“When I was 15 years old, I went through some rough patches in school. I worked hard and got really good grades in Form 3. It felt great, but then my grades slipped the following year and I was crushed with disappointment. I lost all motivation - it was so overwhelming and I didn’t know how to cope. I felt lost, confused and isolated. I tried to turn to my friends but it was such a competitive environment and they were so caught up with their own studies that I just didn’t get the support that I needed - which only amplified feelings of loneliness and disappointment. Years later, I was finally able to process these buried emotions. I also learnt that trying to make difficult emotions disappear is not the healthiest way forward!"

「我15歲嗰陣，喺學校有段時間過得好困難。讀中三嗰年，我好畀心機讀書，成績亦唔錯，當時自我感覺良好，但無奈讀中四嗰陣，成績差咗，我對自己極度失望。成個人突然無晒動力，內心焦慮慌張，唔識得點解決。我當時覺得好迷茫、困惑、甚至感到寂寞。我有試過搵朋友傾訴，但同學之間競爭激烈，佢哋只會埋頭讀書，所以我無辦法得到應有嘅情緒支援，導致心中嘅孤獨感同失落感愈發強烈。多年後，我先有機會釋懷呢啲埋藏已久嘅情緒，我亦認識到強行隱藏負面情緒絕非健康嘅做法。

“After studying psychology at university and attending the Mind HK iACT Wellbeing Practitioner training, I now work with youths to support their mental health. I’m also the Project Assistant for our Mind HK Improving Access to Community Therapies (iACT) programme. We provide free therapy to secondary school students experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems. A common thread that I observe through my conversations with HK students is that most of them have extremely low self-esteem. It’s not just the kids who are struggling academically, but even the top students feel that way. They often feel inadequate and believe that they have no option but to follow a single path - get good grades, get into a good university, get a good job, make good money - in order to be happy. They experience immense pressure to achieve and to be perfect, yet all they are able to absorb are criticisms and comparisons. I see my role as planting seeds: empathising with and validating their emotions and helping them see and believe in the strength and hope that’s already in them." 

”I love the work that I do as the cause deeply resonates with me. I am still at the beginning of my career journey but I’m excited to learn more about different counselling modalities, and how to work with different problems and people. A young girl once told me, at the end of our counselling programme, that sadness is beautiful. She had struggled with expressing her emotions, even to close family and friends. Through our work together she has learnt to accept difficult emotions, even to embrace them as opportunities for growth. If I could share a message with my struggling 15 year old self, and with the young people of HK, it would be this: ‘You are beautiful, you are extremely strong, you know what you want and what you need to do. Even though there may be a million reasons not to believe that, someone out there believes it - and you do too’.”

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 「我喺大學修讀完心理學，又參加香港心聆嘅社區心活指南計劃（iACT）心理健康主任課程後，我依家主要為年輕人嘅心理健康提供支援，同時兼任iACT項目助理。我哋專為經歷輕度至中度心理障礙嘅中學生提供免費心理治療。透過與學生對話，我留意到大多數學生嘅自尊心極低。呢種情況唔單止出現喺學業較差嘅學生身上，就連成績最好嘅學生都無法倖免。佢哋通常對自己唔滿意，而且相信眼前淨係得一條路可以行，就係攞高分、入好大學、搵份好工、賺大錢，除此之外就別無他法令自己開心。為咗實現某個目標，或者令自己進步，佢哋往往背負著巨大嘅壓力，而且同時要面對批評同比較。我認為自己係個播種者，透過同理心並認同佢哋嘅情緒，幫助佢哋搵到並相信自身能力，喺學生心中埋下希望的種子。」

「我好鍾意呢份工，皆因自己有切身體會。現時，我只係處於事業初期，但我已經很期待學習各類心理輔導模式及方法，以及學習應對唔同問題唔同人嘅方法。有次，輔導計劃結束後，有個女仔同我講，哀傷亦係一種美。佢曾經好難向他人表達自身情緒，就算對住屋企人同密友都無辦法。透過我同佢共同努力，佢學識如何接受負面情緒，而且仲會主動面對，將負面情緒視作自我成長嘅機會。如果可以，我希望將以下呢番說話，分享畀15歲嘅我以及全港嘅年輕人：『你係美麗的，你內心充滿力量，你清楚自己想要嘅嘢，亦知道應該要點做。就算有千萬個理由令你動搖，但世界上總會有人相信你，而你亦應該相信你自己』。」