As the founder of Relate Malaysia, Dr Chua Sook Ning holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from McGill University, a Master’s Degree in Social Psychology from the University of Waterloo, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from McGill University. She is also a visiting scholar at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she obtained an MPH in Epidemiology.

Dr Chua has a wealth of experience as a clinical psychologist, educator, supervisor, and researcher. Her research interests include motivation, self-regulation, and mental health interventions to name just a few of her areas of focus. Across research and training, she has collaborated with some of the most prominent psychologists in their fields including Prof Richard Ryan, Prof Richard Koestner, Prof Jeanne Watson, and Dr John Markowitz.

As a renowned mental health advocate, Dr Chua has been a sought-after speaker over the past 10 years, regularly appearing on radio and in print media, as well as delivering three TEDx Talks since 2017. To date, she is the only Malaysian certified by the prestigious Beck Institute in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and the only Malaysian certified in Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) by the International Society for EFT.

Dr Chua has delivered numerous talks and training sessions to companies and institutes on mental health topics ranging from motivation and resilience, to guidance on dealing with mental health struggles and how businesses can create supportive workplace cultures. She is a respected trainer and speaker, noted for her expertise in self-motivation, self-efficacy, and motivational psychology.

Her passion and drive to instill resilience and self-motivation in others are reflected in her ability to guide participants to cultivate key personal strengths that empower them to develop greater control in times of adversity, and a heightened degree of optimism, engagement, and confidence in the work they do.