about us
Our Services
01.
Counselling Approach
At Tree of Life Counselling, we adopt a wholistic approach to counselling. We hold the view that a person’s well-being is made up of their emotional, physical, intellectual, social and spiritual domains and that the significant people and experiences in our lives and the environment that we grew up in, formed who we are today. We use an integrative approach where we integrate techniques from various therapeutic models to suit the needs of each client. The therapeutic models include, systemic therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, person-centred therapy, supportive therapy, narrative therapy, interpersonal therapy, solutions focused therapy and principles of emotional healing.
Counselling is not about giving advice although advice or suggestions are sometimes dispensed. It is a person-to-person encounter where the counsellor seeks to help a client find equilibrium and quality of life by journeying with them to face their fears and dilemmas. A skillful counsellor is one who listens to your story without passing judgement; one who offers alternate perspectives into your situation; one who asks thought provoking questions to help you think out-of-the-box and one who helps you to develop the skills you need to deal more effectively with your challenges.
02.
Expressive Arts Therapy
Expressive arts therapy involves the use of drawing, painting, journalling, poetry, story-telling, reading, craft-work, lego-play, body movements and music in non-intrusive ways to elicit a person’s unspoken, and subconscious thoughts, emotions and memories, for the purpose of bringing about healing, change and growth. As our counsellor is trained in both counselling and expressive arts therapy, you do not need to choose either counselling or expressive arts therapy exclusively. You also do not need to be skillful in any of the expressive arts in order to benefit from it. All you need is a willing heart and to trust your counsellor and the process.
03.
Group Work
Upon request, we are able to create and customize support groups and expressive art workshops for any organisation or a group of interested individuals. Price and duration will be determined based on the desired goals and budget given. Clients will need to provide the venue.
Our Ethical Practice
Exceptions to Confidentiality
The counselling space ought to be a safe space for clients. Information that are disclosed during the sessions are kept in strictest confidence with a few important exceptions because we value the safety and well-being of every client. More details about these exceptions to confidentiality will be in our Counselling Consent Form.
Professional Relationship
Counsellors are bound by their professional ethics to practice in a responsible manner to the benefit of the client and to treat them with respect and fairness while ensuring that they retain their sense of autonomy. As such, counsellors should not have dual relationships with their clients, which means maintaining a professional boundary. Despite this, we believe that this does not stop us from showing genuine care and concern for our clients.
Right to Refuse
Practising ethically means that we should not take on cases that we are not trained for. Every potential client has an option to a 20 minute tele/video consult, free-of-charge. This allows the counsellor to assess if our centre is the right place for the client and vice versa. Hence, there may be instances when we have to turn away potential clients.
Our Ethos
We are an independent counselling centre that seeks to meet the needs of those who have been unsuccessful at seeking help from other avenues. Our counselling fees are intentionally priced below professional rates as we know that there are people who have been unable to get the help they need either because of the high costs of private therapy or the long waiting time for subsidised therapy.
We believe in the total wellness, restoration and healing of one’s mind, emotions and body through the use of verbal and expressive art therapies. We do not promote the use of psychotropic or psychiatric drugs for treatment but we also will not tell clients to stop their medication if they are already seeing a psychiatrist for treatment.
We are not affiliated to nor supported by any religious or government organisation and abide by the professional counsellor’s ethics of not imposing one’s personal values onto a client. However, for those who are seeking, we are able to provide Christian counselling, which simply means, exploring and leveraging on one’s Christian faith during the therapeutic process.
Our Counsellors
Principal Senior Counsellor - Yan Heng
Yan is a registered L4 Counsellor with the Association of Psychotherapists and Counsellors Singapore (APACS), a member of the Association of Christian Counsellors (Singapore) (ACCS) and a Practitioner of Expressive Arts Therapy. She holds a Master degree in Counselling (SUSS) and a Postgrad-Diploma in Expressive Arts Therapy (SUSS).
She is trained in Suicide Prevention and Intervention, Family Systemic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Crisis Intervention and Choice Theory, and currently pursuing Certifications in Grief Counselling and Somatic Experiencing Therapy.
With a Bachelor degree in Communications, Yan worked for more than a decade in an American Oil & Gas MNC in the International Trading Division in various roles. She has led, mentored and supervised others since her school days and in the workplace. She made a career switch in 2011.
As a counsellor, she has interned and worked in various settings – a private psychiatric clinic, family service centre, primary school, secondary school and a faith-based organisation which gave her the privilege of working with clients with mental health challenges, those from the low to high income groups, high ability students, working professionals and matured adults. She provides counselling in both the English and Chinese languages.
Yan is also a certified Emotional Healing Practitioner (CHCPA) and volunteered as an inner healing counsellor for 6 years in a local church. Currently she volunteers as a counsellor in her home church.
Yan practises integrative counselling where she combines her various training, skills, work and life experiences into the therapeutic process. A life-long learner, she clocks in minimally 60 hours of relevant training annually and receives peer supervision. Married, with two adult children, Yan finds counselling intrinsically rewarding and believes that counselling should begin from the heart – a heart that desires to see others restored to wholeness.
Associate Senior Counsellor - Kristie Poh
Kristie holds a Master’s degree in Counselling, a Postgraduate Certificate in Systemic Thinking and Applications, and Professional Certificate in the Management of Family Violence. She is also trained in Schema Therapy, Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and the Gottman Method (level 1) for couples.
As a counsellor, Kristie has worked with children, teenagers, adults, and families on various issues including trauma, depression, anxiety, suicidality, self-harm, stressful life transitions, relational difficulties, and parent-child relationships. Her experience spans across social service and healthcare organisations, providing counselling and casework management, mental health assessments, as well as court-mandated interventions and reunification work for families afflicted by domestic violence.
She has also conducted group therapy, public workshops and talks on emotional regulation, crisis management, financial literacy, and mental well-being. She serves as a caregiving volunteer for a church, offering emotional support to people struggling with life issues and challenges.
Kristie’s therapeutic approach is humanistic and integrative, influenced by theories in attachment, neurophysiology of trauma, psychological flexibility, parts work, family systems, and self-compassion. She believes that there is hope and opportunities for growth, transformation, healing, and reconciliation in the midst of difficulties and darkness, and this continues to drive her passion in the journey of supporting others.
Formerly an international business editor before a career switch, Kristie’s experience in the corporate world has exposed her to the myriad cultural nuances around the world and helped her gain an appreciation of working with individuals from different backgrounds and with varied lived experiences. An avid pursuer of lifelong learning, she clocks regular training hours as well as supervision with an SAC-certified supervisor.
When she is not working, Kristie enjoys the creative arts, cooking, reading, jogging, and spending time with her husband, family, and friends.
“No one cares how much you know until
they know how much you care.”
– unknown