From engineering to enlightenment

Phillip Chen Yi Mei
I chose to study counselling at VU - I knew I'd get hands-on experience. I was able to develop training materials to create a 'Mindfulness for Professional Effectiveness' workshop. I now deliver this to all of Ford's Australian employees.

Phillip Chen Yi Mei
Master of Counselling

At VU, Phillip Chen Yi Mei found the knowledge and inspiration to create mindfulness workshops for professionals. He now has an agreement with Ford to deliver workshops to its Australian-based employees.

"I’ve been an engineer with Ford Motor Company since 1980, but 15 years ago, I decided I wanted to help others, and so completed psychological studies at another university. While I became more aware of the complexities of human behaviours, I couldn’t use my knowledge in a practical way. This is why I chose to study counselling at VU – I knew I’d get hands-on experience.

During my studies I completed supervised one-on-one sessions at Doncare and learnt how to conduct counselling for people with emotional problems. The experience was invaluable and complemented course theory. I also had placement at the Anxiety Recovery Centre of Victoria (ARCVIC) where I co-facilitated stress management workshops. This experience provided me with the starting point to develop a workshop ‘Stress Management in the Workplace’.

I found the VU staff approachable and supportive – particularly my thesis supervisors. They made my thesis research meaningful and useful. I was able to collate and develop training material from my research to create the ‘Mindfulness Training for Wellness and Professional Effectiveness’ workshop. I currently have an agreement with Ford to deliver this workshop, to all of its Australian-based employees.

I also provide mindfulness training to corporate clients through my business, ‘StressLess Life’. At some point, I’ll leave engineering to focus entirely on mindfulness training."

Course studied

Master of Counselling