Patrick Kai Lung Chan
Hong Kong
Practitioner Info
| Email |
pklchan@gmail.com |
| First name |
Patrick Kai Lung |
| Last name |
Chan |
| Display name |
Patrick Kai Lung Chan |
| Description |
Many people seek philosophical counseling not because something is “wrong,” but because their usual ways of understanding life no longer feel sufficient. Through philosophical dialogue, I work with clients who are facing challenging life situations—whether in the form of confusion about meaning, anxiety about the future, or a sense of helplessness in the face of change and impermanence. My approach is shaped by long experience in decision-making under uncertainty, and in observing how individuals respond to pressure, change, and the limits of control. |
| Education |
MA in Philosophy (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Master of Economics (Australian National University), Bachelor of Economics (Honour) (University of Sydney) |
| Favorite Philosophers |
Epictetus, Seneca, Mencius, Zhuangzi, Pierre Hadot |
| Country |
Hong Kong |
| City |
Hong Kong |
| Languages | English, Chinese (Cantonese) |
| Issues | Life transitions and identity (midlife and retirement anxieties). Grief, loss, and change. Relationships and personal conflicts., Uncertainty and the limits of control. Aging, mortality, and finitude. Meaning, purpose, and value. |
| Approaches | My approach is to engage in candid, reflective conversations that help uncover and activate each person’s own capacity for philosophical thinking. This often involves revisiting taken-for-granted beliefs and deeply held social values, and exploring alternative ways of understanding one’s situation. Rather than offering ready-made solutions, the aim is to open up possibilities: different ways of interpreting, responding to, and living through life’s difficulties. Each individual situation is unique, and no single answer applies universally. Through ongoing dialogue, clients are supported in gradually reconstructing a way of thinking and a set of values that are both personally meaningful and sustainable over time. My approach integrates Western and Eastern traditions, including Stoic philosophy, existential thought, and classical Chinese and Buddhist perspectives. Across these traditions, a shared insight emerges: difficulty often lies not only in events themselves, but in how we understand and respond to them. Changing ingrained ways of thinking, valuing, and judging is easier said than done. It requires repeated reflection and practice before new perspectives can be internalised. Through regular dialogue, I support clients in applying these insights in their daily lives, with the aim of cultivating greater clarity and ultimately achieving serenity in mind and soul., "There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will." - EPICTETUS |
