Holding Space: Matt’s Reflection as Mental Health Facilitator
Psychotherapist/director of CandleX
Today, CandleX’s Mental Health Peer Support Group has completed its 11th year. It could not have happened without the devotion of the Support Group team, and the good work everyone puts in there.
In 2025, we welcomed a new facilitator and coordinator, Matt T, who then became the 4th‑generation facilitator, following me, Matt D, and Elena Y. A big shout‑out to all of us. Being a facilitator is a rewarding experience; I say this from my personal experiences and those of the people who came before Matt.
At CandleX, I try to create projects that align personal interest and growth with community needs, establishing and updating an operations manual to ensure interactive quality. My goal is to build a positive loop that generates its own momentum. As it turns out, when I was in doubt, Matt took the reins and carried this work forward, and I am glad he convinced me that this must go on. Now a year has passed, and he held this healing space for the community.
How does it feel to hold space for the community? Let’s hear about Matt’s reflections.
Xiaojie and Matt 2026
Author: Matt T
Time: Sep 2026
Facilitating for CandleX’s mental health peer support group in Beijing is certainly a privilege and a role that I have learnt requires a genuine act of guidance and companionship towards the path of positive mental health.
When I first took on the position of facilitator, I was convinced that my role was to help participants directly with their problems. I quickly learnt however, that the most powerful thing I could do wasn’t necessarily to give solutions, but to offer a safe space: that tiny quiet corner of Beijing where people could be free to simply be; to listen and to be listened to, to share worries and concerns, and to know overall that people actually cared.
Sometimes there is a noticeable and unspoken magic that happens within the support group. It’s in those moments that someone feels the courage to speak a truth they’ve never perhaps voiced before and, instead of judgement, they are met with an supportive alliance and a community of caring hearts. In that instant, it is often that the heavy cloak of isolation becomes just a little bit lighter when they notice they are not alone in their despair.
I often tell participants that there is sometimes no easy solution to problems and, in fact, just turning up is a giant step for most: noticing over time when members open up and have the courage, that feeling of safety and hidden bravery that, for some, isn’t always easy. A change of mood, or a noticeable smile at the end of a tough session, is also often what makes it feel all worth-while.
Acting as a facilitator has taught me that I am not necessarily the healer or the expert. I am the keeper of the space that provides the structure, and a place to re-negotiate the struggles that life brings. It is in this space that I really have witnessed some moments of resilience that continue to teach me more about empathy, patience, and the inevitable simple power of real connection.
My role is to tend to the garden then; to make sure the soil is safe enough for brave sprouts of change to develop. Sometimes I may worry that I’m not doing enough, that I don't always get it right, but then I see the strength of the participants and the support that they give each other. The way a kind word is spoken or a shared experience that isn’t scripted, and I come to realise that they are the true facilitators of their own healing with inner strength and resources they barely knew they had.
Wishing CandleX a very Happy Anniversary with many more years supporting and helping others.
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