Make things happen: How do psychologists
bridge the theory-practice gap and
bring upon positive changes

The workshop aims at presenting to the audience showcases of how psychologists may serve as agents of change in improving the well-beings of individuals utilizing their knowledge in human behavior and scientific inquiry. The speaker will guide the audience through the processes of developing evidence-based intervention programmes, which include: (1) conducting needs assessments, (2) designing intervention plans and procedures, (3) developing evaluation protocols, (4) implementing intervention plans, (5) conducting systematic programme evaluations, and (6) providing feedback.

The speaker will use some of his recent psychoeducational projects as illustrations, including (1) a community integration project for children with autism spectrum disorders, (2) a paired reading project for preschoolers and their parents, (3) a social skills and social competence training programme for junior secondary school students, (4) a leadership training programme for senior secondary school students, (5) a personal growth curricula for first-year college students, (6) a staff development training programme for allied health professionals, and (7) a positive psychology programme for students facing grief and loss. The speaker will highlight the challenges in implementing these evidence-based intervention programmes, and how interdisciplinary collaborations can be achieved through these programmes.

Biography

Dr. Bernard Pak-ho WONG is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Counselling and Psychology at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, teaching subjects related to school psychology and developmental psychology at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He has also been the Associate Director of its Counselling and Research Centre.