The Power of Curiosity
What happens in these situations? For Hansel Wong, a member of the GoodTherapy platform, the answer starts with authentic curiosity. „Just be curious.” It may seem like simple advice, but in Hansel’s practice, curiosity is not just a communication skill. It is how therapists express respect, recognize cultural context, and build a relationship where the client feels understood.
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Hansel is a counselor and supervisor based in Adelaide, Australia. Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he began his career in a multicultural city before continuing his work elsewhere. The move required more than adapting to a new location. It forced him to rethink what clients expect from counseling and what therapists lose when they assume everyone wants the same form of healing. This experience led to a central belief: „Human connection can promote healing and emotional regulation.” For Hansel, techniques and modalities remain essential. But therapy becomes meaningful only when clinical knowledge combines with genuine interest in the person sitting in front of you.
Lessons from Cultural Shifts
In a video interview, Hansel Wong discusses lessons learned from moving between cultures and why curiosity belongs in every therapist’s clinical toolkit. The discussion covers what to know before your first therapy session, what happens when nothing seems wrong but something is off, how to find a therapist who truly understands you, how to choose a specialist from an online profile, how to reach people who do not believe in therapy, and the mental health of men and the myth that therapy is a weakness.
Different Values, Different Goals
Hansel started his practice in Kuala Lumpur, a fast-paced urban environment he describes as achievement-oriented and highly competitive. Many of his young clients were trying to hit a specific target. They wanted career progress, marriage preparation, home ownership, relationship improvement, or moving to the next life stage. After moving to Adelaide, he met clients who were sometimes more interested in acceptance, balance, and understanding present circumstances. Instead of immediately seeking the next goal, these clients explored how to be more content with where they were. Though these observations are broad and should not be treated as fixed descriptions of any group, the key lesson was recognizing that making assumptions about what clients want from therapy is dangerous. „Getting out of this glass bubble and seeing another part of the world expanded my understanding. Different cultures bring different values.”
Understanding Before Advising
A therapist might believe a client needs to become more independent, set clearer boundaries, slow down, pursue a promotion, leave a relationship, or communicate more openly with family. But before encouraging any of these outcomes, the therapist must understand what independence, family, success, responsibility, and healing mean to that specific client. The clinical question is not just „What would help this person change?” It is also „What would meaningful change look like in this person’s life?”
Broadening Professional Development
A therapist’s professional development often focuses on treatment modalities, certifications, interventions, and clinical techniques. Hansel encourages the counselors he supervises to think more broadly. „Understanding the values, beliefs, and history of different cultures can be as valuable, important, and practical in counseling sessions as learning another modality, tool, or technique.” This does not mean therapists must become experts in every cultural background their clients represent. It means they must be willing to learn about the histories, family systems, communities, interests, and daily realities that shape a client’s life. For Hansel, this includes learning beyond what is considered traditional clinical material.
The Video Game Example
He recalls a situation where a counselor was supervised while his client started talking about video games. The counselor was not a gamer and had limited knowledge of the subject. Hansel’s first reaction was not to redirect the conversation, but to be curious about the game. „What video game was it? Was it an open-world game? Was it a platformer? What was its name? Look it up. If you can, play it. When a client starts talking about a niche topic, being able to take the subject and say ‘I know what you’re talking about’ builds an immediate connection.” Without curiosity, a therapist might hear only a hobby.
