SHE is a teacher first and foremost, but Yang Minyi's dedication to children doesn't end there.

The 55-year-old instructor at Qibao High School is also a psychology-trained counselor who has saved many students from breakdowns or even suicide through her intervention.

Asked how many young people need counseling, she replied, "All of them. People usually think only those who have encountered psychological problems need help, but cultivating a healthy mind should be part of all education."

Certainly the stress of performing well at school - under pressure from parents - weighs heavily on young minds.

One day, the door of Yang's counseling room flew open and two students helped one of their classmates into the office. The girl was pale and could hardly walk unaided.

"Help her, teacher Yang," her friends begged.

It turned out the girl had just sat a mathematics exam and suffered a mental block over one small question. She pondered it for 25 minutes, but her mind froze when attempting to find the answer. Staring at a page filled with many questions left to complete, the student simply lost it.

Her fingers trembled, and her breathing grew labored. When the bell rang announcing the end of the exam, she couldn't stand up.

This girl was among the star pupils in her class, and the pressure on her to do well in order to qualify for prestigious higher education at Peking University or Tsinghua University had triggered what Yang diagnosed as "cognitive distortion."

Yang immediately took the girl to a park where they both walked in the warm sunshine, surrounded by seniors doing exercises, couples walking hand-in-hand and children playing. Slowly, the girl's agitated state began to dissipate, and she released her tight grip on Yang's hand and began walking on her own.

All in a day's work for Yang, who said she derives great satisfaction from helping young people through a difficult period in their lives.

Yang graduated from Hangzhou Normal University and worked in a small middle school for 12 years. Students in her classes were noted for their high achievement levels.

She later switched jobs and began working for the Affiliated High School of Hangzhou Normal University, where she taught chemistry for about 10 years. While there, she attended a training session for tutors and wrote an essay about the importance of developing healthy minds in students.

The article won an award.

At that time, there was no psychology-trained teacher in Hangzhou, Yang said.

In 1994, the first psychological hotline was opened in Hangzhou, and Yang was included in the first group of 10 volunteers needed for the operation. She received specialized training in psychology.

She worked for the hotline in her spare time for eight years, cycling almost 50 minutes to the office where she often worked the night shift. Sometimes she skipped supper in order to find time for the volunteer work.

In 2002, a group of Shanghai education officials specializing in psychology visited Hangzhou and became interested in Yang's work and experience. They invited her to come to Shanghai and she agreed.

Yang was 45 at the time and leaving home was a bit wrenching. Friends and family were surprised by her decision.

"I told them I just wanted to do something I like, and help others," she replied.

She is the only psychologist at Qibao High School.

Three days after the catastrophic 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan Province, Yang rushed to the quake-hit areas to join a team of psychological aid volunteers.

There, she counseled displaced people living in tents and visited a number of hospitals to comfort the injured people. She helped about 1,500 people and donated medicine, food, toys and other items to the relief cause from her own pocket.

That experience remains vivid in Yang's mind.

She recalls distributing food to children in a school in the quake zone and hearing a small, timid voice ask: "Could I have this?" The little boy was looking at a yellow silk ribbon tied to her bag.

She gave it to the boy, but then more hands eagerly appeared from children wanting yellow ribbons. She asked them if they knew the meaning of the ribbons.

"Yes," they chimed. "They are prayers for safety and well-being."

Yang was reduced to tears and asked other volunteers to give their yellow ribbons to the children.

"Compared with soldiers, doctors and epidemic prevention experts, I didn't save any lives, but I felt pride that in my own small way, I could help bring people out of the shadows," Yang said.

One day in Qibao, Yang received an email.

"I am at a loss and I need help," it read.

Yang replied immediately that she would like to meet the boy. Then silence. She waited for three days before receiving another email. The boy finally agreed to meet her.

She saw the lad for the first time in a dark office room, accompanied by his parents. He had been seriously hurt and bore deep scars. Yang learned that the boy's parents were business people who had no time to take care of the boy and had left him at his grandmother's home.

When the family was finally reunited, the boy felt estranged from his parents and had fallen in love with a classmate whom he depended on for his happiness. But the parents intervened to end the budding romance and the boy felt devastated.

Yang invited the family to participate in a group therapy session involving parents and children.

By getting both sides to talk honestly and openly, the rift was eventually mended.

Teachers, too, often require counseling. There was the case of a tutor asked to quit after students wrote a letter criticizing her. The teacher worked hard but lacked confidence. She shied away from playing game with students, and fell into a pattern of always criticizing them.

Yang helped rebuild the tutor's self-esteem, which then improved her relations with students.

Yang has published several books on school counseling and conducts training classes for teachers.

Her reputation has spread, and she has given lectures on the subject in 20 provinces and municipalities.

"Giving warmth to students and helping them to strong mental health is my mission," said Yang. "Independence, confidence, respect, trust, the ability to bear frustration and a love of life - these are some of the most important attributes for children."

Despite many awards for her work, she has remained humble. She will retire this year, with a mixture of sadness and pride after such a long and distinguished career.

But her service to the public will not end. In retirement, she plans to do work in a charity program, helping autistic children.