To mark World Mental Health Day 2019, CandleX Founder Xiaojie Qin and support group participant Lindsay were featured on English Language radio show Touch Beijing. Go to “Read more” and listen at 35 minutes and 35 seconds to listen to the full interview.
Or listen to it here.
Part of CandleX’s goal is to raise awareness of issues related to mental health in Beijing. This year, World Mental Health Day on 10 October provided an opportunity to do just that. Founder and Director Xiaojie Qin, in her second appearance on the network, andpeer support groupparticipant and American ex-pat Lindsay joined hosts Gail and Yige Wang (王异戈) on Touch Beijing, the afternoon drive home show on Radio Beijing International.
Lindsay opened up about their experiences, candidly discussing the role culture, language and identity can play in mental health. They expressed optimism with respect to the evolving dialogue around mental health in China and abroad. Xiaojie, as the lead facilitator of the CandleX peer support group, spoke of the key role that peer-support can play in maintaining your mental health.
For Americans like Lindsay or other ex-pats living in Beijing, it can be hard to find an understanding community to talk about mental health – and as Xiaojie added, the same can be true for returning Chinese people that have spent a long time overseas and learned to express themselves in a certain way in English. She outlined the key role that having the support group in English plays for many participants.
CandleX’ s peer support group now happens every week on Tuesdays – follow the links in our weekly Wechat post to sign up. As Xiaojie explained in the radio show, it is not a replacement for professional help, but is designed to be complementary to it – a non-judgemental space where participants can vent, discuss or simply listen.
CandleX remains committed to now happens every week on Tuesdays – follow the links in our weekly Wechat post to sign up. As Xiaojie explained in the radio show, it is not a replacement for professional help but is designed to be complementary to it – a non-judgemental space where participants can vent, discuss or simply listen.