When I was in high school in my hometown in China more than 20 years ago, “psychology” was such a new concept. It was so rare in fact that there was not even one “psychiatrist” or “psychologist” existing within the entire city. My high school teacher was the first person to mention books about psychology and teen mental health, and I still consider her to be my first mentor in this field. Back then, I never understood how someone could feel so depressed when their lives appeared to be going so well. It wasn’t until years later that I entered the field of mental health treatment. After meeting with all kinds of clients, I finally realized, mental health struggles are so common; I realized that whether you feel happy and fulfilled may have nothing to do with what you own or how others perceive you; I realized that there may be no simple reason that could identify the cause of depressed feelings. But I also realized that people can still be effectively treated and that so many mental health challenges can be vastly improved with help. Hope is often only one step away! 

记得我在家乡读高中的时候，“心理学”还是一个新奇的词儿，我们整个城市都没有“心理医生”这个职业。当时我的高中语文老师是第一个把心理书籍带到课堂上，并跟我们谈论高中生心理健康的人，现在想来，真的算得上是我的心理学启蒙老师了。那个时候，我完全无法理解为什么有的人，生活看起来无比顺遂，但是却那么不开心。直到多年后，我进入了心理治疗的领域，见了形形色色的来访者，我才真真正正的感受到了：原来，很多心理问题，如此普遍；原来，那些被众人环绕，羡慕的人，内心并不一定感到富足和幸福；原来，抑郁，并不一定能找到原因，但是可以治疗；原来，很多心理困扰，都可以改善；原来，希望，并不遥远！