Professor Johnston Wong is a social work and psychology expert at Beijing Normal Hong Kong Baptist University and co-founder of Social Workers Across Borders. With two decades of international experience, he shares insights into disaster response, digital innovation in psychosocial support, and the growing need for global collaboration in social work.

Episode Highlights:   Audio at bottom of this page

He is the Chair of the International Committee of Social Workers across Borders (SWAB).

Professor Johnston HC Wong.   Programme of Applied Psychology, Head of Master of Social Work Programme,

Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Beijing Normal Hong Kong Baptist University

Johnston, after studying Sociology in the Brock University of Canada, started his career in social work and social management in Hong Kong. He acquired extensive experience in applying case, group, and community approaches to youth work, family life education, school social work, civic education, and health education. He has taught at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels and assumed leadership roles in school administration and healthcare management. He is the Chair of the International Committee of the Social Workers across Borders (SWAB). SWAB is an NGO registered in Hong Kong focusing on disaster social work and crisis interventions. Since 2006, he resided and taught social work, social administration and psychology in Zhuhai, China. His teachings concern mainly with socio-medical, socio-legal and social psychological issues.

Social Workers Across Borders is a Hong Kong NGO founded after the December 26, 2004 Tsunami hit South East Asia. The NGO works mainly in post-disaster areas to provide emotional and mental health support.

SWAB sent several teams to the areas affected by the Wenzhou Earthquake in 2008. That was it’s first major project in the Mainland.

Since 2013, SWAB began a training for its “Heart Partner” Mainland China program, which sends people to work in disaster-affected areas. 693 people making up 42 teams have been sent to disaster-affected areas as part of this program.

Other areas that SWAB sent teams to include Taiwan, Qinghai, Gansu, Shenzhen and Chongqing, responding to typhoons, earthquakes, and landslides and floods.

https://chinadevelopmentbrief.org/ngos/social-workers-across-borders/

SWAB  is currently recruiting volunteers from the region to assist in Myanmar following the devastating earthquake.

Special Training

EQ, Six Seconds, USA.

Instructor, CISM, International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, USA.

CCISM, University of Maryland

 Research Interests

Disaster Social Work, Social Work in Health Care, Social Legislation, Positive Psychology, and Post-traumatic Growth, Industrial Health and Occupational Social Work, Working with Youth, Student Development in Higher Education, Emotional Intelligence, Adversity and Resilience, College students mental health, Social Innovations and Enterprises, International Social Work, and Social Indicators Research.

Awards

Ten Outstanding Young Persons, Hong Kong, 1990. Presidential Citation Award, ACPA, 2014.

International Critical Incident Intervention Leadership Award, ICISF, 2015.

Published Books

Wong, H. C. J. & Yu, B. S. S. (to be in early 2026). Community Change through Social Service and Business Partnership, IGI Global Scientific Publsihing.

Wong, H. C. J. (2025). Healthy Cities in the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area, Sun Yat Sen University Press. ISBN: (in print)

Wong, H. C. J., Xie, T. X. N., Lai, N. L., Zhou, T. C. (2022). Handbook for Community Social Work, Social Workers across Borders. Social Workers Across Borders Publication.

Wong, H. C. J., Lui, C. X., F., Lai, N. L., Zhou, T. C. (2022). Handbook for Social Work Intervention in Public Emergencies, Social Workers across Borders. Social Workers Across Borders Publication.

Wong, H. C. J., (2021). Children and Youth in China since 1978, Opportunities and Challenges (Ed.). New York: Nova Science Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-68507-149-3, DOI: https://doi.org/10.52305/OETH8715

Zhao, X. B., Wong, H. C. J., Lowe, C., Monaco, E., & Corbett, J. (2021), Covid-19 Pandemic, Crisis Responses and the Changing World, Perspectives in Humanities and Social Sciences (ed.). Singapore: Springer. ISBN: 978-981-16-2429-2

Wong, H. C. J., (2019). Internationalization and Localization of Student Affairs in Higher Education – the Unique Experience and Exploration of the BNU-HKBU United International College. Beijing University of Technology Press. ISBN：978-7-5639-6652-3

Wong, H. C. J., (2018). Modern City Emergency Management and Social Work Interventions – Roles and Cases. Beijing: China Social Press.

Wong, H. C. J., (2018). Disaster Social Work from Crisis Response to Building Resilience, New York:  NOVA Science Publishers. ISBN: 9781536144352

Wong, H. C. J., (2017). Integrated and Seamless Services for Older People, a model of elderly care from Zhuhai to China. Guangzhou: Sun Yat Sen University Press. ISBN：9787306060921

Wong H. C. J., (2016). Disaster Social Work Handbook. Guangzhou: Sun Yat Sen University Press, ISBN：9787306056016.

Wong H. C. J., (2013）. Social Work and Related Laws and Regulations — Case Analysis and Applications. Guangzhou: Sun Yat Sen University Press, ISBN：9787306046802.

Wong H. C. J., (2011）. Disasters Across Borders – Social work Interventions Case Studies, published by Social Workers across Borders, Hong Kong. ISBN：9789881841858