樱花视频

Monica Wong Hiu-hung

In addition to her work as a psychotherapist, Monica Wong Hiu-hung teaches counseling at The Chinese University. She is also studying for a doctorate in Clinical Psychology at 樱花视频's California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP).

She runs the Psych-Art Therapy Association, a group of professionals who practice a combination of psychotherapy and adventure training for disadvantaged children. Every six months, she takes groups of volunteer therapists to Sichuan to counsel survivors of the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and train doctors and graduates in the area.

She is a writer with ten books to her name; the latest is being translated into English and will be published in the US next year. A mother of two, she and her husband like to hike, but it鈥檚 difficult to work out when they manage to find the time.

When I suggest it鈥檚 a lot of hard work, Wong plays it down, 鈥淚sn鈥檛 that the Hong Kong spirit? Hong Kong people are like that鈥�, she says, laughing.

鈥淚鈥檓 so lucky. If I keep it all to myself it鈥檚 too much. I should share鈥�, says Wong. She is driven by an intense interest in psychology and therapy and a desire to help those less fortunate than herself.

When we speak of her work in Sichuan, it鈥檚 as if she herself feels the pain of the survivors she works tirelessly to help. When she first arrived in Wenchuan, in the immediate aftermath of the quake, she was overwhelmed by the pervasive smell of dead bodies.

鈥淚 cried. I could not stop my tears鈥�, says Wong. 鈥淏ut I had to smile, because I couldn鈥檛 add any burden to them. I had to be happy and give them some positive energy鈥�, says Wong.

Wong is strengthened by the resilience of those who have experienced trauma and can recover. She was touched by the children who survived having the earth crumble on top of them, 鈥淲hen I worked with those children, after a period of time they stood up and moved forward. I think it鈥檚 quite amazing鈥�, she says.

Wong鈥檚 successful career demonstrates her own resilience. She migrated to Hong Kong from the mainland as a 12 year-old in the early 1980s. Unaware of Hong Kong鈥檚 free education system, her family kept her out of school for fear of fees they could not afford.

But Wong was determined to get an education, she wanted to realize her father鈥檚 dream which was for her to become a writer. 鈥淚 thought to myself, if bad luck comes, I鈥檒l just say no to it. I want to be the master of my own fate鈥�. She received just two years of secondary education by attending evening classes. 鈥淚 tease myself by saying, I got only two years of high school but I have three degrees already!鈥�

When she first came to Hong Kong, she didn鈥檛 know any Cantonese or English. 鈥淚 was discriminated against by the local people, it was quite a hard time for me鈥�, says Wong.

Wong has seen more tragedy and trauma than most would care to imagine. But she is inspired every time she works with someone along their road to recovery. Her next ambition is to take her volunteer therapy group to Cambodia and Burma.