CandleX: Mental Health Support in Beijing
Your mental health is important to take care of - whether single, dating, or in a long-term relationship - but it can be difficult to know where to find support when in a foreign country or new city.
CandleX is an organization that offers mental health support to teenagers and adults living in Beijing. Expats and Chinese nationals are all eligible to receive this support.
Date Night China spoke to Xiaojie Qin, the founder of CandleX, to learn why she started CandleX and the types of services and support they provide in Beijing.
When and why did you start CandleX?
As an English-speaking Chinese national, with personal and professional relationships in the expat community and substantial international travel, I found it difficult to identify with the Chinese mental health services available.
I was searching for mental health support that utilized a more Western cultural approach. This search did not yield any positive results and I concluded that the English-speaking community in Beijing lacked both social and clinical support. This realization inspired me to fill the gap, and I soon after founded CandleX, with the aim of providing mental health support in English.
The cost of mental health care provided by international private hospitals is prohibitive. Many foreigners living in Beijing are not able to afford these resources. There is little to no support available to those not earning the highest salaries.
Life abroad is stressful；stressors include adjusting to a new culture, leaving the familiar, encountering different ways of thinking and different cultural norms. Chinese mental health care is available, but language and cultural barriers make both access and efficacy challenging.
In addition to the expats residing in Beijing, there are Chinese nationals that feel that the Chinese care on offer is too culturally defined to benefit them. CandleX offers affordable, accessible and quality social support in English.
How many people need help? (English mental health services)
One in four people experience some form of mental health issue. Beijing is home to an estimated 107.000 foreigners. It is evident from these numbers that many foreigners living in Beijing would benefit from accessible mental health care and support.
CandleX aims to provide this support to those who need it so that everybody has access to mental health care regardless of their language, culture, and financial situation.
Types of Support
CandleX has established an English Speaking Peer Support Group for people with depression, bi-polar disorders, anxiety and those who are going through difficult situations in life. They also introduce tools to build up mental resilience, eg. Emotional wellbeing workhops, improving the social environment for people with depression through scaled campaign.
Sign up and learn more here: Sign Up | Online Mental Health Support Group in China
They also conduct presentations, speeches, movie screenings and workshops on depression and bi-polar disorders in high schools, local community groups, embassies, government agencies and companies, etc.
CandleX also has a writing community and shares stories from people. What kind of stories and issues do you share about?
We offer two parts for our writing community. One part is for adults to share their stories and emotions. The other one is for teens, called Teens Open Letter.
On this platform, teens can post their stories about their stress, anxiety and emotions. People can share their mental health related stories in the writing community, for example their relationships with schools and families, or their lives overseas and within China. We had the teenagers interview the members of AA.
The writing community is meant to create a space to talk about people’s mental issues and also encourage people to open up and talk about their feelings.
CandleX Fundraiser for Mental Health Peer Support Group and More
CandleX is currently running a fundraiser which will help run our mental health support group sessions for 2021. It will also help develop capacities to offer one-on-one coaching, facilitate training and increase public awareness through the media.
Read more and learn how to donate: Fundraiser for Mental Health Peer Support Group and More
We thank you for your generous donations. Your support, big or small, will allow us to continue to provide services for people with mental illnesses all over the world!
Learn more about CandleX
Follow the official Wechat account (QR code below) to learn more about CandleX and the support they offer. They have also launched a Chinese WeChat account.
Are you dating in China?
We'd love to hear your story and share it! Reach out to DNC admin Rachel on Wechat: rachelweiss22
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Date Night China is a digital media platform and events organization based in Beijing that aims to build a positive community and share stories about relationships and dating in China. Follow our Wechat Account for the latest articles, new podcast episodes, and upcoming events.