Meet Asian Australian Counsellor: Yi Tong Tew

We know that it's not always easy trying to work out which therapist we might like to work with: Because the decision isn't just about where they're located and when they're available, but there's a bit more of a human, relational element to the decision too.

So here at Shapes and Sounds, we want to help make that process just a little easier.

Every month, we'll be introducing a therapist from the Asian Australian Mental Health Practitioner List to help you gain a bit more insight into who you feel might be a good fit for you or someone that you know.

This month we're excited to connect you with Yi Tong Tew who is a Counsellor offering services in Preston, VIC and Telehealth Australia-wide. We hope you enjoy connecting with Yi Tong below!

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1. What led you to choosing mental health as a career?

Growing up in Malaysia, I recognised that a part of my identity would often be rejected by society and it was what made me feel isolated and lonely. I took up psychology to better understand myself and the people around me. Towards the end of my studies and after I had gotten professional help from mental health professionals, I realised that I could use both my education and lived/living experience to help people who have had similar journeys. I started my mental health career as a lived experience worker at Mind Australia, where I support individuals to gain independent living skills as they learn to cope with their mental health concerns. Now I venture into therapy to help more people to find themselves as it is what I am passionate about.

2. What is your unique cultural heritage?

My family and I are ethnically Chinese. We were born and raised in Malaysia where it is a melting pot of different cultures. I moved here to Australia by myself when I was 17 years old.

3. What are your areas of specialty and what kind of frameworks do you work from?

I have a background in counselling and community mental health. I incorporate therapeutic frameworks like CBT, ACT, DBT and motivational interviewing as well as the peer framework which is a relationship-based approach that emphasizes mutual growth, shared learning, and transformation. I particularly enjoy working with intergenerational trauma, Asian identities, LGBTQIA+ concerns, intersectionality of sexual identity and cultural identity, trauma, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, gaming addiction, stress, grief/loss, etc. I also have experience working with people who hear voices. I try my best to tailor therapy sessions to my clients' needs and let them be in the driver's seat.

4. What kind of clients are you best able to support?

I welcome clients who are interested in finding more effective ways of tackling obstacles and working towards becoming the best versions of themselves!

5. If you could be your own therapist right now, what do you think you would say to yourself?

It’s okay to exist in the in-between. You don’t have to choose one part of yourself over another. You are not ‘too much’ of one thing or ‘not enough’ of another. You are whole exactly as you are, because healing is not about choosing between identities — but about embracing all of who you are with kindness.

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Connect with Yi Tong via our Asian Australian Mental Health Practitioner List HERE.

Alternatively, if you feel like Yi Tong may be a good fit for someone that you know, be sure to forward this page on to them too. Let us continue to not only support ourselves but all those around us too!

If you require urgent assistance, please do not contact Yi Tong or any of the practitioners on this list. Instead, please call emergency services on 000 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Shapes and Sounds does not recommend or endorse Yi Tong or any of the practitioners listed on the Asian Australian Mental Health Practitioner List.

Please always consult your GP before making changes to your mental health care plan.