our expertise
XUDONG ZHAO, MD (China)
Vice President
Xudong Zhao, MD, Vice President of AAFT, is currently a professor and Doctorate instructor at Shanghai Tongji University and also the Director of the Division of Medical Humanities. Prof Zhao serves as the president of Pudong New Area Mental Health Center affiliated to Tongji University, and the chief-doctor of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine in Shanghai East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University. Due to his diverse experiences in China and Germany, he adopts a multiple-cultural perspective in his teaching, research and clinical practice specialized in family therapy, psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy, cultural psychiatry, psychology and philosophy.
SUN HAE LEE, PhD (Korea)
Vice President
Sun Hae Lee, PhD, holds a tenured faculty position in the Department of Social Welfare & School of Psychological Services at Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea. Her research interests center around the design and evaluation of mental health treatment and rehabilitation programs, drawing from post-structuralist ideas in family therapy. Currently, she is actively involved in providing education and supervision on narrative therapy to practitioners across various human service settings. With a longstanding commitment to academia, Sun Hae Lee has been a board member of various academic associations in South Korea since 2001. She currently serves as the President of the Korean Society of Narrative Therapy and has previously held the position of President of the Korean Association of Family Therapy. Additionally, she has contributed to the field as the Editor-in-chief of the Asian Journal of Family Therapy.
PING-CHUAN HSIUNG, PhD (Taiwan)
Vice President
Ping-Chuan Hsiung, PhD, is a professor at the Department of Social Work at National Taiwan University (NTU) and a Licensed Counseling Psychologist in Taiwan. Prof Hsiung expertise in Marriage and Family Therapy. She has been actively promoting family therapy in Taiwan, acting as a Principal Investigator of many research related to social mental health and family psychotherapy.
LAI-YIN DICKSON CHOW, MBChB (CUHK), FRPsych (Hong Kong)
Vice President
Lai-yin Dickson Chow, MBChB, is a specialist psychiatrist working in a public hospital in Hong Kong. He has had a keen interest in psychotherapy since his early days as a trainee. He was trained in various disciplines of psychotherapy yet his main interests remain in psychodynamic psychotherapy and family therapy.
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TIMOTHY SIM, PhD (Singapore)
Vice President
Timothy Sim, PhD, has been working in Hong Kong for more than 19 years. He was already well known in Singapore and the region for his work in counselling, social work and family therapy before he left for Hong Kong since 1999. Today, Tim has established himself as an international expert in disaster management, practice research and family therapy. After returning to Singapore, Tim has focused on developing counselling and family therapy training at the Singapore University of Social Sciences since January 2021. He is committed to supporting practice, research and service development that reach out to families that are experiencing addictions, divorce, incarceration, poverty, and violence.
MAN LUN NG, MD (Hong Kong)
Clinical Co-Director
Man Lun Ng, MD, FHKC Psychiatry, is former Professor of Psychiatry at The University of Hong Kong, and Associate Director of the HKU Family Institute. Prof. Ng’s expertise in sexology has helped promote sexual health in couples work and psychotherapeutic development, both locally and internationally. He is also one of the most influential psychotherapists in Hong Kong. He has teamed up with Dr Wai Yung Lee in promoting and facilitating a trans-disciplinary approach to clinical practice and research.
JOYCE MA, PhD (Hong Kong)
Clinical Co-Director
Joyce Ma, PhD, AAMFT Clinical Fellow & Approved Supervisor, Professor of the Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, President of International Family Therapy Association (7/2019-6/2022). Her specialties and research interests are on children and adolescents with mental health needs with recent focus on eating disorders (ED) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and family therapy.
EIA ASEN, FRCPsych (United Kingdom)
Clinical Co-Director
Eia Asen, FRCPsych, is Clinical Director of Marlborough Family Services in London. Dr Asen is both a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist as well as a Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy. He is also Visiting Professor, University College London.
