I was so grateful to have my final clinical placement at the Yale University. It’s been a fruitful stay at Yale joining their Program of Recovery and Community Health under the Department of Psychiatry. I was most impressed by their culture and atmosphere in which people embrace diversity. People of different ethnicity, gender, occupation and socio-economic background are all respected as individuals with unique experience, including experience of facing challenges brought by mental illness.

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　The placement consisted of training sessions, discussion groups and clinical sessions focusing on recovery-oriented practice and community psychology. Training topics included recovery-oriented systems of care, the integration of evidence-based treatments and recovery-oriented practices, fundamentals of person-centered planning, citizenship, street outreach and service delivery, peer support services and trauma informed care, etc.

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   One of the community-based projects I participated in was called “Citizenship” in which people who were struggling with substance abuse,  joblessness, records of criminal offense, etc gathered to share their challenges and support one another. They were learning to be more involved in policy or systematic factors which affect mental health. It inspired me to reflect on the idea of “Street Psychiatry”, considering the street as a classroom where a lot of people with psychological distress require mental health services. It broadened my perspective on where mental health services can be provided, other than hospitals, NGOs or public institutions as in the case of Hong Kong, and the modality of mental health service delivery (e.g., outreach, peer support groups and advocacy programs).  I also learned about person-centered planning in mental health service settings. It emphasized how therapist, client and the client's family and friends collaboratively set the goals of therapy and plan the session content. It also put emphasis on the strengths and potentials of people in recovery. I have brought me with such recovery-oriented mindset to my clinical practice after graduation.

 

　On the whole, my placement at the Yale University brought me overseas clinical exposure and broadened my perception of mental health issues and services. It was definitely a valuable and unforgettable experience which contributed to my development as a recovery-oriented and strength-based clinical psychologist.