Macao Magazine 56
January 2020
Eric Ho Chon Hou
The student counsellor Students feel stress. Some students feel so much stress at school, they crumble under the pressure. But help is always there – and in Macao it comes from people like Eric Ho Chon Hou. The 24-year-old has been working for the ‘União Geral das Associações dos Moradores de Macau’ (UGAMM) – which translates to the ‘General Union of Macau Residents Associations’ – since he graduated from university last year. The group employs him as a school counsellor – a role he sees as extremely important. Ho has been assigned by UGAMM to work with students at ‘Escola Seong Fan da Associação Comercial De Macau’, a school that is situated near the city’s ferry terminal. The students, who are all part of the school’s ‘back to education’ programme and are thus in the 18 to 24-years-old bracket, are referred to him by teachers – they are usually young people who are having problems coping with the workload or who are perhaps facing difficulties at home. So Ho talks to them about their mental and emotional wellbeing and, in instances where he sees fit, he then begins follow-up treatments with them to help them cope. He may also involve their teachers in the treatment so everyone is able to help the student. Flexibility is a must in Ho’s work. He says that each student reacts differently to situations of stress and that each case is unique, so he must be flexible in order to accommodate each of the students’ needs. He says, however, that he takes a great deal of pride when a student begins to cope and progress better at school. “When I see them change after I have established a relationship with them,” he says, “I feel satisfied.” Ho may not seem like he has enough life experience to help someone only a few years younger than himself. However, he disagrees. He decided to take on this role because he was once depressed at school after receiving poor exam results, so he brings plenty of experience to the table. He was helped by a counsellor through those tough days and was encouraged to regain his confidence, which he did before completing a social work degree at the University of Saint Joseph. And then he wanted to give back. Since he started his role as a student counsellor, Ho has learned a lot and he is always gaining more experience from each case so that he can improve all the time. He says that his role gives him a ‘great sense of achievement’ – and that isn’t just when it comes to one-on-one sessions with students but also when he arranges career-planning and mental health workshops for them or when he takes them to visit the elderly so they can learn from their experiences. Ho always appreciates feedback from the students. He remembers how one young person he counselled told him that after their talks that they felt ‘comforted’ and they were then able to gain confidence and focus once again on their studies. “It is precisely this sort of feedback,” he says, “that allows me to see that my work is valuable. It motivates me and keeps me moving forward. I always say ‘never give up and be your best!’”
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