New book 基模治療 (Schema Therapy) Foreword by Dr. Xi Liu
- Ng-Kessler Beatrice
- Sep 18
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 14
I first met Beatrice in 2019, at the start of her Schema Therapy (基模治療) journey. A colleague recommended her for supervision, and I had the pleasure of supporting her through her accreditation. From the beginning, it was clear she brought more than clinical skill — she brought heart, curiosity, and a deep respect for the humanity at the centre of this work.
Schema Therapy is often described as both a science and an art. It gives us structure and tools, but at its core, it’s about people — people shaped by trauma, deprivation, and unmet emotional needs. These patterns aren’t just clinical presentations; they’re survival stories written into the body, mind, and relationships. To meet them with integrity, therapists have to bring more than expertise — we must bring ourselves.
That means being willing to walk the same path our clients do. To look at our own schemas, our own blind spots, and to allow the work to change us too. It means not hiding behind professional distance, but staying human — with boundaries, yes, but also with real care. Beatrice has always brought this kind of presence into the room. Brave, reflective, grounded in compassion.
As her Schema Therapy journey unfolded, I witnessed her grow rapidly — not only into an advanced accredited therapist, but also a supervisor, trainer, and now a peer I deeply respect. What became clearer over time was how her work with clients from Hong Kong, mainland China, the UK and beyond illuminated something vital: the gaps in how the traditional Western model of Schema Therapy meets — or doesn’t meet — Chinese cultural realities.
But Beatrice didn’t stop at noticing. She adapted the model in culturally sensitive, grounded, and clinically sound ways. Then she went further, creating training so others could do the same. In 2023, she founded her own Schema Therapy training institute — the first designed specifically for Chinese-speaking therapists. That’s no small feat. It signals a shift: from adapting Western models to building something culturally grounded and homegrown.
Over the years, our relationship evolved — from supervisor and supervisee to colleagues and friends. We’ve had countless conversations — some deep, some ridiculous, many of them recorded in long, rambling voice notes sent back and forth across time zones. I often joke that we’re the modern-day Freud and Jung, except instead of letters written in formal prose, we send each other memes, video clips and articles.
Through these conversations, I’ve learned so much from Beatrice — especially about the tension many Chinese clients hold between personal needs and collective duty, and how the values of Confucianism shape emotional life. The weight of family, expectations, silence, and sacrifice — and also the strength, endurance, and resilience that emerge from within culture itself.
This book is the first of its kind: a Schema Therapy text written in Chinese, by a Chinese therapist, for a Chinese audience. It’s filled with real client stories — people who have been given labels like eating disorders, dissociation, or personality disorders. But these stories are not defined by diagnosis. They are shaped by culture, by intergenerational trauma, and by systems that are rarely named in clinical language. And yet, they are also stories of healing — healing that draws from the deep well of cultural knowledge and strength.
This book is a vital opening in the journey of Schema Therapy in modern China. And I’m honoured to introduce it to you.
Dr Xi Liu (they/them)
Clinical Psychologist
Co-founder of SchemXcollective: Integrative Schema Therapy Institute
Affectionately known as the “Grandma of Schema Therapy” of Chinese ST
It's a forward extracted from the Chinese book named 'Schema Therapy' which is published in Hong Kong. Purchase link: 花千樹出版 | 基模治療——療癒童年創傷，重建內心平衡 | HKTVmall 香港最大網購平台
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