Charlene Chiang Hillman – Wisdom Goddess Participant

Charlene Chiang Hillman is a psychotherapist in private practice with expertise in anxiety and depressive disorders; developmental trauma and PTSD; and somatic/energy techniques. Until September of this year, she was also the Director of Social Services for the town of Weston, CT.

Charlene is a first- generation Chinese-America born to Ying Ming Wang Chiang, daughter of the Chief Minister of Finance for the last Emperor of the Ching Dynasty and Robert Hochi Chiang, who was a banker, philosopher and classical Chinese poet tracing his ancestry back to Confucius. After coming to America in 1942, on a diplomatic mission, her parents became citizens of the United States after the communist take over of China in 1949, eventually settling in New York to raise their children.

Charlene has always strived to embody the Confucian principle that  “A person is responsible to and for themselves, their family, their extended family, their community, their country and ultimately, all of humanity. “ These values have led her to a life punctuated by social and political activism, balanced with deep commitments to her family, to her patients and the community in her small town.  This commitment was highlighted recently at her retirement celebration, where Charlene was honored with a declaration and impassioned speakers from throughout the government and citizens.  Among the speakers that night, Charlene’s children, Christina and Lee, lauded her contribution to the community in her drive “to always find ways to do more with less, and find hope for those who have lost it…” and her resolution to use “…the goodness and strength in her heart to heal the world.”

With traditional Chinese culture emphasizing behavior that benefits the group and American culture focusing on the individual’s pursuit of happiness, Charlene’s two cultural traditions require her to constantly balance very different and sometimes contrasting values.  Having just recently retired, Charlene is working to maintain this balance in a new phase of her life by focusing on her private practice while enjoying more time for herself and her family.