Profile of Jeff Chong, Senior Financial Counsellor, Knowmore, Brisbane. Video here.
Why did you become a financial counsellor?
I was up in Rockhampton in 2015 and there was a cyclone event, and all the effects from the cyclone – loss of work. People had no money. There was theft, domestic violence and alcohol and other drugs and that was impacting the community and I thought it would be a good idea to become a financial counsellor.
I was an assistant manager in the loan management unit in the bank with legal and recovery. I was utilizing all my credit analysis and banking skills. So I thought, well, why not use that? I just needed to concentrate further on the counselling and legal side and I suppose the financial skills were all there, so it wasn’t too hard a transition.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
What I like is the reduction in stress for the client because they’re in a totally alien situation having to deal with creditors and all the pressure from debt collectors perhaps. And it’s good to navigate them to the other side so they can live their lives.
Can you share a specific moment for a client that reminded you why this work really matters?
Just recently, a client had high financial stress and it was looking like bankruptcy was on the cards but I managed to negotiate an outcome, with good advice from my manager and peers, to get the whole debt absolved, or waived. The creditor could see the amount of stress and previous trauma that the client had, so they were content to waive it. So, it was a very good outcome.
What kinds of issues are you most commonly helping people with right now?
We’re dealing with people with significant layered trauma. And I’ve had to convert my thinking to look at complex trauma. So, it’s definitely another set of skills. It’s very rewarding. You can see people getting to the other side. Sometimes they’re incarcerated, so are dealing with highly vulnerable people as well.