Dr Elaine Yeo

After graduating from Brandeis University (Waltham, USA) with a B.A. (Honours) in Psychology and East Asian Studies in 2007, Elaine flew to Tottori, Japan, to teach English at a local high school under the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme. The strong relationships she developed with each and every student inspired her to return to the United States, where she earned her M.A. in Counselling Psychology from Boston College (Boston, USA) in 2013.

Upon her return to Singapore, Elaine served as a psychologist across three years at the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and at a private group practice that also served as an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for local and global organizations. Through these experiences, she gained tremendous experience in not only short- and long-term individual therapy, but also crisis management and the facilitation of psychological workshops that include a range of topics such as stress management, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as how to identify and manage emotional distress in employees and students.

Elaine’s wish to build a stronger theoretical and practical foundation in therapy led her back to the United States, where she earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University (Chicago, USA) in 2020. During this time, she taught undergraduate Psychology courses (i.e., The Psychology of Racism) as an adjunct faculty instructor at Roosevelt University, worked as a research assistant under Dr Susan Torres-Harding on her groundbreaking research on racial microaggressions, and trained in multiple clinical settings under APA-licensed psychologists.

Elaine returned to Singapore after completing her internship at California State University, Long Beach, Counselling and Psychological Services (CSULB CAPS) (California, USA), where she worked with college students on a wide range of issues, including developmental transitions, identity concerns (e.g., racial/ethnic, sexual, and gender), anxiety and depression, grief and loss, trauma, self-esteem, acculturation and relationship difficulties. She also conducted group therapy, crisis management, and psychological workshops. Elaine will bring her training and practice with adults and young adults into her work with clients in Singapore.

Regarding Elaine’s approach, she practices through a relational cultural framework, while incorporating techniques from evidence-based practices such as Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She recognises the importance of culture and environment in a person’s life, which is why she endeavours to attend to a client’s age and generation, developmental/acquired disabilities, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, and nationality throughout therapy.

Through mutual authenticity and vulnerability, Elaine forms a safe and trusting space with clients, increasing their comfort and sense of empowerment in exploring experiences that have shaped them into who they are today. Together with clients, she works to help them feel reconnected again, both with themselves and with others.

As part of Elaine’s self-care, she enjoys a variety of activities, from knitting, writing short stories, working on 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles with her husband, and taking her new Cavapoo pup for a walk at the dog park.