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Juliana

Mind HK Ambassador

Juliana’s letter

Dear past self,

 

These past five years have been hard for you. In 2018, you had an episode and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In the beginning, you could not accept this and denied medication, but it got worse and you were hospitalised four times. Now you are steadily walking onto a path of recovery, I hope you remember the people who supported you, and remember how you persevered and overcame.

 

You have a family that really loves you. When you were waiting for your 4th hospitalisation, you lost your own will. You were running on the streets and on the road, putting yourself in dangerous situations.You also provoked and disturbed passers-by, and made your family feel helpless.

 

At that time, your dad, your mum, your brother and your fiancé “subdued” you together. They brought you to safety and did what they could to stop you from running. They stayed with you when the pandemic was at its worst and the medical system was overwhelmed; waiting for help with you overnight even though they were physically and mentally exhausted. Thankfully, you did not lose your consciousness or memory when you were delusional, so you still remember how they protected you. Now, even though your brother has emigrated, he still bought you a wedding gift, dad and mum have retired and they cook for you and the family and handle the house chores every day. You truly have a blissful family. You have to keep on building these touching, joyful memories with them while they are still young.

 

You also need to remember your beloved mentors and friends at church. When you first had depression, they listened to you and carried with you the negative feelings you had about living. You were hurt, you had hatred toward people around you. You felt sorry for your job and what you experienced growing up. You hated yourself and felt ashamed of your failures in your job. There is a saying, “you have to reach pain to leave pain.” You touched the pain in your heart when you were interacting with them. Every time you had a flashback, speaking to them helped you let go. Had you not witnessed your mentor worrying and caring about you and felt how she was tearing up for you, you wouldn’t know your agony, you wouldn’t know how important you are. You need to bear these in mind to repay her compassion.

 

Besides these people, you’ve met empathetic supervisors and coworkers during your job at the elderly center. They gave you acceptance when you had limited working abilities and when you had to take leave to receive therapy in the hospital. This friendliness is not found in all workplaces. It was also here when you developed trust with your coworkers, and earned the sense of capability you need to rebuild confidence. Our Father in Heaven prepared this place for you to stay and rest. Remember that whenever you called your supervisors from the hospital she gave you support. When you joked about loving her she responded with humor, and she made you feel an enormous amount of warmth when she promised to give you a doll when you were waiting to leave the hospital.

 

Lastly, when this letter is in the exhibition, you will be married to your fiancé. Congratulations, you have a loyal, reliable partner who stays with you no matter what. He patiently waited for you when you were in the hospital, he was ready for your phone calls anytime. He shouldered the anxiety and lostness with you when your illness was unstable. You are always happy with him, you often talk about what’s on your mind, and you appreciate the bitterness of life together. I hope you live happily with him forever!

 

Finally, I want to praise you for your perseverance, because you didn’t give up fighting your illness, because you didn’t give up on your life, you could enjoy the beautiful things that come after. I am proud of you for living and not giving up on loving those you love. Although you self-terminated your medication twice leading to hospitalisation, you now understand you can’t reduce your symptoms just by your will, and adherence to your medication helps you stabilise your condition. Together with trusting those around you and treating each symptom, you are very stable now.

 

Four springs have passed since your first episode in 2018, all the grace and love you received will be with you for the rest of your life. God’s kindness will not leave you and your family and will help you accomplish the mission of inspiring those who are going through difficult times. Your life is enriched by these experiences, this is the unique story that belongs to you.

 

Love,

 

Juliana

 

21st October 2022

 

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What is iACT Service?

Improving Access to Community Therapies (iACT®) is one of the services from Mind HK. Trained Wellbeing Practitioners will offer initial assessment and early intervention for people dealing with mild to moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other emotional difficulties.

 

The service includes 6-8 sessions of low-intensity psychological support, the flexibility of the service allows individuals to receive free and timely support when needed.

If you’re aged between 18 – 65 and are facing some emotional challenges, we would like to invite you to take an online assessment for us to gain a better understanding of your current emotional struggle.

 

If you’re eligible, we’ll get you connected with a Wellbeing Practitioner within two weeks to sort out the next steps.

The service runs for about 3 months and includes 6-8 support sessions, tailored to your needs.

 

We encourage you to attend all sessions and actively practice the tips and exercises provided by your Wellbeing Practitioner.

We take your privacy seriously. Your chats with the Wellbeing Practitioner are confidential.

 

We won’t share any of your info unless you’ve provided consent or if there are risks detected.

This programme isn’t suitable for people facing emergencies, major setbacks, or those diagnosed with serious or complex mental health conditions.

 

If you’re having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, this programme might not meet your needs, so please seek help right away. You can check out Mind HK’s “Find Help Now” page for immediate information and services.

Most of our Wellbeing Practitioners have backgrounds in psychology or counselling and are passionate about mental health. They’ve gone through about 140 hours of intensive training and completed at least 120 hours of supervised clinical practice over 9 months to ensure the quality of service.

 

They’re trained by accredited local experts in the mental health field, including clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists, counsellors, and psychiatrists. Plus, we regularly check how effective our services are. All service outputs and performances are subject to consistent monitoring.

Who is suitable for participating in this programme?

This programme welcomes anyone between the ages of 18 and 65 who may be feeling lost or facing emotional difficulties. Please note that this programme is not suitable for individuals diagnosed with severe or complex mental health conditions.

This programme is not suitable for individuals diagnosed with severe or complex mental health conditions, but suitable for those who experience mild to severe moderate anxiety, mild to moderate depression, or other emotional challenges. If you are currently experiencing a major setback or even having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please visit the “Find Help Now” page on our Mind HK’s website for immediate information and services.

After signing up, our Wellbeing Practitioner will contact you within two weeks to schedule a convenient time for a 45-minute conversation, either via video or phone call, according to your preference. During the conversation, the Wellbeing Practitioner will understand your current situation and help you gain a better understanding of your emotional state based on the questionnaire you filled out during application. Additionally, they will provide recommendations for appropriate community resources based on your needs, helping you take an important first step in taking care of your mental health.

Although the intervention procedure is mostly standardised, Wellbeing Practitioners will work flexibly with clients to address individual presenting problems and unique characteristics.

Our Wellbeing Practitioners are trained to support people who experience mild to moderate mental health difficulties primarily. This programme is not suitable for the situations mentioned above. If you are currently experiencing a major setback or even having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please visit the “Find Help Now” page on our Mind HK’s website for immediate information and services.

Your conversations with the Wellbeing Practitioner are absolutely confidential. Any information about you will not be shared with anyone without your consent unless you or others are at immediate risk or the Wellbeing Practitioner has reason to believe that you may be in imminent danger.
Supervisors will monitor trainees’ development throughout the placement to ensure that they are meeting the required level of competency to pass the training course at the end of the placement.

Yes, it is necessary to book an appointment in advance by filling out the form. Additionally, you can select one of the five stores yourself. We will allocate clients to different Wellbeing Practitioners based on their chosen location.

Before having the conversation, we will ask you to fill out a basic questionnaire for preliminary screening assessment. This screening process aims to ensure that the training received by the Wellbeing Practitioners is sufficient to meet the needs of the individuals receiving the service. If it is determined after the screening assessment that the service is not suitable for you, Mind HK will provide alternative recommendations to ensure your safety and support.

For adults who are suitable for this service, all Wellbeing Practitioners have received training on how to identify and respond to safety and risk issues. If you have any concerns about the support process, the Wellbeing Practitioners have appropriate measures in place and will develop response plans based on the urgency of the situation. They can also access support from clinical practitioners from Mind HK or participating organisations.

What private training does Mind HK provide?

Mind HK provides 4 themes of mental health training, including: Supporting Self, Supporting Others, Family Wellbeing and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).

 

Check out the brochure here for more information.

Mind HK provides a wide range of standardised mental health training, which can be tailored to different circumstances. Chat with our team to explore more! 

Our trainers come from a diverse, accredited pool of clinically experienced professionals. Check out our trainers’ biographies here.

Yes, the Mental Health First Aid class of Mind HK is internationally accredited by the MHFA International. The content and certification is delivered by trainers certified from the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong. You can find out our trainers accreditation here.

We are here to support your mental health education journey! Reach out to us and chat with our team.

Juliana’s letter

Dear past self,

 

These past five years have been hard for you. In 2018, you had an episode and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In the beginning, you could not accept this and denied medication, but it got worse and you were hospitalised four times. Now you are steadily walking onto a path of recovery, I hope you remember the people who supported you, and remember how you persevered and overcame.

 

You have a family that really loves you. When you were waiting for your 4th hospitalisation, you lost your own will. You were running on the streets and on the road, putting yourself in dangerous situations.You also provoked and disturbed passers-by, and made your family feel helpless.

 

At that time, your dad, your mum, your brother and your fiancé “subdued” you together. They brought you to safety and did what they could to stop you from running. They stayed with you when the pandemic was at its worst and the medical system was overwhelmed; waiting for help with you overnight even though they were physically and mentally exhausted. Thankfully, you did not lose your consciousness or memory when you were delusional, so you still remember how they protected you. Now, even though your brother has emigrated, he still bought you a wedding gift, dad and mum have retired and they cook for you and the family and handle the house chores every day. You truly have a blissful family. You have to keep on building these touching, joyful memories with them while they are still young.

 

You also need to remember your beloved mentors and friends at church. When you first had depression, they listened to you and carried with you the negative feelings you had about living. You were hurt, you had hatred toward people around you. You felt sorry for your job and what you experienced growing up. You hated yourself and felt ashamed of your failures in your job. There is a saying, “you have to reach pain to leave pain.” You touched the pain in your heart when you were interacting with them. Every time you had a flashback, speaking to them helped you let go. Had you not witnessed your mentor worrying and caring about you and felt how she was tearing up for you, you wouldn’t know your agony, you wouldn’t know how important you are. You need to bear these in mind to repay her compassion.

 

Besides these people, you’ve met empathetic supervisors and coworkers during your job at the elderly center. They gave you acceptance when you had limited working abilities and when you had to take leave to receive therapy in the hospital. This friendliness is not found in all workplaces. It was also here when you developed trust with your coworkers, and earned the sense of capability you need to rebuild confidence. Our Father in Heaven prepared this place for you to stay and rest. Remember that whenever you called your supervisors from the hospital she gave you support. When you joked about loving her she responded with humor, and she made you feel an enormous amount of warmth when she promised to give you a doll when you were waiting to leave the hospital.

 

Lastly, when this letter is in the exhibition, you will be married to your fiancé. Congratulations, you have a loyal, reliable partner who stays with you no matter what. He patiently waited for you when you were in the hospital, he was ready for your phone calls anytime. He shouldered the anxiety and lostness with you when your illness was unstable. You are always happy with him, you often talk about what’s on your mind, and you appreciate the bitterness of life together. I hope you live happily with him forever!

 

Finally, I want to praise you for your perseverance, because you didn’t give up fighting your illness, because you didn’t give up on your life, you could enjoy the beautiful things that come after. I am proud of you for living and not giving up on loving those you love. Although you self-terminated your medication twice leading to hospitalisation, you now understand you can’t reduce your symptoms just by your will, and adherence to your medication helps you stabilise your condition. Together with trusting those around you and treating each symptom, you are very stable now.

 

Four springs have passed since your first episode in 2018, all the grace and love you received will be with you for the rest of your life. God’s kindness will not leave you and your family and will help you accomplish the mission of inspiring those who are going through difficult times. Your life is enriched by these experiences, this is the unique story that belongs to you.

 

Love,

 

Juliana

 

21st October 2022