Connect Counselling and Psychotherapy

Join our group counselling support sessions for a transformative journey towards enhanced self-awareness and enriched relationships.

Early bird price $600 for payment received by 21 April (just $75 per session). Full price $900. Places are limited to 8 participants.

Email [email protected] to book your seat or for more information.

🤝 Benefits for Your Relationships:
1. Improved Communication: Learn effective communication skills that foster understanding and connection with others.
2. Enhanced Empathy: Develop empathy towards yourself and others, leading to more meaningful and fulfilling relationships.
3. Conflict Resolution: Acquire tools to navigate conflicts constructively, fostering harmony and trust in your relationships.
4. Boundaries and Assertiveness: Learn to set healthy boundaries and express your needs assertively, empowering you to cultivate balanced and respectful relationships.

🧠 Benefits for Your Self-awareness:
1. Deepened Self-Understanding: Explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in a supportive environment, leading to profound insights into your inner self.
2. Identifying Patterns: Gain clarity on recurring patterns or obstacles in your life, empowering you to make positive changes.
3. Self-Compassion: Cultivate self-compassion and acceptance, fostering a greater sense of inner peace and resilience.
4. Personal Growth: Embark on a journey of personal growth and self-discovery, unlocking your full potential and living a more authentic life.

🌈 Why Choose Group Support with Us?
1. Expert Facilitators: Our experienced therapists create a safe and supportive space for exploration and growth.
2. Community Support: Connect with a diverse group of individuals who share similar experiences, providing invaluable support and understanding.
3. Affordability: Access high-quality therapy at an affordable price, making self-care accessible to all.
4. Confidentiality: Rest assured that your privacy is our top priority, allowing you to freely explore and express yourself.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to embark on a journey of self-discovery and relational growth.

Email [email protected] to book your seat or for more information.

Join Martin Williams and Dr Richard Lim on Saturday 13 May, online, as they discuss s*x and couplehood.

Sign up by clicking below.

50 Shades Uncovered - A Dialogue on S*x & Couplehood (Saturday 13 May 2023, 10 to 11.30am) Personal particulars will be kept confidential. Zoom webinar details will be emailed to you.

COVID-19 has caused short- and long-term stresses, taking a toll on our mental health. On this day, let's be reminded to protect and improve our mental health and well-being!🥰

Very true words from one of the leading researchers / thought leaders in the field of trauma.

Parents often ask us about the impact of social media usage on their teenagers and when and how online activity needs to be managed.

How much time is too much time on social media? Should we respect our teens privacy or monitor their online conversations/activity? How do we/should we put limits and checks and balances in place? What don't we know that we need to know? What warning signs should we be vigilant for?

Mark McCallum shares important information and top parenting tips in this blog post.

To explore the possibility of counselling sessions for your teens with Mark, contact him at [email protected].

Social Media and Your Adolescents - Connect Counselling & Psychotherapy Social media has become an important developmental context since its widespread adoption in the early 2000s. It may even be argued that it is currently THE most important context to consider for its impact on adolescent development. This is a frightening prospect for many parents who are at a loss w...

"We can all play a role in supporting those experiencing a suicidal crisis or those bereaved by su***de whether as a member of society, as a child, as a parent, as a friend, as a colleague or as a person with lived experience. We can all encourage understanding about the issue, reach in to people who are struggling, and share our experiences. We can all create hope through action and be the light." - WHO https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-su***de-prevention-day/2022 ***deprevention

When people experience stress for long periods of time, they sometimes reach the point of burnout – a state of extreme emotional exhaustion. Let us find out what is burnout.

(Note/edit: the link below now shows as an error - please do still click on the link as you can then search for "13 signs of codependency" and the article will show. Hope this helps).

What does being codependent mean and what are the signs that someone is codependent?

“Codependency refers to any enmeshed relationship in which one person loses their sense of independence and believes they need to tend to someone else,” Botnick explains.

Click or book an appointment with a counsellor to find out more.

https://psychcentral.com/lib/symptoms-signs-of-codependency(

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Just as we might go to the gym to build physical muscles, through therapy couples can learn how to exercise their emotional muscles and build the tools they need to maintain a happy healthy relationship. So when does a couple seek counselling? https://connectcounselling.clinic/blog/when-do-we-seek-couple-counselling/

We are often asked what parents can do to help children who are anxious. Here are 5 simple ideas to help you help your child feel more calm and centered:

https://www.thecounsellorscafe.co.uk/single-post/5-activities-to-try-when-supporting-a-child-experiencing-anxiety?fbclid=IwAR1flR3_-KgxOVuEaF9niMHfZqQM9RrBX2xIRqOQY54JJQ79_Gmcp446v7k

Counsellors Café Magazine The Counsellors Cafe News Feed; sharing the latest mental health, wellbeing and Therapy stories from around the globe. Thoughts & inspiration on living well, with a focus on positive mental health from the magazine with community at its 💛

Dr Richard Lim explains the key differences between counselling and psychotherapy, to answer some of the questions we are often asked by clients.

Please get in touch at [email protected] if you would like to find out how counselling or psychotherapy might be able to help you.

Contact us today to book a free initial consultation for couples or individual counselling.

14 Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship 8. You keep hoping they'll finally change so you can be happy.

https://genmindful.com/blogs/mindful-moments/your-childs-emotions-need-support-not-solutions?fbclid=IwAR1dquEkxRj0xcfsVi3cg0s92E47jZpkIaLX2QFLcdPFZ9e01Shm_blqY20

Your Child's Emotions Need Support, Not Solutions When we attempt to fix our children’s emotions and problems, we move out of connection and into control. The focus shifts from them to us. Instead, we can sit with them in the hard stuff, offering support, not solutions. Here's how.

Our counsellor Ellen gave a mental wellness talk to Mountbatten residents last Saturday

A helpful reminder that we all have inner strengths and skills that we can draw on when we face life's challenges.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/202203/10-ways-youre-stronger-you-think?fbclid=IwAR3WdPk-hRWexKSb9fS8NOKTubWZz8JCwfrup-qeV4MGcooUj7cZJuzqX-k

10 Ways You're Stronger Than You Think Within each of us are powers and abilities we typically underestimate or disparage, but which can actually carry us through many challenges. Here are 10 ways you’re already stronger than you think.

It is normal for all of us to feel sad from time to time. But, what if the sadness just doesn't go away? Let us understand more about Depression: https://connectcounselling.clinic/blog/what-is-depression-and-how-to-treat-it-in-singapore/

"It’s much easier to have compassion and be more open to finding solutions when you understand that your child is not being difficult. Rather, they are experiencing difficult moments and overwhelming emotions."

https://www.gottman.com/blog/why-your-child-is-good-even-when-they-misbehave/?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=RSS&fbclid=IwAR1B69kLPq49PccuvxdzyM1nKpGL2NpZHS3w5v-TtnXh6KdvfAtIw5wahOc

Why Your Child is Good—Even When They Misbehave Your child’s behavior expresses their internal experience. Learn how to reinterpret their actions outside of the limiting labels.

As we count down to the new year, let us find our compassionate voice while we reflect on how the year 2021 went. ❤️
https://connectcounselling.clinic/blog/self-compassion/

%Thriving Through Self-Compassion% %Are you able to treat yourself the way you would treat a friend when you are having a difficult time? It is true that we can often be our own worst critic, and sometimes undermining our self-confidence so that we experience a fear of failure. Self-compassion is a practice in which we learn to be a....

This holiday season🎄, as we re-connect with our loved ones near and far, let us come from a position of and find the real joy from relational connection. ❤️💞💓
https://connectcounselling.clinic/blog/finding-joy-through-relational-connection/

Covid-19 has had a major impact on people's health. Together with the latest updates on Singapore's situation, let's take care of our own mental health and provide support to others too.

It's World Su***de Prevention Day. Let us be reminded that our actions, no matter how big or small, may provide hope to those who are struggling. Show that you care ❤️🙂

"Premarital counseling is a powerful process to proactively strengthen your relationship at the ideal time of marriage preparation.... use the momentum of the joyful season (couples are) in to deepen and elevate their relationship. Research shows that couples who go through premarital counseling have a higher relationship satisfaction and greater buffer for stress later on."

Destigmatizing Premarital Counseling Do you need therapy to get married? Discover the good reasons to get premarital counseling and give your marriage a solid foundation.

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/surviving-childhood-trauma-mental-health-advocate-29-learns-love-mum-who-has-schizophrenia?fbclid=IwAR3Q-lAYQSTvf-l_-XglVD1kp4Ub2cQl9XH09mfO2o3AhXTEU2Pepxje76Y

Surviving childhood trauma: Mental health advocate, 29, learns to love mum who has schizophrenia SINGAPORE — An only child to a parent with schizophrenia, 29-year-old Matt Oon knows what it is like growing up in the shadow of mental illness.

The importance of sleep is often underestimated. Here's a great article summarising recent research on the impact of sleep / sleep deprivation. Clients often come to see us looking to improve their functioning, perhaps wanting to reduce symptoms of depression or anxiety, and one of the first questions we ask is "How well are you sleeping?". When we address sleep issues, and clients are able to get regular unbroken sleep, they are more able to engage in the counselling journey and to cope with difficult thoughts and emotions.

deprivation can play havoc with emotions. This is notably apparent in soldiers in combat zones, medical residents and new . And there's a basis for this theory, according to research from the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard Medical School.

In the first neural investigation into what happens to the emotional without sleep, results from a brain imaging study suggest that while a good night's rest can your mood and help you cope with the next day's emotional challenges, sleep deprivation does the opposite by excessively boosting the part of the brain most closely connected to , and other psychiatric disorders.

"It's almost as though, without sleep, the brain had reverted back to more primitive patterns of activity, in that it was unable to put emotional experiences into context and produce controlled, appropriate responses," said Matthew Walker, director of UC Berkeley's Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory. “Emotionally, you're not on a level playing field.”

When your baseline moods are not where they should be, you have less emotional capacity to handle difficult situations. During these times, you are flying closer to the “sun” (depression, stress, etc.) than usual and risk getting burned more often.

Sleep helps us keep our moods in check so that we are more emotionally . When we manage our underlying moods well, we are better able to reflect on the blessings in our lives. We can practice gratitude more fully and strengthen our inner selves. Healthy brains process emotions in healthy ways, resetting our minds for the next day.

Sleep is important for storing memories. It also has a restorative function. Lack of sleep impairs reasoning, problem-solving, and attention to detail, among other effects. A study out of the University of Rochester Medical Center discovered a system that drains waste products from the brain. It suggests that sleep helps restore the brain by flushing out toxins that build up during waking hours, pointing to a potential new role for sleep in health and disease.

The amygdala, especially, is affected by how much we sleep. This small part of the brain plays a big role in our emotions, feelings, and mood. The amygdala is responsible for controlling aggression and perceiving emotions, like anger, sadness, and fear. It also helps us file away memories so that we’re more prepared to deal with similar circumstances in the future. When the amygdala is on overdrive, we respond irrationally to day-to-day occurrences. We struggle to deal with emotional challenges. Our moods, or ’threshold for emotions,’ change.

The amygdala is the region of the brain that alerts the body to protect itself in times of danger, and it goes into overdrive on no sleep. This consequently shuts down the prefrontal cortex, which commands logical reasoning, and thus prevents the release of chemicals needed to calm down the fight-or-flight reflex.

If, for example, the amygdala reacts strongly to a violent movie, the prefrontal cortex lets the brain know that the scene is make-believe and to settle down. But instead of connecting to the prefrontal cortex, the brain on no sleep connects to the locus coeruleus, the oldest part of the brain which releases noradrenalin to ward off imminent threats to survival, posing a volatile mix.

If life sometimes seems overwhelming or out of control for you or members of your family, it may be worthwhile re-prioritising sleep to see if anything changes for you. How much we sleep clearly affects brains, and our brains regulate our emotions. Therefore, sleep and emotions are tied closely together, for better or for worse.

https://cstu.io/38acb7
https://cstu.io/a32bcf
https://cstu.io/242154

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The term family/domestic violence is often misunderstood. Verbal, psychological and emotional abuse as well as physical assaults are considered family violence.

In Singapore, family violence is defined as follows:

- willfully or knowingly placing or attempting to place a family member in fear of hurt
- causing hurt to a family member by an act which he or she ought to know would cause and result in hurt
- wrongful confining or restraining a family member against their will
- causing continual harassment with intent to cause anguish to a family member, including verbal abuse, psychological or emotional abuse.

If you are suffering abuse of any kind please reach out to AWARE, and as always we are here to support individuals and couples who are looking for support.

https://www.aware.org.sg/information/dealing-with-family-violence/-

AWARE AWARE is Singapore’s leading gender equality advocacy group. We offer counselling, legal advice to women in need and training to empower women to achieve independence.