Genevieve Wong Tze-Lynn

Course: Master of Professional Counselling, 2018
Nationality: Malaysian
Current role: Co-founder and Director, Registered & Licensed Counsellor, BAE Counselling and Therapy Centre

Please tell us about your role in your current organisation.

As the Director and Co-founder of BAE Counselling & Therapy Centre, I manage our centre with my two partners whom I met while pursuing the Master of Professional Counselling at Monash University. Together, we counsel clients from all walks of life and seek to embody our centre’s mission: Broadening Awareness & Empowerment. Apart from counselling and the running of the centre, I also conduct programs and workshops on topics such as mental health awareness, relationship growth, self-development, personal safety, team-building etc.

If applicable, please tell us about your postgraduate research.

After my Master of Professional Counselling, I am now pursuing my PhD at Monash University. The focus of my research is on the marital satisfaction of Malaysian Christians. I am examining factors such as childhood memories and experiences as well as couple interactions. With the findings, I hope to generate awareness and provide insight for counsellors and therapists to work effectively with couples and families.

Why did you choose Monash?

For me, I personally believe that it was God’s guiding plan that led me to pursue the Master of Professional Counselling at Monash as there were so many factors which made the path feel right:

  • I had just finished my undergraduate degree and I made it just in time for the start of the July intake.
  • It was my dad who glimpsed an article about it in the newspaper over breakfast and shared it with me.
  • The attractive bursary offered to me as a student of the second cohort
  • The course was in the process of receiving accreditation from Malaysian Board of Counsellors (Lembaga Kaunselor Malaysia), Australian Counselling Association (ACA) and Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).

I feel blessed to have completed this course. One of the best decisions ever! I have always found joy in being a listening ear for others and now, being trained as a counsellor through this course, I am able to fulfill my calling more effectively. It was here that I met my co-founders of our counselling centre. It is truly a blessing to be able to pursue my passion with them whom I truly enjoy working and growing with.

What did you enjoy most about your student life?

I love the food and the accessibility. Plenty of food options within campus for a complete meal or even just a snack. There are vending machines and a convenience store. It is also easy to access other available options across the street or at the nearest mall, which you can get to via public transportation or the elevated walkway. With its accessibility to public transportation, I found it so easy to move about from home to campus to other parts of the city. I also love the Post-Graduate Lounge! It is a truly comfortable and conducive space to do work, eat a simple meal, have a rest and engage in small discussions with course mates.

What is your biggest career goal, or what is the difference you’d like to make?

As I walk through life as a counsellor, I aspire to bring peace, healing and joy to the variously-seasoned inner worlds of others. I long to connect with those experiencing brokenness, pain, disappointments and difficult episodes in life. As I accompany them on this journey of navigating through awareness, healing and growth, it would be an honour if I could be the matchstick that rekindles their brightly-glowing beautiful flame. In the midst of hopelessness and despair, I seek – above all – to ignite hope.