In this article, we have invited Dr Amy Chou, a professor of social work and social administration at The University of Hong Kong to share with us the impact of counselling in reducing one’s grief and regret on death. 

I remember in one of the lectures, Amy asked the class whether we would prefer to have a foreseen or unforeseen death. My answer is to have a foreseen death so that I can make good use of my time and have a chance to say goodbye to people that I love. 

However, it is not easy to start conversations about death and dying. Especially for Chinese, as we tend to deny death, this may therefore create lifelong regrets to both the patients and the bereaved. 

So what can we do to avoid having regrets at the end of our life? How can we enhance our communication with our loved one and family? 

Read Amy’s story and prepare yourself for a lecture on death and effective communication.