. SHINE Children and Youth Services

18. Silver Ribbon (Singapore)

19. Singapore Association for Mental Health

20. Singapore Institute of Technology

21. Singapore Management University

22. Singapore Polytechnic

23. Singapore Psychological Society

24. Singapore University of Social Sciences

25. Singapore University of Technology and Design

26. SMRT Corporation Ltd

27. Temasek Polytechnic