What is Counselling?

Counselling and Psychotherapy is used interchangeably in Singapore. Counselling is what is commonly referred to as "talk therapy" where an individual with an issue commonly referred to as the "client" comes to see the Counsellor or Therapist to discuss about his/her issues. The Counsellor having been trained in various counselling and psychological theories, help the client into a journey of discovery, exploration, especially in his/her thinking, feeling and acting (behavior), and in the process, help client to find ways to solve or bring about relief from the issues.

As counselling or therapy is not well regulated in Singapore, it is critical that the Counsellor has received adequate knowledge, training and experience. Please refer to Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC) website, http://sacsingapore.org for more information of the requirements of a Counsellor in Singapore.

​

There are times where people shared that counselling has not been effective or helpful. There may be many reasons that led them to come to such unfortunate conclusion. One common reason may be the failure to moderate expectations about the counselling. There are cases where clients come into counselling expecting Counsellors bring about a miracle, e.g. to restore the marriage that has broke down and the other party has no wish to repair the relationship. Counsellors are not "miracle workers", we are ordinary folks who happened to be trained in certain psychological and counselling theories. Therefore, it is important that the expectations of the counselling be discussed and managed well. And expectations can be about the outcome as well as when the beneficial effects can happen.

Another common reason that counselling has not been helpful may be the beliefs that if the Counsellor may not help because he/she has not experienced similar situations before, therefore, is not able to help, or sometimes, it could be due to the Counsellors' age. Having experience similar life situations sometimes help, but does not necessary mean that it is a necessary condition for counselling to be successful. 

​

There are many factors that bring about a "successful" or effective counselling session. A good fit between the Counsellor and client has been found to be one of them. A good fit means that you feel comfortable with the Counsellor, and you believe the Counsellor has adequate skills and knowledge to understand and help you. 

​

It is important that you take the courage to try out. So, call to fix an appointment to experience and see for yourself if it works.