Message from Head of Department

Prof. Calvin Kai-Ching Yu

Welcome to the website of the Department of Counselling and Psychology.

The Department has been offering the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) programme in Counselling and Psychology since 2004. This programme provides students with training in counselling skills and prepare them to work in various counselling-related settings, such as schools and social service agencies. A year after Shue Yan was accredited the university status in 2006, the Department launched the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Psychology, which is designed for developing students’ scientific understanding of human behaviour and research competence. Both undergraduate programmes provide ample opportunities for putting knowledge into practice so that students are better prepared for entering the job market upon graduation.

Besides the two undergraduate programmes, we offer four taught postgraduate and two research postgraduate programmes. The Master of Social Sciences in Counselling Psychology (MSSCP) is aimed at training professional counselling psychologists. It is recognised by both local and overseas professional bodies. The Master of Social Sciences in Play Therapy (MSSPT), which qualifies graduates for providing play therapy as a form of psychological intervention, is the only programme in Hong Kong delivering such training at the master's level.

Our department also offers a conversion programme, the Master of Social Sciences in Psychology (MSSPSY), for non-psychology degree holders. This programme equips students with psychology knowledge and allows them to pursue other professional psychology degrees, including MSSCP and MSSPT offered by our department and clinical, educational, and industrial-organizational psychology programmes in other universities.

We are aspired to groom the next generation of scholars and leaders in the field. To this end, we offer advanced research and professional training through the Doctor of Psychology in Counselling Psychology programme, Master of Philosophy programme, and Doctor of Philosophy programme.

The Department of Counselling and Psychology has an in-house counselling centre, a psychological test library, two playrooms, and nine laboratories, which are furnished with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, such as high-resolution EEG, neuromodulation systems, eye-trackers, biofeedback devices, and virtual reality headsets. These facilities promote research activities and practice-based learning among our teaching staff and students.

Details about our programmes and laboratories are available on this website. We welcome visitors, ideas, and collaborations. Do not hesitate to contact us to get to know our department. We look forward to crossing paths with you.