The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation Community Rehabilitation Network Symposium 2026
Symposium on Beyond Impairments:
Working with ICF Personal Factors in Rehabilitation Practice
Symposium Venue and Date
| Location: | Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, 9th floor Auditorium |
| Date: | 5 December 2026 (Saturday) |
| Time: | 09:30 – 17:30 |
| Language: | English in Keynote session and panel discussion; English/Cantonese in parallel sessions as specified. |
Ticketing
| Period | Price |
|---|---|
| Early-bird (on or before Nov 6, 2026 (Friday)) | HKD 200 |
| Regular (Nov 6 thereafter) | HKD 300 |
** All dates are in Hong Kong standard time (UTC +8:00)
What is the symposium about?
Rehabilitation has long focused on body functions, activities, and participation — but the person behind the diagnosis matters too. The WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) acknowledges this through its component of personal factors: age, gender, the values, motivation, psychological adaptation, resilience, coping styles, habits, and thoughts and feelings that each person brings to their rehabilitation journey. Personal factors can influence access to services, engagement in rehabilitation, goal-setting, participation and outcomes.
Drawing on the ICF, this symposium brings together practitioners and researchers to explore how personal factors can be intentionally recognised and addressed at both the rehabilitation-system level and in everyday rehabilitation encounters. The aim is to advance equitable, person-centred rehabilitation and improve outcomes that matter to people.
The symposium will begin by examining how rehabilitation systems and service models can promote equitable access and participation by taking account of users’ diverse personal factors, circumstances and priorities. It will then move to practice-based discussions on evidence-informed approaches that help practitioners respond to personal factors in a person-centred way. These include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), empowerment strategies, lifestyle redesign and other approaches that support people to identify what matters to them, build on their strengths, and engage in meaningful rehabilitation goals.
Why should you participate?
Participating in this symposium offers an opportunity to deepen your understanding of how personal factors shape rehabilitation systems, processes and outcomes. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, case-based learning, and exposure to emerging practices, you will:
- Develop a stronger understanding of how personal factors shape rehabilitation-system planning, service design, access and equity.
- Gain practical insights into integrating personal factors into assessment and/or intervention to enhance engagement and effectiveness.
- Learn how approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), lifestyle redesign, and empowerment strategies can be applied in real-world rehabilitation settings.
- Strengthen your ability to deliver person-centred care that respects individual values, identities, and lived experiences.
- Connect with practitioners and researchers working at the forefront of advancing holistic, ICF-informed rehabilitation practices.
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Seijas is a medical doctor and specialist in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine who has practised in Colombia and Switzerland and is currently working in Spain at the Guttmann Institute of neurorehabilitation. She is an Ad Honorem Professor at the University of Antioquia and Co-Chair of the Cochrane Rehabilitation Unit in Colombia. She holds an MPH in Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Lucerne. Her research focuses on rehabilitation, healthy ageing, health systems, and spinal cord injury, and she has collaborated extensively with WHO and ISPRM.
She has used the ICF extensively in her clinical practice and research. Notably, she used it while developing the WHO’s Packages of Interventions for Rehabilitation, and it underpins her research agenda on rehabilitation and healthy ageing.
Dr. Vanessa Seijas
MD, MPH, PhD
Guttmann Institute, Spain
University of Antioquia, Colombia
More than 30 years of experiences with a PhD and a PsyD, Dr. Mann is a seasoned Clinical Psychologist, Counselling Psychologist, and Occupational Therapist who have expertise training in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, CBT, EMDR, and ACT. He also obtained association and national registration in psychology in Hong Kong SAR, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Dr. Mann is also a renowned trainer and speaker in psychology, counselling, child mental health, and health care issue.
Dr. Stephen Mann
Registered Clinical Psychologist (UK, AUS & NZ)
Registered Counselling Psychologist (HK)
Chartered Psychologist (Clinical) (UK)
Registered Occupational Therapist (HK)
Dr. Wong is a registered clinical psychologist with over 30 years of clinical experience in the Hospital Authority,government and private settings. He holds MPhil and PhD degrees in Clinical Psychology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His clinical work focuses on evidence-based psychological assessment and treatment, including CBT, ACT, mindfulness-based approaches, chronic pain, physical health conditions, and rehabilitation-related adjustment.
Dr. Tony Wong
Registered Clinical Psychologist, HKSAR
Chair, Division of Clinical Psychology, The Hong Kong Psychological Society
Dr. Ray Lee is a veteran frontline healthcare professional with over two decades of clinical experience, including ten years in acute care and rehabilitation hospitals. Passionate about holistic healthcare, he integrates physical and psychological elements into his treatments. He firmly believes mind and body are interdependent, actively avoiding the compartmentalization of a patient’s issues into a single domain. Dr. Lee treats a diverse clientele, ranging from pediatric to geriatric patients, while specializing deeply in stroke recovery, elder care, sports injuries, and chronic musculoskeletal pain management.
Dr. LEE Ho-wai, Ray
PhD (HKU), Registered Physiotherapist (Australia, HK & New Zealand)
President of Asian Federation of Rehabilitation & Preventive Medicine
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