Meet the Team
Our journey was long in the making. Since 2014, our directors have been collaborating as a diverse team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and counsellors to promote family therapy in Malaysia – culminating in the setting up of the Andolfi Family Therapy Centre in 2021. Here's a quick introduction to the team.
Honorary Consultant
Prof. Maurizio Andolfi
Maurizio Andolfi, is a family therapist who initially trained as a child psychiatrist. He lived in New York City in the early 70’s where he worked extensively in the South Bronx, and later in South Philadelphia with disadvantaged families.
During his time in the USA, Andolfi studied with Salvador Minuchin, Jay Haley, as well as Carl Whitaker in the following years.
Dr. Andolfi is Professor of Psychology at La Sapienza (University of Rome), Director of the Accademia di Psicoterapia Familiare in Rome Italy and his international branch the Family Therapy Academy. Editor-in-Chief of the Italian family therapy journal: Terapia Familiare.
In 1999 he was the winner of an American Association of Marital & Family Therapy award for Special Contribution to Marital and Family Therapy. He has also received a life achievement award from the American family therapy association. He's the Co-Founder of the European Family Therapy Association and the past-President of the Italian Family Therapy Society. He contributes to the Andolfi Family Therapy Centre by providing training and supervision.
Academic & Clinical Team
Darrel Lourdes
K.B.; P.A.
Darrel Lourdes is the Managing Director of the Andolfi Family Therapy Centre and a certified Multigenerational Family Therapist, trained by the world-renowned family therapist Professor Maurizio Andolfi. Since 2020, he has continued his professional development under Professor Andolfi’s clinical supervision.
Darrel holds a Master’s in Counselling from HELP University (Malaysia), a Graduate Diploma in Multigenerational Family Therapy from the Family Therapy Academy (Italy), and a Certificate in Family Therapy from the Delta Clinic (Australia). Since 2023, he has also been teaching family therapy through live consultations for psychiatric interns at Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Before becoming a therapist, Darrel spent over 20 years in Human Resources, holding leadership positions at Intel and Shell. He lived and worked in the Netherlands for five years, completed international assignments in the United States, Hong Kong, China, Costa Rica and the Philippines, and was the Human Resource Director at Shell Malaysia before pursuing his passion for family therapy.
Loh Sit Fong
Loh Sit Fong is a Clinical Psychologist and Family Therapist with over 20 years of experience in mental health. She is a certified Multigenerational Family Therapist under the Accademia di Psicoterapia della Famiglia in Rome. She also completed a Certificate in Satir Systemic Brief Therapy, integrating both approaches in her work with individuals, couples, and families across generations. She earned her Master of Clinical Psychology from UKM and has worked extensively in both public and private sectors.
Sit Fong brings a systemic lens to her clinical and teaching practice, shaped further by ongoing advanced training and supervision under Professor Maurizio Andolfi. She has also contributed to humanitarian aid and crisis intervention through NGOs such as Mercy Malaysia and the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO). Fluent in English, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, and conversant in Japanese, she offers a culturally responsive approach to care. Sit Fong is passionate about helping others navigate life transitions with clarity, connection, and resilience.
Our Therapists
Sarah Zehan
Sarah is a registered Clinical Psychologist with 10 years of clinical experience. She obtained a Master of Clinical Psychology degree from HELP University and Graduate Certificate of Family Therapy from the Andolfi Family Therapy Center.
Throughout her experience, she has worked with individuals, families, and couples using a Multigenerational Family Systems lens alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). As a professional trained in family therapy, she works collaboratively with her clients and their families to understand multigenerational family dynamics, bridge communication gaps, and to provide support in coping with mental health related difficulties such as mood disorders, peripartum (pregnancy/post-pregnancy) issues, as well as neurodevelopmental related difficulties like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Aside from therapy, Sarah also conducts corporate talks and workshops related to mental health in English and Bahasa Malaysia. Topics include stress and emotion management, mindfulness, and communication and conflict management in teams. Corporations she has worked with include HSBC, PETRONAS, Prudential, and Tenaga Nasional Berhad.
Sharmilla Bt Abdullah
K.B.; P.A.
Sharmilla is a registered and licensed counselor who works with individuals, couples, and families. She holds a Master of Counseling ( Malaysia ), a Post Graduate Diploma from the Accademia di Psicoterapia della Famiglia (Italy) & has undergone advanced supervision under Master Family Therapist Professor Dr. Maurizio Andolfi.
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As a certified Multi-Generational Family Therapist—an accreditation held by only a select group of therapists worldwide— she helps clients gain insight into the generational patterns & systemic connections that contribute to their current challenges.
With almost a decade of corporate experience in the banking industry, Sharmilla offers a grounded and informed approach to counseling that connects meaningfully with clients across diverse backgrounds. She is fluent in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Tamil.
Minnie Chang
K.B.; P.A.
Minnie holds a Masters in Counselling from HELP University and a Graduate Certificate of Family Therapy from the Andolfi Family Therapy Center. When working with clients, she tends to utilize the systemic-focused approach to guide clients in sessions. Minnie has worked with individuals, couples and families. Some of which includes individuals with experience of trauma, loss, addiction, relationship concerns and work-related concerns as well with children with learning needs in schools.
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Minnie believes that each person is the expert of their own life and needs a space to feel safe when exploring their own past or experiences of life. She is committed to help clients find effective ways to manage life transitions by being the empathetic helper to journey alongside clients, empowering and holding space in the course of this journey.
Rachael D'Rozario
K.B.; P.A.
Rachael, a biotechnologist turned youth worker, is a registered and licensed mental health counsellor. She holds a Masters in Counselling from HELP University and completed her Graduate Certification of Family Therapy at Andolfi Family Therapy Center.
Rachael provides counseling for individuals and families; believes in creating a calming and nurturing space for clients to explore their journey. She has worked with clients from various social economic backgrounds in the area of anxiety, depression, grief and loss, navigating difficult life transitions, managing stress, career exploration and broken relationships in the family using a person-centered approach and the multi-generational family systems lens.
Rachael is passionate about accompanying people on their journey through life and makes therapy sessions feel supportive and uplifting with the intention that it helps clients feel held while working through their challenges.
Special Consultant & Advisor
David Hong
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David Hong acts a consultant and the lead trainer of the Graduate Certification Program organized by Andolfi Family Therapy Centre. He is a practising family & couples therapist in Australia with over 30 years of clinical experience; he works with children and adolescents with serious emotional, behavioural, and mental health issues along with their families. David has a special interest in working with ADHD and family systems, and also school refusal and school systems.
David launched the inaugural Graduate Certificate of Family Therapy programme in 2015. Since then, he has been supervising his students to support their ongoing clinical development.
Always a student, since 2005, David has been undergoing advanced training and supervision under the guidance of Professor Andolfi, a master family therapist and trained child psychiatrist. He has attended the Intensive Experiential Clinical Practicum and “The use of self of the therapist” at the prestigious Accademia di Psicoterapia Familiare in Rome, Italy. In 2016, David was invited to attend the Supa-meta Practicum in Todi, Umbria, Italy with 18 family therapists from around the world. And since January 2020 he has been part of the European Family Therapist supervision group conducted by Professor Andolfi. He is a certified Multi generational Family Therapist under the Accademia di Psicoterapia della Famiglia in Rome.
David no longer sees clients for therapy in Malaysia. He only acts as a consultant, supervisor and teacher to aspiring family therapists.
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Bawany Chinapan
Bawany is a passionate educator on issues of couple and family functioning, and she's a trained family therapist with ongoing clinical supervision with an internationally renowned master family therapist, Professor Maurizio Andolfi from Italy. She is a certified Multi generational Family Therapist under the Accademia di Psicoterapia della Famiglia in Rome.
To spread the knowledge, Bawany has been teaching marital and family therapy in a local university's master’s programme and has conducted talks and training in Malaysia, Indonesia, and India. She has a plethora of qualifications in different modalities of counselling and psychotherapy. And helps people to deal with mental health challenges including stress and trauma.
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Andolfi Centre collaborates with Bawany to teach intergenerational couple therapy. She also teaches other programmes organised by the Centre. She provides counselling services in her own centre called Ask a Therapist.
