‘I wanted to have the tools to help people know they are not alone’

What spurred you to pursue a career in psychology?

My journey into psychology unfolded gently, and it wasn't a straightforward decision from the beginning – only in hindsight can I seem to connect the dots that led me to become a clinical psychologist.

I remember being a pretty curious and inquisitive kid, listening attentively to my dad's philosophical discussions at the dinner table. He covered many topics, but his reflections on human behaviour and motivations were particularly fascinating to me. It laid the groundwork for my growing interest in understanding why people think or act the way they do.

During my GCSEs, I was really lucky to be taught by a passionate psychology teacher who recognised the budding psychologist in me and nurtured that interest. At that time, psychology felt more relevant to my everyday experiences than any other subjects I was studying. High school was a difficult time personally – and this added a deeply personal layer of meaning to my studies. 

Looking back, my personal struggles during this period undoubtedly planted the seed for my eventual focus on working clinically in psychology. It fuelled my desire to understand the complexity of human beings and to support others through their own difficult times. I wanted to have the tools to help people feel like they are not alone and that there is always hope.

At Cambridge, I was really fascinated by cognitive and behavioural neuroscience and developmental psychopathology, but I wasn't really sure how they would fit into a future career. The penny dropped unexpectedly during an interview for a management consultancy job. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't convince myself to be interested in what was being discussed. I realised then that if I didn't pursue a career with a human focus, I wouldn't last very long!

In a way, clinical psychology found me while I was still figuring out my path.

What was it about clinical psychology in particular you were drawn to? 

To be honest, there was very limited information circulating at university about what we could do with our psychology degree other than pursue it academically into a PhD. In the summer of my second year of undergrad, after realising a corporate career would likely be my demise, I googled 'types of psychologists' and just felt overwhelmed by the options – health, forensic, sport, industrial, and whatnot.

At the time, clinical psychology felt like the broadest and most established route that didn't limit me from other psychology professions or an academic career, so I – arguably naively – went with it as a general direction without much conscious thought. I was drawn to what appeared to be a stable career whilst still maintaining the flexibility I wanted in continuing to delve into the multi-dimensional aspects of psychology.

Prior to getting onto the clinical psychology doctorate, you trained as a psychological wellbeing practitioner… tell me about that.

I really appreciated the core clinical skills in cognitive behavioural therapy for common mental health issues, practising structuring sessions, assessing risk and managing risk, triaging, and signposting. I still draw on many specific skills I learnt from my training as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner now as a clinical psychologist.

However, over time, I found myself becoming disillusioned with the role. The high caseloads, burnout among colleagues, and rigid structure felt suffocating. It often seemed like we were working within a system that reduced people to diagnoses and interventions that didn't quite reflect their lived experiences. The therapeutic relationship, which I have repeatedly learnt is a central factor in healing, felt restricted. The interventions I was expected to use felt like it rarely captured the true complexity of the issues I encountered.

It was during this time that I was drawn to reading books on existential and humanistic psychology in my spare time, particularly the works of Viktor Frankl and Irvin D. Yalom. Their work reignited hope that therapy could be more than what I was experiencing at my job – it could be deeply human, flexible, and meaningful.

When I look back at this experience, I am often reminded of Abraham Maslow's famous words: "It is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail." That was how the role of a psychological wellbeing practitioner felt to me – like I was treating everything with the same rigid tool, which missed encountering the nuances of an individual's unique struggle.

What made you move away from that to pursue the doctorate instead? 

This growing dissatisfaction with my work as a psychological wellbeing practitioner pushed me to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology. For many psychological wellbeing practitioners, the role is often seen as a stepping stone in a competitive field rather than a final destination, and I was no exception. The structure of the job had become repetitive, and my curiosity about psychology outside the framework I was trained in grew stronger by the day.

You only recently completed your clinical psychology doctoral training. What was your experience of training like? 

Complicated! Many people, including myself, would agree that 'getting on' is often highly glamorised. While the qualification itself, along with some amazing lecturers, supervisors, and friends, made it worthwhile, the initial excitement of getting onto the course fades quickly. The reality of the workload hits hard, and it is most definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Throughout training, you are assessed clinically every six months, required to produce three research pieces at a publishable standard, work clinically during placement three days a week, and squeeze in full-day lectures and research projects on the remaining two days. The intensity was relentless, and despite the outward encouragement to drop perfectionism, the system is structured in a way that demands the opposite – it is designed to push you to meet competency after competency. It makes sense why similar programmes in the US typically take twice as long to let trainees have the time and space to develop clinical and research skills.

I was fortunate enough that my intense and demanding academic background from my earlier degrees made the mechanistic parts of training relatively smooth sailing. However, it was the systems and power dynamics of training surrounding the work that affected me more. The lack of genuine support for mental health difficulties for trainees was disappointing and quite frankly ironic, as was the often tokenistic approach to diversity and inclusion, which added additional heaviness to training. Personally, I faced really tough personal experiences, especially as an ethnic minority trainee and someone active on social media. I won't dive into those now, but most current or past trainees will have their own horror stories, either directly experienced or passed down vicariously from others.

That said, the eternal optimist in me maintains that it is what we make of our challenges that matter in the end. The doctorate experience helped me develop grit and perseverance. I learned to pick my battles, maintain discipline, and ultimately, make the journey my own.

And what are you doing now as a newly qualified clinical psychologist? 

Since qualifying, I've been working in a private practice based in London. I see around 20 clients per week, many of whom come from international backgrounds. I also conduct neurodiversity assessments, manage the clinic's social media, work on clinic strategy, and supervise others. I feel very fortunate to work in an environment where I can be myself and operate with a great deal of autonomy and flexibility. The team is incredibly international, energetic, and passionate, and outspoken in their respective interests. 

Some may wonder why I chose not to work in public services. While I have huge respect for the NHS, my experiences during training were incredibly challenging. Even though I was surviving, I wasn't thriving – it felt like wearing shoes that didn't quite fit. Although I interviewed and was offered roles in the NHS, I felt that the rigid structures would stifle the part of me that flourishes in more flexible environments. My passion is hands-on clinical work, as well as in entrepreneurship and creating multimedia content. Sadly, from what I could see, advancing in the NHS often means moving into management by meeting pre-defined competencies, which didn't appeal to me. 

Now, I feel safe and excited to bring my unique perspective to the table without feeling out of place. This allows me to explore and integrate my broad interests in psychology and experiment with different therapeutic approaches. Currently I am leaning more towards humanistic, existential, and Jungian approaches. I also enjoy integrating insights from my increasing passion in Buddhist philosophy and meditation practice, which complements well with principles of third-wave CBT. I was heavily trained in cognitive-behavioural approaches throughout the years, but they never fully resonated with me and felt too one-dimensional. My other interests often feel like a way to compensate for this.

What has been your experience of navigating a career as a clinical psychologist, both pre- and post-qualification, in a predominantly white profession? 

As a Hong Kong Chinese clinician in a predominantly white field, it has often felt isolating. Not only are southeast Asians a minority in the field, but our experiences don't always align with those of other ethnic minorities who have grown up in the UK. I remember yearning for a role model that looked and sounded like me to provide some consolation that my goal of being a clinical psychologist was possible.

Throughout working and training in quite traditional and formal spaces, there has always been a tension between expressing my unique identity and conforming to the established norms of the profession. This goes beyond ethnicity and culture, but no doubt this plays a big part in many people's experiences. I think many can resonate with the feeling of being torn between discovering and developing our unique voice and contribution versus the desire to just keep our heads down, to be no more different than we already look and sound and conform to the stereotype of a clinical psychologist predominantly geared towards particular values, mannerisms, and attributes.

Over time, I learnt to own and celebrate my cultural and ethnic differences, as well as my personal attributes beyond this. To own these unique aspects of me as strengths, not weaknesses or confounding factors to be neutralised. This included being aware of, and working on, the impact of internalised racism within me, as well as navigating external racism with a bit more assertiveness, whilst balancing it with a touch of lightness, humour, and compassion.

I've really enjoyed watching your YouTube videos over the years. What led you to create your YouTube channel? 

Like many young millennials and Gen Z, we grew up with social media and understand its power, for better or for worse. I knew I had a strong interest in psychology and wanted to share this side of me and utilise my space online in a more fruitful way. 

Over the years, I had followed the doctorate application page on Facebook and noticed that there were questions that surrounded the same themes. As I mentioned, information on clinical training was very limited at the time. I felt like the questions, experiences, and doubts people often posted about, which I also shared at some point in my journey, could be much more effectively addressed in a video format. 

I have watched YouTube since I was young. This included many doctors who shed light on life in the medical field, but I noticed that there were very few psychologists in the same space. So during the first lockdown, whilst I was stuck indoors and had not much to do, I decided to make some videos to clarify repeated questions I saw. And the rest was history! 

And what about your illustrations? 

I've always had an interest in creating art. As a busy trainee, I realised that illustration as a form of art can be so convenient and powerful in conveying complex ideas. That way, I could combine my interests in psychology, philosophy, spirituality, and art together. As a busy psychologist, it was and still is my way to have an outlet for making some art rather than no art at all!

It's great to see that my illustrations and animations have been used in public health services, charities, clinical training, and private practice, in the UK and internationally. I often use my illustrations in my clinical sessions as well, and they are often well received. It brings me a lot of joy to receive heartfelt messages from people in the field across the world on how I have been a small part of helping their career or clinical work. 

Can you share a piece of work or research that has really changed or shaped your practice? 

That's the hardest question – it's like asking me to pick a favourite child when I keep being sent new children every year! I would say there are many books that have given me life-changing paradigm shifts, and I discover new ones every year, which I document on my Instagram. 

As mentioned, I enjoy learning from existential psychology writers like Irvin D. Yalom and Viktor Frankl, which have forever shaped my clinical interests outside of traditional training. Additionally, my interest in Buddhist philosophy, meditation, and yoga practice has led me to regularly return to works and talks by Thich Nhat Hanh, Alan Watts, Pema Chödrön, Mark Williams, and Jon Kabat-Zinn. Last year, reading more humanistic ideas from Carl Rogers really helped fill a massive hole in my understanding of human development. This year, I've been more drawn to compassion-focused therapy as well as depth psychology, particularly Jungian ideas from James Hollis. 

I believe it is important to continuously take a beginner's mind and expose ourselves to new ideas, no matter how unfamiliar at first. It allows us to continue to expand our approach to clinical work and give the best possible care to our clients.

What advice would you give to other aspiring psychologists who may be interested in pursuing a career within psychology? 

The new generation of psychologists is going to be you. Your interests matter, your critical eye matters, your lived experiences matter, and you actualising this in your work and developing your voice matters. Yes, the field shapes you – but over time, you will also shape it, even if you don't intend to. 

Psychology has never been a stagnant field. It is always evolving and unfolding as it tries to meet the ever-changing demands of society. The infinite variations of human experience are forever unfolding, and it always needs a flexible cohort of psychologists to meet it. 

The pioneers of this field, and of every field for that matter, are often the ones who keep their feet on the ground whilst keeping one eye open to the existing limitations and potential solutions to these limitations. They unapologetically develop their personal curiosities, talents, and experiences even if it might not 'fit' the status quo, and courageously share this with others. The field then slowly becomes more enlarged and flexible to accommodate this. 

So, to wrap it up, my advice to aspiring psychologists is to stay curious and daring. As Rumi wrote in the 13th century, "let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you love – it will not lead you astray".