Taking care of your mental health is often overlooked, especially in Hong Kong, where a strong negative stigma prevents individuals from speaking up about their internal issues. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Cigna found that only 10% of stressed Hongkongers1 said they’ve spoken to a medical professional about their mental state.
To help break the stigma around mental health in Hong Kong, we want to educate our readers about what counselling really is, its benefits, and support options in Hong Kong.
Counselling is a well-known form of talking therapy2. It involves a professional therapist listening to common problems, such as anxiety, stress and relationships, to help develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Compared to a psychotherapist, a counsellor offers a more specialised communication service that provides structure to the counselling experience. Counsellors can help someone in various ways, and there are many different types of counsellors depending on their speciality.
The term “counselling” can be a broad category that encompasses many subfields and specialisations. Knowing the various forms of counselling can be useful when choosing the right counsellor. The most common types of counselling you may have heard of are marriage and rehabilitation.
Alternative forms of counselling you may have come across are guidance and career counselling, mental health counselling and substance abuse counselling among many others.
With counselling covering a wide range of issues, it can help your life in several ways. Here are the top five ways it can improve your life:
Counselling allows you to explore your thoughts and feelings in a confidential environment. A counsellor can guide you through a particular thought process to help you think through your struggles and clarify your thoughts.
Counselling provides a supportive and non-judgemental environment3 that encourages you to share your thoughts and experiences openly. You can even share your deepest fears with your counsellor, who will work with you to move forward from particular experiences without judging you.
Having a counsellor to listen to your thoughts can have a positive impact on your mental health, helping you feel less alone with your struggles. You may be able to look at your problems from a different perspective and positively readjust your thoughts.
Counselling provides an environment for you to explore and confront your feelings, an essential component of this process is self-awareness. Identifying your problems and how you are being affected is the first step to coping with them.
Research by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence4 has found that counselling enhances the well-being of patients who suffer from anxiety and depression. Sessions can be tailored to change how you feel, think and behave, and eliminate harmful thinking and behaviours.
Choosing the right counsellor is crucial for the best outcomes. As you will be working closely with them on personal and intimate issues, picking a counsellor that you can trust is essential. Unfortunately, in Hong Kong, no licensing system governs the counselling profession5; any practitioner can call themselves a counsellor or psychotherapist. However, only medical doctors who have specialised in psychology can call themselves psychiatrists and prescribe medication to treat mental illness.
The best way to choose your counsellor would be to learn about their background and credentials. Often, you can visit the location of the clinic to find the relevant professional certificates are displayed in the reception area or browse their website counsellors pages.
We shouldn’t let the stigma around counselling prevent us from seeking help. Regardless of your problem, speaking to a counsellor or any mental health professional can help improve your overall well-being. They help you explore and comfortably confront your emotions to start feeling better collaboratively.
If you would like to explore more counselling options, at OT&P, we opened a dedicated mental health clinic — MindWorX. We’ve brought together specialised mental health professionals to cover various prevailing issues you might face.
1. Cigna, 2018. Cigna Releases Results Of 2018 Cigna 3600 Well-Being Survey. [online] Available at: <https://www.cigna.com.hk/iwov-resources/docs/en/about-cigna/news/Hong_Kong_360_Press_Release_EN.pdf> [Accessed 26 March 2020].
2. Nhsinform.scot. 2020. Talking Therapies Explained. [online] Available at: <https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/mental-wellbeing/therapy-and-counselling/talking-therapies-explained> [Accessed 26 March 2020].
3. Dpt.nhs.uk. 2020. What Are Psychological Therapies?. [online] Available at: <https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/our-services/psychology-and-psychological-therapies/what-are-psychological-therapies> [Accessed 26 March 2020].
4. nice.org.uk. 2008. Counselling In Primary Care A Low Cost Educational Model. [online] Available at: <https://www.nice.org.uk/media/default/sharedlearning/315_1counsellingmodel-editedjournalsubmissionnice2009.doc> [Accessed 19th September 2023].
5. Hkps.org.hk. n.d. Frequently Asked Questions. [online] Available at: <https://www.hkps.org.hk/en/faq/> [Accessed 26 March 2020].