About Me

“We repeat what we don’t repair.”

—Christine Langley-Obaugh.

Dr. Bertie Wai is an English-Cantonese bilingual clinical psychologist providing therapy for children, teens, adults, and couples. Clinically trained in the U.S. and Hong Kong, she practices psychoanalytic psychotherapy and the Tavistock Relationships couples therapy. It’s hard to summarize what psychoanalytic psychotherapy is in a few words, but it tends to appeal to people who want to understand themselves in a deeper, more meaningful and intimate ways. It is an approach towards the complications of the human condition that goes beyond the fast-paced reductionistic model of “What do I do to _______?” In simpler terms, it is different from coaching, where the focus is on mapping out ways to get you to do something. Therapeutic work, on the other hand, orients towards a process of inner exploration and reflection, which paves the way for self-directed change. From years of providing therapy, Dr. Bertie learns that profound, positive, and sustainable change rarely results from responses to external suggestions/pressures imposed by others, where our own agency is sidelined and our own inner difficulties ignored and unresolved. However, through knowing yourself better, and knowing the reasons behind the maladaptive behaviors that, unfortunately, often get labelled as “problems,” “symptoms” or “mental illness,” you can work towards making changes that put you on the path of creating a life that is satisfying and fulfilling to you.

Credentials

  • Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D) in Clinical Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology, Hong Kong Program
  • Master of Arts (M.A.) in Clinical Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology, Hong Kong Program
  • Master of Arts (M.A.) in Philosophy, University of California, Davis, USA
  • Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in Philosophy, The University of Hong Kong, HK
  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Awards

  • Recipient of American Psychological Association Division 39, Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology, Scholar Award (2019-2020)

Media & Prints

Professional Affiliations

  • Registered Clinical Psychologist at the Hong Kong Association of Doctors in Clinical Psychology (HKADCP)
  • Member of American Psychological Association Division 39
  • Honorary Consultant at WTS Bright Orchid Women’s Association