Rising up from the depths: courage in adversity

Bobby is an Officer with Unmanageable Debts (OUD) totalling some $600,000. He underwent disciplinary proceedings, was issued with a dismissal warning and is now repaying his debts regularly after arranging debt rescheduling with the assistance of a welfare officer.

He was facing disciplinary proceedings about the time he was referred to the Psychological Services Group for counselling by his formation. Similar to some other officers, Bobby did not believe the fact that other people could offer him help when his financial problem was disclosed.

"I didn't trust the psychologist when I first met her." said Bobby.

He felt there was strong prejudice against OUDs among Force members and his expectation about the future were pessimistic. With his "defeatist" attitude at that time, he refused to repay the debt because he thought he would be dismissed right away.

With counselling from a police clinical psychologist, Bobby gradually discovered that some people were genuinely concerned about him.

"There are still people who can be trusted," he said.

He started to regain his trust in other people, and his outlook became more positive. He realised that his behavior might affect the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings and he became more aware of his responsibilities regarding helping himself despite the uncertainties. Instead of giving up, he tried to prove his capabilities through his enthusiastic attitude towards work. He also cooperated with the welfare officer regarding the rescheduling of his debts by adhering to the repayment schedule.

All of his positive efforts were reinforced by the trust shown towards him by his formation. After a period of observation by his seniors, he was allowed to perform normal constabulary duties. He regarded this decision as very encouraging at a time when he was facing the difficult prospect of indebtedness and disciplinary proceedings.

Although Bobby still had to face his indebtedness, he did not feel embarrassed about his OUD status. He was also eager to share his experiences with other officers having similar difficulties and render his support to them.

Psychologist's Comments:

Bobby was once frustrated and lost his trust in others during this difficult time in his life. With the support of his formation and other trained professionals, he tried to step back, listen to what they had to say and adopt a positive attitude to deal with these problems. Talking about problems openly and seeking advice from others also helps broaden ones perspective. Furthermore, we can also learn from this example that a trusting relationship between senior and subordinate is also an important source of support. We hope that other officers can be like Bobby - to try to see problems from a different perspective, to open oneself to support from others, to seek help when in need, and to do one's best to move forward despite adversities.

Consent has been obtained from colleagues to publish their stories.

Seek advice and help from the Psychological Services Group: PHQ, Hong Kong Island and Marine: 2866-6206 (5/F, 111 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay); Kowloon and the New Territories: 2735-3739 (22/F, Ocean Building, 80 Shanghai Street).



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