During the first session, our psychologists will conduct an intake assessment, where they will enquire about your concerns, as well as relevant background/history. This might include information about your family, social relationships, work history or past counselling visits. Be rest assured that this information will be kept confidential, and that therapy sessions will take place in a safe, private, and non-judgmental space for you to air their concerns. After gathering this information, our psychologist will then walk you through expectations for future sessions so you will be prepared and comfortable throughout the process. Our psychologist will also work with you to craft a collaborative and flexible plan for future therapy sessions. If you like, you can bring along a notepad to record these discussions that occur during the session!

During therapy, our psychologists will work together with you as a team to identify and change the thought and behaviour patterns that are keeping you from feeling your best. In the process of doing so, you might learn new skills that create healthy or adaptive lifestyle changes. These new skills will help you cope with the presenting problem, as well as other challenges that may arise in the future. Our psychologists are trained and have extensive experience in managing mental disorders. They also provide a safe and supportive environment for clients to share difficult issues with someone who is objective, neutral, and non-judgmental.

Information is strictly confidential and not shared with anyone. Our clinic takes effort to maintain the security of our website regularly to ensure that the personal data collected are kept safe. However, there are legal exceptions to this, such as when one threatens to harm themselves or others, or by court order.

It is not a prerequisite to be suffering from a mental health disorder to see a psychologist. People see psychologists for a wide variety of reasons. While some might seek therapy in order to find out if they have any disorders or that they feel their problems have reduced their quality of life, other individuals use therapy to improve their quality of life or to work on being a better version of themselves.

Parents can sit in with their children during the beginning of the first session (e.g first 10 minutes of the first session) to understand the parameters of therapy and what therapy is like. During this period, parents can share their concerns and/or queries about therapy. From time to time, psychologists may also involve parents in therapy by explaining the management plan and how they can support their children. However, following the beginning of the 1st session, parents are not encouraged to sit in during individual therapy sessions. Therapy is meant to provide a safe space for clients, and this extends to the child as well. Information provided by the child to the psychologist will also be kept confidential and will not be shared with the parent unless permission is given by the child.

The number of sessions needed differs for everyone. It varies depending on each individual’s needs and their commitment towards therapy. It is dependent on various other factors too, such as the amount of resources an individual has, whether they experience any crises in between sessions, their diagnoses, and their management goals. The psychologist will then assess how many sessions he/she thinks is appropriate or sufficient for the client. In instances where the client and psychologist do not agree, the client can discuss their preferred plan together with the psychologist as well.

There is no one-size-fits-all model in therapy – instead of fitting a client’s concerns within a particular therapy format, different therapeutic modalities are combined to ensure that the client’s needs are being met. An eclectic, client-centered approach is adopted when deciding suitable therapy modalities. During the process of deciding how therapy would proceed, the psychologist will work collaboratively with the client. While our psychologist will propose the form(s) of therapy used, clients are free to voice out their therapeutic preferences too. The psychologist will then take this into account.