Challenges are common when one moves to a new country and starts a new life. However, stress, anxiety, and other conditions affecting our wellbeing and mental health might also accompany these challenges.
Through stories and animation, the video series “Wellbeing: Looking After Yourself” will give us a brief introduction about:
what wellbeing and mental health conditions and needs one might face after moving to the UK;
how one’s past experiences influence their current state of wellbeing;
ways to improve one’s wellbeing and mental health, and information about local support and organisations
These videos are designed to help you with your well being. You can watch them with friends and companions you trust, and discuss the video contents as well as your feelings and experiences with them. However, whilst it can be helpful to share our experiences, no-one needs to share stories about things that have happened to you, if you are not comfortable sharing them.
Ep 1
Starting anew
Starting a new life in a new country brings many challenges, and with challenges comes stress - a common experience for many who moved across borders and cultures.
In this episode, we will discuss what stress is, the many causes of stress, and how people might physically or mentally react to stress.
Ep 2
When change feels bad
Sometimes, when we move to a new place, we arrive with baggage of past experiences. And some of these difficult experiences can affect our mentally, emotionally, and physically, in the form of different traumas.
In this episode, we discuss what trauma is, the different forms of trauma, and what causes them. We will also have a look at how traumas might affect us , and how to spot them in ourselves and others, through the story of Billy.
Ep 3
Talking about Wellbeing
Taking care of ourselves, both physically and emotionally, is an important aspect in settling down in a new country. In this episode, we will share tips and suggestions commonly used in the UK for when things get tough. This information can help us to take better care of our emotional and mental wellbeing, to support our fellow Hongkongers emotionally, and know when and how to access help if we need it.
Counselling services in Cantonese
provides mental health information through webinars for people from Hong Kong. Also provides free wellbeing and mental health one-to-one emotional support and advisory service, and peer support in mental health, career and education coaching, and faith.
Contact: Support Service Form
offers free therapeutic support through their Cantonese “Support for Hong Kong BN(O) Helpline”. Their Helpline Advisors may arrange for you to speak to a psychotherapist or a counsellor at 6 to 8 free counselling sessions if necessary.
Contact: Boloh.helpline@barnardos.org.uk
aims to help overseas Hongkongers through education on mental health. They prioritise supporting those who cannot access the NHS or other mental health support due to financial or visa constraints, and provide free psychological consultation, talking therapy and referrals.
Contact: Facebook / Telegram / hearthtalkclinical@gmail.com
Chinese Overseas Christian Mission (COCM)
offers Cantonese counselling for individual, couple, family and group counselling, and other services including skills training and support groups, run by Cantonese-speaking counsellor. COCM also offers Cantonese pastoral counselling.
Contact: chingyin.leung@cocm.org.uk
specialises in supporting children from Hong Kong. Hong Kong Well provides bilingual information and events for students, parents and teachers on adapting to school life in the UK, accessing NHS mental health care, and information on UK school systems. They support Hongkonger families living in Kent, and they will also launch a help line in the near future
Contact: help@hongkongwell.uk
offers free services to residents of Manchester. Services include face to face sessions with mental health workers to explore and understand the difficulties you are facing. It also provides emotional support to those who have encountered loss and grief, stress, addiction, anxiety or depression.
Contact: kwanwai@waiyin.org.uk
provides 24 hours online or outreach emotional support to asylum seekers from Hong Kong. They also provide accommodation, legal advice, Cantonese and English counselling services, and advices on government financial support.
Contact: Telegram / admin@hkaid.org.uk
Self-Help Resources
aims to help overseas Hongkongers through education on mental health. They prioritise supporting those who cannot access the NHS or other mental health support due to financial or visa constraints, and provide free psychological consultation, talking therapy and referrals.
Contact: Facebook / Telegram / hearthtalkclinical@gmail.com
Tips, guides, tools and activities to support and improve mental health (in English)
A NHS collection of guides on how to get help and support for mental health needs. It also offers everyday tips, tools, and tasks to understand your mental health, and exercises for you to cope with your needs, low moods and stress.
You can also access more NHS self-help therapy resources here. (in English)
Resources for Supporting Others Emotionally
Hearth Talk 圍爐傾
x Thrive LDN Webinar Notes
基本精神健康概覽 (in Chinese)
NHS 精神健康服務 (in Chinese)
Overviews on basic mental health conditions, and introductions on NHS mental health services and ways to access them.
MindHK
"What Emotional Support Can I Offer?" series (Chinese / English)
A series of articles on how you can emotionally support other people, as well as how to emotionally support yourself while you support others.
We hope you find this video series helpful! To help us to improve our services to BN(O) Hongkongers, please let us know what you think here!