June Wong

I was born in Hong Kong, where I spent the first half of my childhood until my family immigrated to beautiful British Columbia, where I have spent the rest of my time to-date.  After coming to Canada, my mother was worried that my siblings and I may lose our Chinese, so she sent us to Chinese school to maintain our Cantonese and ensured that each of us completed the senior Chinese language program.  That was quite a feat, and I am pleased to share that all three of us have lived up to our mother's expectations.  I am thankful to my mother, who valued and incorporated our culture and heritage into my and my sibling's upbringing.  Today, my husband and I do our best to pass this precious gift to the next generation by sending our children to Chinese school, and making it a priority to speak in our native tongue at home.

As a first generation Chinese-Canadian, I have firsthand experience navigating between two cultures.  The pressure to assimilate as a 9-year-old child was great, and the pull to maintain my Chinese heritage was just as strong.  During my formative years, I witnessed the succession of immigrants coming from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China and, recently, Hong Kong again.  My interest in learning Mandarin started in grade 9 when a new wave of immigrants from Taiwan arrived, some of whom became my classmates.  Seeing how some of my classmates struggled to understand what was going on in the classroom, I was reminded of what I had experienced just a few years prior and wanted to help.  Very quickly, I realized there was a language barrier between us, so I decided to study Mandarin as an elective in high school.  Between using my beginner's Mandarin, written Chinese and body language, my Taiwanese classmates and I enjoyed a lot of laughter while trying to make ourselves understood.  As my Mandarin improved, meaningful connections were made between me and my new friends.

Growing up with two cultures in a multicultural society and having worked as a Family Counsellor with a diverse population for the past 18 years had me convinced that we are more similar than we are different as a human race.  To-date, I have been able to relate to and work effectively with people outside my culture, such as the Philippines, Indian, Indigenous, Vietnamese, Caucasians and Bangladeshi.  Having the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life sometimes makes me feel like I have traveled and seen the world without doing the traveling.  

I provide counselling support to individuals, children, teenagers, parents, couples, and families.

My rate is $225 per 50-minute session and $320 per 80-minute session.

I recommend 80-minute sessions for couples therapy and family sessions.
I would be happy to converse with you in English, Cantonese or Mandarin.

Please contact me to schedule an appointment.