A Place for Counselling
Adult Counselling
Have you found yourself stuck with the following experiences ?
Difficulty in behaviour management
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I have been engaging in maladaptive behaviours (such as, avoidance, self-harm, over indulgence in activities like drinking, gaming, shopping, etc) to cope with disturbing events . I want to stop these behaviours but the methods I used do not work.
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Difficulty in emotional management
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I tend to be sensitive and lose my temper easily despite telling myself that whatever happened was only a small matter.
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Difficulty in thinking positively
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Someone made a comment about another person in the group and I found myself reminded of my shortcomings and experiencing a racing heartbeat and sometimes shortness of breath.
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A simple guide to answer whether you need counselling support:
1) you have tried to cope with your emotional and behavioural difficulties and still do not see any improvement.
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2) the emotional difficulties you are experiencing are interfering in your daily work, family or leisure life.
Common emotional difficulties experienced by people : Stress, Anxiety and Depression.
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STRESS
It is common for clients to report that they feel stressed. In many cases, they were unable to resolve problematic situations and appeared to be overwhelmed mentally and physically drained.
Life is seldom stress free. Indeed, a moderate level of stress has been found to be healthy and necessary to achieve goals and for survival. However, chronic stress compromised the immune systems and clients tend to be more susceptible to diseases. They may also experience negative emotional reactions and use poor coping strategies such as avoidance, procrastination, reliance on substance (like alcohol) or distractions through behaviours like prolonged gaming hours or overindulgence in online shopping. Taken together, chronic stress and poor coping skills can result in a vicious spiral of anxiety and depression.
ANXIETY
Anxiety has been described as the common cold in the psychological realm. It seems to affect practically everyone. Like stress, anxiety has a protective element, warning us of danger and threats to our lives and property.
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Anxiety can be chronic as we become hyper-vigilant against perceived threats that may not even be present. Chronic anxiety can trap us as we develop fears of height and cloistered spaces, meeting people in social settings and objects. Taken to extremes, these chronic anxieties are termed phobias.
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DEPRESSION
People with depression see themselves, others, and the world bleakly with dark lenses. Losses in life are tied closely with depressive feelings, and common symptoms includes loss of appetite, sleep, focus and pleasure. Over time, if it’s not addressed, a sense of hopelessness and helplessness will pervade our day to day living. In short, depression can rob a person’s vitality of life.
Healing Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Traumas
Trauma
What is Trauma ?
Trauma is an experience that is emotionally overwhelming and impact severely a person’s physical, psychological, and social wellbeing.
Causes
Trauma could be the result of a single incident the client has experienced, such as being involved in a car accident or being assaulted. It could also be interpersonal in nature, the result of repeated or prolonged physical or emotional abuses during childhood by significant caregivers or significant others.
Many people may not be aware that growing up, a person's experience of negligence and abuses by caregiver may also lead to attachment trauma.
Effects
Clients experience intrusive memories, flashbacks, and nightmares of the traumatic event. They may numb themselves by abstaining from thinking about the traumatizing event, avoiding places that remind them of the trauma, and turning to behaviours such as self-harming, substances abuses or over-indulgence in activities like gaming and online shopping. Clients often report having difficulties with self-esteem, impulse control, and experiencing dissociative behaviours.
Healing Approach
I adopt Eye-Movement Desensitising and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy (Shapiro, 2001) to help people who had experienced traumas or trauma-related events. EMDR is an empirical-based therapy and well researched by psychologists and psychotherapists on its effectiveness in healing traumas. EMDR therapy applies bilateral stimulations (typically eye movements) while the clients focus on the trauma memories or experiences.​
From the series of bilateral stimulation processes, clients have found clear reductions in the vividness of the traumatising memories and emotional disturbance associated to it.
I am a certified EMDR Therapist with EMDR Singapore and have successfully helped many people overcome their traumas