Department of Counselling and Psychology Advancing Minds, Transforming Communities

The Department of Counselling and Psychology exemplifies HKSYU’s commitment to advancing digital humanities and knowledge transfer in teaching and learning. Through interdisciplinary research, community engagement, and innovative training, the Department has become a leader in counselling psychology education and practice in Hong Kong.

Commitment to Digital Humanities and Knowledge Transfer

Professor Calvin YU Kai-ching, Head of Department, noted that faculty members have secured interdisciplinary grants that enhance public digital competence. Associate Professor Dr FU Wai’s esports project, for example, brings together expertise in gaming, sociology, and social work. Faculty have also obtained internal and external funding to develop technology-enabled psychotherapeutic support. A notable example is Associate Professor Dr Jason CHOW Tak-sang’s Jockey Club Playful Minds Social Emotional Learning Programme, which uses online games to promote social-emotional learning among primary school students.

The Department is also developing strategic areas of excellence with significant social impact. Distinguished Professor of Research Professor Catherine TANG So-kum’s work on intergenerational and intersectoral resilience is a leading example.

Community and professional engagement remain central to the Department’s mission. Professor Leo HUE Ming-tak’s BAT project, funded by the Education Bureau, provides specialised training for teachers supporting students with special educational needs and mental health challenges, while promoting the role of counselling psychologists in schools.

Knowledge transfer remains a hallmark of the Department. In recent years, undergraduate and postgraduate students have produced more than 30 publications and conference presentations under faculty supervision, while over 50 students have participated as research assistants on projects spanning psychotherapy and neuroscience. These opportunities help integrate research into teaching and enrich courses in gerontological counselling, trauma psychology, psychoanalytic studies, and neuroscience.

Global engagement is fostered through partnerships with leading mainland universities, including Wuhan University, Capital Normal University, and Beijing Normal University, particularly in counselling psychology and play therapy training. Faculty members also contribute actively to international scholarly communities through research in areas such as psychoanalysis, social cognition, and the neuropsychology of criminal behaviour.

Cutting-Edge Research Facilities

The Department has invested substantially in research facilities and digital infrastructure. Associate Head (Postgraduate Studies) Dr Bess LAM Yin-hung studies the neuropsychological foundations of mental health across the lifespan, while Professor Calvin YU’s research on the neural underpinnings of dream experiences is supported by a state-of the- art Neuropsychology Laboratory equipped with advanced EEG technology. The Applied Psychology and Digital Investigation Lab and the Brain Stimulation Lab further strengthen research capacity.

Distinctive Strengths and Academic Excellence

The Department’s distinctive strength lies in its breadth of expertise. It offers Hong Kong’s only professional degree in Counselling Psychology aligned with the Hong Kong Psychological Society’s registration requirements and is also unique in offering a Doctor of Psychology in Counselling Psychology. Its expertise spans counselling psychology, trauma psychology, consciousness and dream research, neuropsychology, play therapy, developmental psychology, forensic psychology, and historical, psychoanalytic, and philosophical psychology.