Dr SIM Boon Wee, Timothy 
沈文偉博士

Tel: 2766 5015
Fax: 2773 6558 
E-mail : sstim@polyu.edu.hk

Qualifications
BA (Hons) (NUS, Singapore),
Grad Dip in Family Therapy (Counselling & Care [Singapore]/Institute of Family Therapy [London])
MSc (King’s College, London),
PhD (HKU, Hong Kong) 

Full Curriculum Vitae
Specialty and Research Interests
My main research and practice interest in the past decade has been to develop culturally sensitive family-based treatment in Asian contexts, particularly for the Chinese family that is in a constant flux. I have been involved in children and adolescent health related behaviors research, with a particular focus on family dynamics of adolescent drug abusers, as well as pathological videogame use among children and adolescents. In the wake of the 5.12 Sichuan earth quake, I have been working closely with international and Chinese experts across disciplines in developing practice and research projects in the earthquake affected areas. Some of the  recent projects include:
 
Earthquake related research
·      Coping with loss in a Chinese post-disaster context
·      A practice research project on working with children in the Great Sichuan Earthquake
·      Disaster management in China - The role of social work in the Great Sichuan Earthquake
·      Policy impact of the relocation of teachers and students from Wenchuan to Ermeishan City: A case study of Shuimo Secondary School
 
Family and adolescent research
·      Effects of digital gaming on children and teenagers in Singapore
·      Singapore youths in the cyber world: A 4-year study on cyber wellness issues
·      Adolescent health related behaviors in Singapore
·      A psychosocial study on the reasons for drug abuse and the profile of drug abusers in Singapore
·      A study on reasons for completion and non-completion of Case Management Framework ex-offender clients
·      Needs assessment of aftercare services for ex-offenders and their families
·      Practice research with ex-offenders and their family members
·      Family therapy development in China and Singapore: Challenges, dilemmas, and possibilities
Selected Recent Publications
Sim, T., Gentile, D., Bricolo, F., Serpelloni, G., & Gulamoydeen, F. (In press). A conceptual review of research on the pathological use of computers, video games, and the internet. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. [Published online on 13 January 2012: DOI 10.1007/s11469-011-9369-7]

Sim, T. (2012). The growing pains of family therapy in Singapore. Journal of Family Therapy, 34(2). 204-214.

Sim, T. (2011). Developing an expanded school mental health network in a post-earthquake Chinese context. Journal of Social Work. 11(3), 326-330.

Gentile, D. A., Choo, H., Liau, A., Sim, T., Li, D., Fung, D., & Khoo, A. (2011). Pathological Video Game Use among Youth: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study. Pediatrics. 127(2), e319-e329

Choo, H., & Sim, T. (2010). Health Risk Behaviors of Foreign-Born Adolescents in Singapore: Exploration of Risk Factors in an Asian context. British Journal of Social Work, 40(7), 2203-2222.

Sim, T. (2009). Family therapy in the Forbidden City: A review of Chinese journals from 1978 to 2006. Family Process, 48(4), 559-583.

Sim, T. (2009). Crossing the river stone by stone: developing an expanded schoolmental health network in post-quake Sichuan. China Journal of Social Work, 2(3), 165–177.
Teaching and Learning
As Nietzsche says, “one repays a teacher badly if one always remains a pupil only”. I expect my students to be better than me eventually. The subjects that I have taught include: 
·         Family Therapy theory and methods
·         Counselling skills and sensitivity training
·         Qualitative research methods
·         Practice research
·         Treatment in correctional & drug rehabilitation settings
·         Human development and the social environment
·         Critical issues in adolescent development
·         Mental health in disaster situations
·         Rehabilitation social work

 “Dr Sim has really pushed us to think very hard and very critically and that is what a Masters Module should be like as we are already professionals in the field, we should move beyond superficial work to do really in-depth work. He often challenged us and gave us a lot of opportunities to try out what he taught us. Benefited a lot from his guidance in class and have been actively using what he taught in class to my clinical practice.”  - Student
Integrating Practice, Research and Teaching
I have consistently been involved in clinical practice with front-line practitioners. Through systematic documentation and evaluation, we strategically present the findings to policy makers, and publish in international journals, with the aim to improve practice in the field both locally and internationally. In turn, these processes and outcomes are fed back into my teaching.  Some of my practice projects in the past three years include:
 
Earthquake practice research
·         Project Director, Sichuan Expanded School Mental Health Network, Feb 2009 – Dec 2013, HK$5,000,000, funded by MINDSET. This project focuses on serving schools in the hardest hit areas during the 5.12 earthquake.
·         Project Director, Sichuan Post-Earthquake Wellness Enhancement Programme, June 2008 – Dec 2010, HK$1,000,000, with a focus to promote the mental wellness of adults, such as villagers and government officials.

Family and adolescent practice research
·         Consultant, A Practice Research Project on Adolescent Drug Rehabilitation with Tung Wah Group of Hospitals [March 2011 to March 2013]. This project aims to develop a multi-family therapy programme for adolescent drug abusers and their family members of Hong Kong.
·         Consultant, A Clinical Consultation and Supervision for Institute of Mental Health Addiction Medicine Department [IMH-AMD], Singapore [Aug 2010 – December 2012]. I need to provide clinical supervision to a Principal Social Worker in IMH-AMD.
·         Consultant, Touch Community Services [March 2011 – December 2011], Development of an adolescent pathological video gaming treatment model in Singapore.   Founder, Family Research and Consultation Network, April 2006 – September 2007, funded by Mavis Khoo fund, which focused on working with ex-offenders and their family members. (Amount funded: SGD$19, 000)
Personal Life
The important thing is not winning but taking part. What counts in life is not the victory but the struggle; the essential thing is not to conquer but to fight well.
 
Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863 – 1937),  Founder of International Olympic Committee