Family Therapy 101 in the context of the pandemic.
The year 2020 saw a rise in uncertainties. Many have experienced anxiety, job loss, a strain on finances and family relationships due to the impact of the pandemic. By default, couples need to adjust to working from homes, with blurred boundaries between work and...
The Power of Physical Presence in Therapy
Therapy is an indispensable tool to recovery, or in helping one gain deeper insights and achieve self-actualisation. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, traditional face-to-face therapy has been forced to take on various forms, including sessions conducted via...
What Does Journeying with a Psychiatrist for My Mental Health Issue Look Like?
For many people, when they hear the word ‘Psychiatrist’, it would instantly conjure up an image of a doctor prescribing medicine for someone with a mental health condition. This is true to the extent that a psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has undergone training...
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a widely used evidence-based technique to encourage behaviour change. According to clinical psychologists William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick, “MI is a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication with particular attention...
Winifred’s “Rules” for a Flourishing Marriage
Written by: Winifred Ling, Couples Therapist and Relationship Coach *This was first posted on her blog. I made an analysis of the 10 Rules of Marriage that I found on the internet recently and received several requests for proactive and positive rules that couples can...
Understanding Imposter Syndrome
Imposter Syndrome is a shockingly common psychological phenomenon experienced by an estimated 70% of the population. Chances are you’ve probably had such a mindset at least once, but perhaps you couldn’t pinpoint the exact words to describe the feelings you had....
What’s the Difference Between a Psychologist and a Therapist?
Psychologists and Therapists are often misunderstood to be the same profession, but they aren’t one and the same. Both types of mental health professionals, however, do have a vast knowledge of mental processes. As a general rule, they may work closely together to...
Treating Trauma With Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Fear resulting from psychological trauma can be extremely deep-seated. The distress, feelings of helplessness and constant flashback of traumatic events can turn one’s world upside down, causing major problems with daily activities and quality of life. It may be easy...
Relationship Fortifying Versus Relationship Recovery
Written by: Winifred Ling, Couples Therapist & Relationship Coach As a couple therapist, the question I sometimes get is, ”Is my problem serious enough to warrant a therapist?” I like to address this question in this article. There are 3 key reasons why you’d...
What Does Journeying with a Psychologist for My Mental Health Issue Look Like?
So you are going to see a psychologist for the first time - now what should we expect? The thought of having to step into a psychologist’s room for the first time can be nerve-racking, and understandably so. Oftentimes, individuals may be apprehensive and would wonder...
Using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to Combat Depression
Photo credit: The Depression Project https://www.facebook.com/RealDepressionProject/ Depression! It’s a common term for many things. “I feel depressed!”, “This is so depressing.” The medical definition of depression, however, takes a more definitive...
Evolving Trends Of Social Media And How It Impacts Youth
Written by Jane Low, Senior Psychologist Social media trends. Social media trends are constantly evolving in today's information age. Generation Z (individuals who are born between 1997 and 2012) are considered to be digital natives where they are surrounded by vast...
Psychiatrist vs Psychologist: Whom Should I Seek?
There is often much confusion between the terms psychiatrist and psychologist. People may use these terms interchangeably, but this is not to be the case. While both psychiatrists and psychologists treat people suffering from mental health issues and behaviour...
Discipline: What Parents Get Wrong, and How to Get It Right
Spare the rod and spoil the child - is this a sensible justification for the use of physical punishment in disciplining a child? What is discipline really all about? To some parents, discipline is associated with corporal punishment, such as by caning, slapping or...
Understanding Grief and Bereavement
“Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” - Vicki Harrison, Author. Losing someone we love is possibly one of the toughest, most dreadful things we...
Types of Psychotherapy Methods (DBT vs ACT) Used To Treat Depression
Many of us are absorbed in an endless, self-defeating rat race. The nature of modern society has instilled in us a “winner/loser” mindset, and its systems highly prioritise external rewards and punishments as measures of our personal success and social worth. This...
The Science Behind Habit Formation : Change Your Habit, Change Your Mind
Overspending your way into debt? Depending too much on sleeping pills or other sedatives? Snacking non-stop, even when you’re not hungry? Old habits die hard - as personal experience would reflect, we all know that it can be extremely challenging to break a habit,...
Breaking Free from the Tentacles of Addiction as a Family Unit
Written by: Julianna Pang Confronting the problem of addiction is almost always daunting and exhausting. The layers of complexities increase tenfold when the family system is also trying to preserve its stability and normal functioning despite the disruptions that...
The Power of Happiness
“A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ,” John Steinbeck, an American author, once wrote. True enough, regardless of the stage of life we’re in, everyone strives to seek gratification and success - and to many, that is what makes life worth living...
Working From Home (WFH) aka Remote Working : How can managers get ahead of it
Written by: Fred Chin, Psychologist In times of the current Covid-19 pandemic, “Working from Home”, otherwise abbreviated to “WFH”, has become a term so synonymous with our new working lifestyle that it has recently been included in the expanded list for Oxford Word...
Suicide Risks for Persons with Addictions
Written by: Juliana Pang, Therapist Caregivers with a family member affected by addiction problems are often exhausted, drained dry of their empathy and compassionate capacities. They recount countless cycles of suspended hope followed by just as many broken promises...
Stress – What It Really Is & How To Manage It.
Stress is something we can never escape from, be it good (eustress) or bad (distress). From the small, tedious daily hassles to long-term occurrences that weigh on your mind, stress can impact us in different ways, and the experience varies for everyone. Just as how...
What Are Anxiety Disorders and How Do They Affect Us?
We are no strangers to feelings of anxiety - at certain stages of our lives or in particular situations, we would have experienced anxiousness and worry with relation to our careers, studies, relationships and even our environment. However, anxiety levels may go...
Managing Anxiety And Depression During Festivities (especially during the COVID season)
Written by Jane Low, Senior Psychologist Christmas is a time of giving, peace and joy. It is also a time to celebrate traditions where family and friends gather, feasting on Christmas goodies and exchanging presents. There are scents, sights and sounds that are...
Five Unhelpful Things You Should Avoid Doing When You Meet Someone That Self-Harms
The anonymous author of this article is a person in the recovery of Major Depressive Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder. The views of the author are not those of Promises. I have struggled with Self-Harm since I was a kid. Most of us are aware of the...
Treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Using Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Originating from the Greek word ‘wound’, trauma is used to describe the unwelcome recollection of disturbing experiences - those which can cause one to relive horrifying, spine-chilling moments of a disaster or a tragic event which leaves a deep mark on a person’s...
How Does CBT Help with Social Anxiety Disorder?
In Singapore alone, 10% of the population is plagued by anxiety disorders - one of which includes Social Anxiety Disorder, or SAD for short. And on a global scale, approximately 4.5% of the world’s population - 273 million people - are estimated to experience anxiety...
Building the Bridge with Generation Z
Take a look around our workplace and you will likely see people from across different age groups, particularly as we now have many people working past the age of 60. In fact, it is not surprising to see at least up to four generations on the job today, from the Baby...
Healing from being with a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Written by: Winifred Ling, Couples Therapist & Relationship Coach Happily-ever-after is an ideal that many believe and pursue and numerous studies have suggested that the key to happiness lies in a thriving marriage. I am also convinced that when couples come...
Understanding Childhood Emotional Neglect
As a child, how did adults around you react whenever you expressed your feelings? Did you grow up receiving that subtle message to wall up your emotions so they don’t get the better of you, or become anyone else’s burden? Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN) is a topic...