Psychology Professional
Interview with Dr. Zhu
Jasmine Norton
Psy 5002
Capella University
April 27, 2022
About Dr. Zhu
● Dr. Fengkan Zhu is a Psychologist that provides
diagnostic evaluations to children to assess
whether they have Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD).
● He works for HopeBridge Autism Therapy Center
in Watkinsville, Ga.
● He got his Bachelor’s in Psychology in China.
● He got his Doctorate degree from the University of
Georgia
Necessary Skills
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Active Listening
Empathy
Multiculturalism
Humility
Cultural Competence
○ “Cultural competence comes from true interaction with
people who look like you and people who don’t look like
you.” -Dr. Zhu
○ Having a spirit of humbleness and showing humility is
important in developing cultural competence.
Challenges in the Field
○ His challenges are different than mine because he is a foreigner. English
isn’t his first language.
○ He had to adjust to only living in the US for 10 year. He experienced culture
shock
○ Medical Insurance Policy- To get insurance to pay for their services, they
have to have a diagnosis of Autism. So there are some kids who would
benefit from ABA therapy but because they don’t have autism they can’t
get the insurance to pay for their services.
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How can we fix it? A lot of effort through organizations. The APA
association should lobby the congress.
More Challenges…
● If Autism is a social communication deficit, then culture is
something that we need to take into consideration.
● During the assessment of autism it is very important to
assess the eye contact of client. However, in Asian culture,
eye contact is not always encouraged. In some
interpersonal interactions it is discouraged.
Favorite parts of this job?
○ “To see that I am giving the diagnosis based on my
professional perspective and those kids benefit and get
those services based on my expertise. Early intervention
is key and some of the clients have been on these waiting
lists to get evaluations 6 plus months.” -Dr. Zhu
Suggestions for Future Psychologists
○ We learn through making mistakes. So stay humble.
○ Study abroad and seek out experiences with someone from a
different country or culture.
○ Get involved in organizations, specifically for me would be the
Georgia Psychological Association.
○ Make connections and network. Like-minded people will
bring a sense of belonging that will enable us to make changes
in the world and in the field of psychology.
○ Establish a social network
The End…