A cup of wisdom

Better together: A professional counselor from A Cup of Coffee leads a group therapy session. Photo provided to Shanghai Star

Counseling can seem intimidating and expensive, but what if it were no more difficult than going for a cup of coffee? Yu Ran reports on a mental health professional who is making accessing help easier than ever.

Are you stressed but have no one to talk to? Would you like to exchange one cup of coffee for a two-hour chat with a professional counselor at a café? Why not? It is casual and convenient.

A Cup of Coffee is a non-profit organization that offers face-to-face counseling for the cost of a cup of coffee. People are asked to buy the counselor a cup of coffee in exchange for a heart-to-heart talk at a coffee shop. They are also welcome to take part in a group activity.

"Everyone needs to solve his or her mental problems by facing difficulties and troubles. We're trying to get them closer to the seemingly expensive and mysterious counseling process," says Chen Ding, who began organizing a cup of coffee counseling events with a group of full-time counselors like himself at the end of 2012.

As a counseling expert, Chen spends most of his time talking to different people to help them solve their problems step by step.

He has noticed that most people who are under pressure from work, emotional issues and family relationships are afraid of talking about their negative feelings in a consulting room which makes them feel like a patient.

That is why he chose a coffee shop as the informal location to meet with people who are willing to consult him as a counselor.

"We apply the casual chat as our method to let the visitor feel free and relaxed to talk about his/her problems and learn something about themselves after a two-hour conversation," Chen says.