Meet the Hong Kong social worker who can solve your problems – without talking
Monique Hung Tjoe-foen uses a unique brand of therapy based on photography and an attentive ear to turn her clients’ lives around
It’s 5.30pm on a Monday, and Monique Hung Tjoe-foen has just finished a day of work at her primary school in Sha Tin. The social worker is next off to her “other counselling job”.
With no fixed office, no pay and fluctuating hours, Hung’s job after school is to be a good listener, wherever and whenever that may be. It is something she has mastered over 23 years.
“No one has the authority, or is even qualified to evaluate or determine who you are or define your values. It can only be done through your own interpretation and presentation, because you, being the protagonist in your life, have the right to represent yourself in a very personal and powerful way,” Hung says, reflecting on her role.
Hung, now in her 40s, doesn’t usually make dinner plans as she is never sure how a night might pan out. An average of two evenings a week are spent talking to strangers in free counselling sessions that include discussions about photography – a combination of topics proposed in 2016 that she calls PhoTALKgraphy.
“Sometimes, I understand it would be odd to talk candidly about what’s bothering you to someone you’ve just met, without passing judgment too quickly,” Hung says. “So in order to break the ice, I usually bring along my portfolio of photography in order to open up some casual topics to talk about.”