Love in the Service of Hope
Our Counselling Service
Scope of Service
Caritas Family Service has been serving the community for over 60 years. With our clinical professional counselling team, Human Empowerment & Achievement Training(HEAT) specializes in the following issues:
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Marital Issues, Extra-Marital Affairs, Separation & Divorce- Counselling on Marital Relationship
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Family Mediation
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Pre-Martial Couple Counselling / Marriage Enrichment (Click to download the Service Registration Forms)
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Marriage Revisiting
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Compulsive Sexual Behaviour, Sexual Dysfunctions, Couple Intimate and Sexual Problems - Sex Therapy
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Family Conflicts
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Child/Adolescent - Emotional, Behavioural, Social & Learning Issues
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Play Therapy
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Mood, Stress, Depression, Anxiety, Grieving & Trauma
Counselling Fees
$720 - $2,000 per hour
Special Features of the service
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Hours of service are flexible to meet with the needs of the client. (service is also provided during non-office hours)
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Service can be arranged within 3 working days upon request.
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Face-to-face interviews can be conducted in our Central or Tsuen Wan centre.
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Counselling service can be provided in English, Cantonese and Putonghua.
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Contents of the interviews and personal information are handled in strict confidence.
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All counsellors are well experienced (over 7 years) in counselling
Service Hours
Monday to Friday 9:00am to 12:30pm; 1:30pm to 5:00pm
Special Service Hours
Central centre : Tuesday & Friday 5pm to 9pm; Saturday 9am to 5pm
Tsuen Wan centre: Friday 5pm to 8pm
Address
Central centre :
Room 132, Caritas House, 2 Caine Road, Central, Hong Kong
Tsuen Wan centre:
9/F, Caritas Jockey Club, Tsuen Wan Social Service Building, 9 Shing Mun Road, Tsuen Wan, N.T., Hong Kong
Our Professional Team
Experienced Registered Social Worker & Counsellors
Ms Annetta WONG
Senior Counselling and Training Consultant
Registered Social Worker M.S.W., B. Soc. Sci.(CUHK),
PgD in Family-centred Social Work (HKPU)
Brief Therapist
Accredited Gestalt Therapy Practitioner
Prepare/ Enrich Certified Counselor
Triple-P® Accredited Group Facilitator
Ms Wong was the Chief Training and Counseling Consultant of Human Empowerment and Achievement Training from 2004 to 2016. She had worked as family caseworker, school social worker since her career in Caritas Family Service since 1991.
Ms Wong has extensive clinical experience in counseling especially in marital issues, family relationship work and crisis prevention work. She provides training and clinical supervision to family social workers in the agency and has been invited as guest speaker in topic of crisis intervention work to social work students in university. She is also constantly working with corporate clients on such topical workshops as ‘Work and Life Balance’ and ‘Stress Management’ and has provided employee counselling to the corporate staff since our project established. She had conducted counseling skills training groups for the human resources management staff and also teachers in the education sector. She also provides extensive training workshops and seminars or groups to teachers, students and parents on stress management, parent-child reading and issues related with students with learning difficulties.
Ms Wong graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1989. Ms. Wong received her Post-graduate Diploma in Family-centred Social Work in 1995 and Master of Social Work in 2012 awarded with Dean’s List. Ms Wong joined the Brief Therapists’ Team in the agency in mid 90’s. She had received extensive training by renowned international trainers on Brief Therapy such as Ms Insoo Kim Berg, Dr. Scott Miller and Ms Lee Mo Yee and case supervision by local academics such as Dr. Ho Wui Shing, Dr. Yeung Ka Ching and Dr. Chu Chi Keung.
Ms. Wong also received her gestalt therapy training from Paula Bottome from 1997 to 2000 and was accredited of therapy practitioner. In 2002, she attended the one-year certificate training program by Dr. John Banmen on Suicide Prevention and Treatment by Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of University of Hong Kong.
Ms. Wong is the co-author of the following professional books in local context: Solution-focused Therapy Practice & Reflections II, Caritas – Hong Kong – Family Service, 2003; Suicide Counseling in the Satir Model-Reflections on Clinical Practice, Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, HKU 2005.
Ms Johanna JEN
Senior Counselling and Training Consultant
RSW, MSocSc (HKU)
Certified AEDP Therapist
Somatic Experiencing®Practitioner
Professional Certificate in the Theory and Supervised Practice of Family Systems Therapy, Pacific Coast Family Therapy Training Association, Canada
Prepare/Enrich Certified Counsellor
Ms. Johanna Jen is a Registered Social Worker, who received her Master of Social Sciences Degree (Social Work- Family) from the University of Hong Kong. She had started to work in Medical Social Service and Family Service from 1989 and later in Counselling Services in both Hong Kong and Canada from 1992 to 2004. Having worked extensively with couples and families, Ms. Jen realized the importance of incorporating a Systemic Perspective into her work and acquired the Professional Certificate in the Theory and Supervised Practice of Family Systems Therapy (specialization in the Multigenerational Family Therapy) at the Pacific Coast Family Therapy Training Association, Vancouver, Canada. In the realm of Reconstructive Therapy, Ms. Jen had been deeply inspired by the works of Dr. Paula Bottome and received intensive training in Gestalt Therapy from 1989 to 1997 and facilitated the setup of the Gestalt Network in the Pacific Rim, Hong Kong. She continued her journey to integrate a holistic approach to mental health and would expand into the use of body-focused approach, such as Mindfulness, which she studied and practised at the Insight Meditation Society of Hong Kong, as well as Somatic Experiencing. Ms. Jen is a Certified AEDP Therapist (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) granted by the AEDP Institute, USA and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner granted by the SE Trauma Institute, USA.
Ms. Jen specialized in working with developmental and relational traumas, pre-marital and marital issues, depression, anxiety, and personal development issues. She would be mindful in integrating her knowledge and skills in facilitating affect and somatic regulation, building secure attachment, enhancing body-mind-spirit connection as well as reflective function with those she serve.
By 2009, Ms. Jen started to conduct educational training at tertiary level in Hong Kong. She was invited to run workshop on “Working with Trauma” to the Bachelor of Criminal Justice (BCJ) Program, Sociology Department, University of Hong Kong. She taught Marital Counselling for the the Social Work and Social Administration Department since 2011 and was appointed Honorary Lecturer in the Department from 2013-16. Ms. Jen can conduct her service in Cantonese, English and Mandarin.
Ms. Janet WONG
Senior Counselling and Training Consultant
Master Degree in Social Work
Certified Gambling Counsellor
Certified Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner
Registered Social Worker
Ms. Janet Wong has extensive experiences in facilitating individuals and couples to overcome their roots of personal obstacles and improve their communication patterns in achieving healthy relationships.
Ms. Wong has been practicing as a counsellor for over 15 years in both USA and Hong Kong. Her areas of expertise include couples therapy, family therapy, anger management; anxiety, depression, fears, phobias, panic attacks, pain management; mood disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, alcohol, gambling, and substance abuse addiction and their family members; relational conflicts from family and work, crisis from different developmental stages, stress management for parents caused by children behavioral issues and different parenting styles.
Her theoretical approach is a compilation of Family Systems Therapy (specialization in the Multigenerational Family Therapy), Solution Focus Therapy, Cognitive-behavioral Therapy, and Transactional Analysis. She practiced and applied Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-IV) for all clinical cases as a tool for comprehensive assessment and treatment while working in the United States.
Ms. Wong had run a private children intelligence training centre where she had provided family consultation and counselling. She was also a lecturer in Macau University of Science and Technology. Besides, she had rich experiences to present in conferences, seminars, workshops, and trainings to professionals, parents, and graduated students. Areas included multiple addictions recovery treatment, individual, marital and group counselling.
Ms. Wong obtained her Master Degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Alabama. She is a Certified Gambling Counsellor (CGC), Certified Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, and Registered Social Worker (RSW).
Miss Bonnie CHEN
Senior Counselling and Training Consultant
Registered Social Worker
Master of Arts in Family Counselling and Family Education (CUHK)
Bachelor of Social Work (Honors) (PolyU)
Postgraduate Certificate in Psychodrama Group and Individual Psychotherapy
Basic and Advance Courses in Teacher Professional Development on Catering for Students with Special Educational Needs (HKIEd)
6As Character Parenting Facilitator
Personality Dimensions® Qualified Facilitator(Level 1)
Prepare/Enrich Certified Counsellor
Ms. Chen is a Registered Social Worker who has worked with Caritas Family Service for fifteen years, with extensive experience in primary school guidance service, school social work service, and special educational needs (SEN) school support service. Ms. Chen received her Master’s in Family Counseling and Family Education from Chinese University of Hong Kong. She works primarily with children and adolescents with SEN, emotional disturbance and mental health problems. She also works with family and couple counselling especially in parenting issues and family relationship work.
Ms. Chen also has rich experience in providing training to students, parents, and teachers. She had conducted workshops and seminars on Personality Dimensions®, career and life planning, stress management, and issues related with students with SEN. She also provides pre-martial counselling programs to couples.
Ms. Chen is currently working on her fifth year of postgraduate diploma training in psychodrama and psychotherapy from Jinnie Jefferies and Anna Chesner, the Senior Trainers with BPA, of London Centre for Psychodrama as her continuous professional training. She is more focused on working with youth mental health, as well as trauma and recovery with individuals recently.
Miss HUANG Hairong
Senior Counselling and Training Consultant
Registered Social Worker
MSocSc (CUHK)
Somatic Experiencing®Practitioner
Prepare/Enrich Certified Counsellor
Personality Dimensions® Level 1 Qualified Facilitator
Ms. HUANG HAIRONG holds a Master's Degree of Social Science in Social Work at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and she’s a certified Somatic Experiencing® practitioner. She has years of experience in social service for families and individuals from many different cultural/educational backgrounds. Ms. HUANG works with adults, young adolescents and families with issues such as stress and anxiety, depression, adjustment disorder, traumatic experience, relationship issues, self-growth and resilience build-up. Ms. HUANG also provides pre-marital counselling for years. Ms. HUANG applies a person-centered approach with containment of clients’ emotions and physical/psychological responses in a safe way. She helps clients in the healing of trauma through a body-oriented approach which includes integration of body, mind and spirit. Having been living in the mainland of China for over 20 years, Ms. HUANG provides counselling in fluent Putonghua, Cantonese, and English.
Ms Anita LAU
Registered social worker
Senior counseling consultant
BSW (magna cum laude), Rhode Island College, USA.
Ms Lau has more than 20 years front line experience in US and HK. Her practice covers individual and family counseling, unwed mother, child protection, school social work, mental health and personal growth. She was also a guest speaker of different universities.
Ms Lau has solid and extended experience in design and delivery of groups and talks. In recent years, she integrates different psychological theories and develop a series of mental health group which was well-received by the participants. The wide range of clientele including teenagers with self-harm behavior, cancer patients, carers of family member with chronic illness, divorced women, patients with mental problems (depression, anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder), parents of SEN students… etc.
Ms Trista LAM
Registered Social Worker
MSocSc (Counselling)(Distinction) (HKU)
BSW (HKU)
Cert. Parent Education (CUHK)
Mindfulness Teacher (Plum Village Mindfulness Academy)
Ms Trista LAM graduated from The University of Hong Kong. She was awarded with a scholarship to study one extra year of Psychology at University of Toronto, Canada when she was studying her social work degree. Better still, she obtained a distinction from her counselling master degree. Ms LAM is an experienced social worker cum counsellor. She has been working at Integrated Family Services Centres, Psychiatric Clinics, Youth Prisons, Youth Centres and Elderly Social Enterprise Services in Hong Kong. She also used to service the mentally retarded in India as well as teachers and orphans in Malawi, Africa.
Ms LAM has been to France, Germany, England, America and Thailand etc to learn and lead mindfulness for more than a year. She was inspired by the intensive practice and developed a unique counselling style. She is particularly good at integrating mindfulness with different psychotherapies such as Emotionally Focused Therapy, Person Centered Therapy, Satir Model and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy etc. Ms LAM has facilitated thousands of people who suffered from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and grief to re-understand themselves and regain momentum to lead a meaningful life. In addition, she is good at facilitating people who are facing family, marital and parenting problems through understanding their personal and family members’ growth experience as well as impacts brought by their respective family of origin, becoming introspective and subtly improve their family relationships.
Ms LAM is a global visionary who has been living and travelling to more than 70 countries, hence she has some basic knowledge about different races, religions and cultures. Owing to her plentiful life experiences, she has a profounder understanding towards meaning of life which in turn help her to become even more person-centred in the counselling process and thus maximize the positive effect of life-on-life inspiration.
Ms CHAN Pui Yu
Registered Social Worker
Degree of Bachelor of Social Work (HKPU)
Narrative Practice (Intermediate course)
Accredited Family Mediator
Child Inclusive Mediation & Counselling- Child Consultant course (18 hours)
By Professor Jennifer McIntosh <Child beyond disputes>
Accredited teacher of Billings Ovulation Methods (Melbourne Australia)
Miss CHAN had been working in Caritas - Hong Kong from 1980 to 2018, She had been working in Community Development Project in Sai Kung for three years in the Youth & Community Division with her job title as Social Work Assistant.
After she completed her Degree of Bachelor of Social Work, she joined the Family Service Division as a caseworker since 1985. She had been experienced in working with Autistic Children and their families as a member of the treatment group for Autistic Children from 1985 – 1990. She also worked for 10 years in school social work service with youngsters with schooling and family problems as well as emotional mothers in parenting problems.
Miss CHAN excelled herself in taking up teaching role and fieldwork supervisor in Macau Social Work Training Institute before 1990. Her interests in family counselling were reflected in her taking up the training as a family mediator during 2012 and she got her accreditation as a Family Mediator in 2013.
Miss CHAN was being appointed as I-FAST supervisor in Caritas – Hong Kong during 2016 and she worked to train her junior colleagues until her retirement in 2/2018.
Miss CHAN has been a dedicated and devoted Catholic which reflects in her carrying on as a Billings Ovulation Method Teacher since 2004 until then.
Miss CHAN excels in her good command of languages in providing services in Cantonese, English, Putonghua and Chiu Chau dialect.
Dr. Paulina Kwok
Registered Social Worker
Certified Family Therapist (HKMFTA)、Fellow & Certified counselor (HKPCA) as well as Clinical Supervisor(HKMFTA &HKPCA)
Certified Sex Therapist (HKSERT)
Certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (Trauma Institute, USA)
Certified Integral Somatic Psychology Practitioner (ISP)
Certified Ego-State Therapist (a combined Ego-state & Hypno-somatic Approach to Trauma, MEISA)
Certified Whole Body Focusing Oriented Therapist (TIFI)
Associate Certified Meta-Coach (ISNS) & Certified Executive Coach (ACF)
Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT)
Everything Disc Practitioner &Trainer (Wiley International) & MBTI Administrator (CPP Asia Pacific)
Dr. Paulina Kwok is a private practitioner after her step down from the Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre. The Centre was established by her in 2001. She was the supervisor of the Centre since its establishment until 2016. Besides, she also established a pilot project in Caritas Family Service on Extra-marital Affairs and Debt Counseling Project. Before joining Caritas, she worked at Against Child Abuse for child protective service.
Dr. Kwok received her training in Post-graduate Family-centred Social Work, Master of Arts in Social Work and earned the Doctor of Social Work from the University of Polytechnic.
Dr. Kwok is a registered social work, a certified family therapist and clinical supervisor qualified by the Hong Kong Marriage and Family Therapist Association (HKMFTA). She is also a certified counselor, clinical supervisor and Fellow of Hong Kong Professional Counseling Association (HKPCA) as well as a certified Sex Therapist (HKSERT).
She has also received the training on trauma psychotherapy and is now a certified Somatic Experiencing Trauma Practitioner (SEP, Trauma Institute, USA), an Integral Somatic Psychology therapist (ISP), an Ego-state Therapist (MEISA) and certified Whole-body Focusing Oriented Therapist(TIFI).
Dr. Kwok is also an Associate Certified Meta-Coach (ISNS) and Executive Coach (ACF) as well as a certified Motivational Interviewing trainer (MINT). She is also a certified Everything Disc practitioner and trainer (Wiley International).
Dr. Kwok is now the part time lecturer in the Master Program on Family Therapies at Bethel Bible Seminary. Currently, she is also the board member of the Hong Kong Marriage and Family Therapist Association. She has been the consultant supervisor of the Supervision Supporting Scheme organized by the Hong Kong Social Work Association (HKSWA) since five years ago, providing individual and group consultation to the agency’s supervisors.
Her expertise is in various clinical areas: marriage and family crisis, debt crisis, emotional problems, grief and trauma. Coaching is also another approach for her to maximize one’s highest potentials to reach the best performance in life or career.
Marriage & Family Therapists
Dr. WONG Oi Ling
Senior Counselling and Training Consultant
BSocSc, MSocSc, PhD HK; RSW; AAMFT Approved Supervisor
Dr. Wong Oi Ling is a marriage and family therapist. She is also an AAMFT (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy) Approved Supervisor. Dr. Wong worked as a Clinical Supervisor/Senior Teaching Consultant with The University of Hong Kong from 2002 to 2011, and as Assistant Professor with the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 2012 to 2014. Her teaching duties include didactic courses in marriage and family therapy and clinical supervision. She also conducted live case demonstrations in the weekly evening family therapy clinic to teach students in the master’s degree program how to work with families with a variety of potential problems. Dr. Wong has been conducting training and delivering supervision courses in the field of marriage and family therapy for universities, hospitals, and social service agencies since 2000 in mainland China, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong. She also has many years of direct practice experience, especially in the mental health field. Her expertise is primarily in the area of family therapy training, clinical supervision, children and adolescent family, mental health, parental mental illness, and families living with dementia. Dr Wong has published two Chinese casebooks titled “夾缝中的孩子” and "婚姻滋味──尋回相愛的甜蜜".
Dr. YIP-CHOW Lai Wan, Filomena PhD
Senior Training and Counselling Consultant
Master in Counselling (Monash University)
Doctor of Philosophy (Nursing)
Master of Science (Nursing and Education)
Certified Clinical Supervisor & Marriage and Family Therapist, (Hong Kong Marriage and Family Therapy Association)
Prepare/ Enrich Certified Counsellor
Certified Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner
Dr. Yip-Chow Lai Wan, Filomena is an experienced marriage counsellor and also a Certified Clinical Supervisor & Marriage and Family Therapist with the HKMFTA. She has been involved in marriage and family therapy after leaving her teaching role from the university. Her main areas of counselling are in family and marital relationships. Her other area of expertise is premarital preparation and marriage enhancement. Since completion of the supervisor training in counselling, she has taken up a dual role as a Counsellor and Clinical Supervisor at her workplace.
Counselling Psychologists
Dr. Y.P. TSANG, Bill
Senior Counselling and Training Consultant
BS, MS, MA, EdM, EdD (PhD equivalent, Harvard)
Registered Psychologist, Hong Kong
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Massachusetts, USA)
Dr. Bill Tsang has been practicing since 1994, specializing in mental health and individual psychotherapy, as well as couple and family therapy. He has worked extensively with people suffering from depression, anxiety, relational traumas and difficulties, parent-child conflicts, and personal development issues. While he takes an integrated approach to psychotherapy, Dr. Tsang often applies psychodynamic therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy in his work, with sensitivity towards spiritual and faith issues. He is also experienced in helping professionals in their personal growth, vocational development and life coaching.
Dr. Tsang was an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at The Chinese University of Hong Kong for four years, where he taught mental health and family counseling courses, and practiced clinical work. He also gives workshops and seminars on mental health and personal growth in various settings, including universities, schools, counseling and social work agencies, and churches. He has practiced clinical counseling and psychotherapy in the USA for more than seven years. He has been conducting psychological and education research at the University of Hong Kong since 2006. His work also involves developing global leadership training programs for young professionals, and mentoring programs for vulnerable youths.
Dr, Tsang received his Master in Counseling Psychology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, his Master in Education and Doctorate in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University. He is a License Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts, U.S.A. and a registered psychologist with the Hong Kong Psychological Society.
Mrs Winnie LEE
Senior Counselling and Training Consultant
Registered Counselling Psychologist & Associate Fellow, HKPS
Registered Educational Psychologist, HCPC UK
Approved Supervisor, ACA and HKPCA
Trainer in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Certificate in Emotion-Focused Therapy
Mrs Winnie Lee has over 30 years’ experience working in the education and counselling field. She started her career as a Social Worker in the Family Services of the Social Welfare Department in HK, then she was employed as a Child and Educational Psychologist in Australia for 9 years before working as a Counselling Psychologist in a local university for over 20 years. She now works privately as a counselling psychologist and a part-time lecturer cum clinical supervisor in local universities.
With her many professional qualifications and extensive work experiences, Mrs Lee is well experienced in counselling cases of different nature including emotional problems, stress and anxiety, parenting, couple/family relationships, children with behavioural and emotional difficulties, mental health issues and other personal issues. She is knowledgeable in conducting a wide range of psychological assessments and training programmes for counsellors, teachers and parents.
Clinical Psychologists
Ms NG Yu-fa, Esther
Senior Counselling and Training Consultant
M. Soc. Sc. (Clinical Psychology),HKU
Fellow, Hong Kong Psychological Society
Registered Psychologist (Clinical), HKPS
Registered Clinical Psychologist, UK
Esther has been practicing as clinical psychologist in Hong Kong for more than 20 years. She has rich experience in both clinical and health psychology, providing psychological intervention to people suffering distress ranging from the mild adjustment issues to the severe mental disturbances.
Esther has worked in the Hospital Authority for more than 17 years. She has extensive experience providing psychological intervention to people suffering various psychiatric and emotional disorders, including depression and manic-depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adjustment disorder and psychosis. Esther has special interest and expertise in women mental health and adjustment problems, including ante- and post-natal adjustment problems and mood disorder, grief and adjustment to perinatal loss, adjustment and distress arising from menopause and other gynecological problems, marital, family and parenting problems.
Apart from direct clinical services, Esther also provides training and consultation to other health care professionals, patient support groups and volunteers, as well as public education on mental health. From 1993 till she left the public services sector in 2011, Esther has been an honorary clinical supervisor of the psychology departments of both the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University of Hong Kong, providing on-site supervision to clinical psychology trainees undergoing clinical placement.
Esther obtained her Master of Social Sciences in Clinical Psychology from the University of Hong Kong. She is a registered clinical psychologist of the Hong Kong Psychological Society and Health Professions Council of UK.