The Tsinghua University "Good Teacher and Helpful Friend" selection is an activity initiated by the Graduate Student Union in 1998, where graduate students vote to select outstanding teacher representatives who embody "virtue first, high academic standards as teachers, beneficial teaching as friends, and education-centered development" in their minds. The nineteenth "Good Teacher and Helpful Friend" selection activity officially launched on September 19, lasting four months, going through pre-nomination, formal nomination, review voting, result verification and other stages, with a total of 50 teachers selected as "Good Teachers and Helpful Friends" across the university.
Among them, Associate Professor Wenting Mu from the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences was awarded the title of Tsinghua University's Nineteenth "Good Teacher and Helpful Friend."
Good Teacher and Helpful Friend Showcase | Teacher Wenting Mu from the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
To promote the improvement of graduate education quality and advance the development of the teaching faculty, the Tsinghua University Graduate Student Union conducted the nineteenth "Good Teacher and Helpful Friend" selection activity university-wide, where graduate students voted to select outstanding teacher representatives who embody "virtue first, high academic standards as teachers, beneficial teaching as friends, and education-centered development" in their minds. During the pre-nomination selection phase, a total of 3 teachers from the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences received student nominations. After confirming intentions with the teachers themselves, collecting materials, and review by the department party committee and graduate work group, one formal nomination teacher from the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences was confirmed and recommended: Wenting Mu.
Today, let us get to know the "Good Teacher and Helpful Friend" candidate—Wenting Mu
Teacher Introduction
Wenting Mu is an Associate Professor and doctoral supervisor at the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Tsinghua University, and a member of the Clinical and Counseling Psychology Committee of the Chinese Psychological Society. She has published more than twenty SCI/SSCI papers, with representative work published multiple times in international top journals, and has hosted and participated in multiple national-level projects. In 2024, she received the Young Achievement Award for Scientific Research in Higher Education Institutions (only 5 people nationwide in psychology), and in 2022, she received the Zhongying Young Scholar award. During her time in the United States, she accumulated nearly 10,000 hours of clinical service and holds a U.S. clinical psychologist license. She is one of the few young scholars domestically who combines both research achievements and clinical experience.
Since beginning teaching, Teacher Wenting Mu has offered rich and diverse cutting-edge courses in counseling and clinical psychology, such as "Topics in Counseling Psychology," "Abnormal Psychology," "Evidence-Based Therapy," "Frontier Innovation Research: Mental Health," etc., continuously integrating the latest research developments and practical experience into the classroom. At the same time, Teacher Mu pays great attention to cultivating students' independent thinking and critical analysis abilities. Through lively classroom discussions and in-depth literature interpretation, she helps students find joy in learning through the combination of science and practice. Her courses are praised by students as "classrooms that stimulate thinking."
Virtue First
Leading by virtue and setting an example, teaching through both words and personal conduct to guide learners. Teacher Wenting Mu has always made "virtue first" the core concept of education and research, emphasizing that research should not only pursue innovation but also contribute value to society. Teacher Mu encourages every student to consider the social significance when exploring their research interests, combining personal research with serving society, recognizing that research is not only knowledge exploration but also a responsibility to serve society. Under her guidance, the research group's academic goals focus on combining research with application, promoting the development of social mental health through evidence-based research.
This concept permeates Teacher Mu's daily guidance, allowing students to not only pursue academic achievements but also strive to serve society. Master's student Lin was encouraged by Teacher Mu to transform his interest in digital technology and mental health into a research topic, deeply exploring the application of artificial intelligence in mental health. After graduation, he continued this research interest into his career, joining a well-known domestic internet company to develop artificial intelligence-assisted mental health products, truly practicing the laboratory's concept of "research serving society." Student Lin remarked with emotion: "The teacher has always supported me in finding my true inner interests and passions."
Teacher Mu taking a group photo with students outside the classroom
Similarly, master's student Huang was interested in the dynamic developmental relationship between personality and psychopathology. Teacher Mu provided him with abundant learning resources, actively engaged in academic discussions with him, guided him to learn classical personality and pathology theoretical models and cutting-edge quantitative analysis methods, taught him every step and approach of research hand by hand, and provided him with opportunities and platforms to communicate with the most distinguished international experts in the field. Under Teacher Mu's careful guidance, Student Huang's first research project achieved important progress. This work was published in the international top journal of clinical psychology "Psychological Medicine." This research achievement has important reference value for improving the accuracy of adolescent depression screening and has received positive reviews from the industry.
In addition to teaching and research, Teacher Wenting Mu actively participates in psychology popularization work. She shares professional knowledge about psychological issues such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders on platforms like Zhihu, helping the public better understand these psychological phenomena. Her obsessive-compulsive disorder popularization article was once included in Zhihu Roundtable Featured Selection, and related shares received tens of thousands of likes. Through this popularization work, Teacher Mu not only improved public awareness of mental health but also demonstrated her sense of responsibility in popularizing professional knowledge to society.
High Academic Standards as Teachers
Innovative exploration with diligent guidance, meticulous research in every detail. In Teacher Mu's view, research is an "art" that requires the intersection of multiple skills. What she values most is students' independent thinking and questioning abilities. "Your idea is very good, this is a very worthwhile point for discussion." This is what Teacher Mu most often says to students, followed by in-depth and detailed discussions. Teacher Mu actively encourages students to express their ideas. Teacher Mu often says "truth becomes clearer through debate."
The laboratory conducts various research activities every week, including literature discussions, project reports, writing workshops, and students also actively organize small-scale discussions on research issues spontaneously. Her every positive affirmation and encouragement subtly dispels students' concerns, making them more daring to speak and express themselves in discussions. Under the teacher's encouragement, the laboratory has formed a research atmosphere that dares to critique and boldly propose one's own ideas. The most common scene in her laboratory is students sitting together in circles, engaging in heated discussions around research questions. One student said: "Every collision of thoughts excites me immensely. Those moments when viewpoints merge and new ideas emerge make me love academia even more."
Teacher Mu helping students revise graduation theses
Not only that, Teacher Mu also teaches other skills without reservation. She leads students to repeatedly revise papers, from wording to arguments, putting all her effort into polishing them to help them create the best results. Even in seemingly "minor" skills like communication and exchange with international peers, she patiently provides guidance to ensure students can confidently handle various research challenges. Teacher Mu firmly believes that mastering diverse abilities allows students to shine confidently on their research path.
Beneficial Teaching as Friends
Gentle streams nourishing the heart, caring touches warming people's hearts. In Teacher Mu's eyes, the role of supervisor is not only an academic navigator but also a supporter in life and a companion of the soul. Even when work is busy, she still takes time each week for "one-on-one" communication with students, giving sincere advice regarding recent difficulties students encounter in life or study. In these conversations, she not only focuses on students' academics but also cares about their lives and emotions. This meticulous care makes students feel that Teacher Mu is not just a supervisor but also a trustworthy friend.
Once, a student in the research group felt anxious and lost confidence due to unsatisfactory research progress, even affecting his sleep. After Teacher Mu keenly noticed this, she proactively invited him to chat in her office. She didn't immediately discuss research issues but started with daily life topics to ease his tension, then talked about setbacks she encountered on her own research path. She candidly said: "Research is a long road full of thorns. Failure and setbacks are inevitable components, but it is precisely these challenges that create a more resilient research mindset." She also carefully shared scientific methods for dealing with insomnia and regulating emotions, helping the student gradually improve sleep quality and regain life's rhythm.
Teacher Mu taking a group photo with research group students at the Southeast Gate
Teacher Mu often dines with students in the cafeteria, chatting about ordinary things in life together, with laughter rising and falling. "When the teacher is with us, you can't tell who is the teacher and who are the students; it's more like friends who can talk about anything chatting." This is the unanimous view of research group students. She also leads everyone in various activities to balance life and research: watching movies, going on outings—these seemingly simple team-building activities bring everyone's hearts closer and make the laboratory's cohesion even stronger. Once, after collectively watching the movie "Inside Out 2," students Lin, Yu, and Wu were inspired by the film and combined it with their research project to create a special podcast episode. Teacher Mu praised it highly after listening and encouraged everyone to share research insights in various forms. In her view, research is not only rigorous inquiry in the laboratory but also the collision of inspiration and the joy of expression in life.
Teacher Wenting Mu not only provides careful academic guidance to students but also gives warm care in life. The laboratory workstations are always piled with snacks that the teacher shares with students; students also always like to confide in the teacher about troubles at work and in life. One year during Spring Festival, two students in the research group could not return home for various reasons. After Teacher Mu learned of this, she specially contacted them, proactively cared about their condition, carefully inquired about their living needs, encouraged them to participate more in campus activities, and maintain a happy mood. Teacher Mu also specially invited them to have New Year's Eve dinner together, allowing the two students far from home to feel a warm atmosphere like being at home. It is precisely this considerate care and attention that allows students to feel security and dependence in both academics and life.
It is Teacher Mu's sincere care and companionship that has shaped the atmosphere of unity, mutual help, and brave exploration in the laboratory, allowing every student to feel warmth and support on their academic journey.
Education-Centered Development
Patient guidance with individualized teaching, gentle rain and spring breeze nurturing talents. Teacher Mu always adheres to the educational philosophy of "education-centered development," emphasizing individualized teaching with students' long-term development as the core. She firmly believes that every student is like uncarved jade, containing unique radiance that needs careful polishing to bloom brilliantly. Through careful observation and patient communication, she helps students find development directions suitable for themselves, encourages them to explore deeply in their respective areas of interest, and becomes a guide who ignites students' inner potential.
From each student's enrollment, Teacher Mu carefully attends to their interests, plans, and doubts, gaining insight into each student's unique potential and strengths, helping them discover fields they truly love, creating personalized development plans for students, and guiding students to contribute to improving national mental health in their areas of interest. She believes that only individualized, tailor-made education can allow students to proceed steadily on their life and academic paths. At the beginning and end of each semester, Teacher Mu arranges one-on-one long conversations with students, reviewing their gains and challenges, and provides forward-looking suggestions combined with the broader context of social development. These exchanges not only enhance students' confidence but also help them find balance between academic and personal growth.
Teacher Mu taking a group photo with course students
In addition to support and encouragement in research, Teacher Mu also encourages students interested in mental health entrepreneurship to participate in on-campus innovation and entrepreneurship competitions. In the 2023 Tsinghua SDG Open Innovation Marathon Challenge, the "Smart Heart Companion for Elderly" team composed of three research group students won first place in the sub-competition under Teacher Mu's guidance. In Teacher Mu's view, every student's interest is a cluster of hidden sparks, and her mission is to discover these sparks, ignite them, and ultimately make them shine brightly.
Teacher Wenting Mu's virtue and educational spirit have deeply influenced students. This year on Teachers' Day, graduate Lin specially requested leave to return to school to participate in the teacher-student gathering. He said emotionally during the gathering: "Teacher Mu made me understand that the true essence of education lies not only in the transmission of knowledge but also in the enlightenment of the soul. She is my academic supervisor and also my life guide."
Teacher Wenting Mu practices the educational philosophy of "education-centered development" with her profound academic foundation and selfless dedication. She has lit the lamp of hope for students at turning points in their lives through countless sleepless nights and selfless dedication, inspiring them to move forward bravely. Her presence is not only a good teacher but also a helpful friend, an eternal role model and motivation in students' hearts.
