Individual Therapy is one-on-one time that is specifically carved out to focus on you and the experiences you want to talk about. We can explore and process anything and everything. No-holds-barred. Nothing is stigmatized or too taboo.
I think therapy can be for those in crisis, post-crisis, and who feel like life is seemingly uneventful and just want to process things.
Whether you’re a first-timer to therapy, skeptical about therapy, unsure about how it will work for you, someone who has had prior negative or difficult experiences in therapy, or someone who is looking for a new therapist to continue building on the work that has been done before, or someone who is unwillingly searching for a new therapist due to a change in your old therapist’s schedule, I hope you can reach out, so I can answer any questions you might have and we can explore whether we would be a good fit to work together.
Please read more about my approach here and I would love to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call to see if we would be a good fit.
Couples may seek couples therapy for multiple reasons:
To learn new ways to relate to each other and increase intimacy,
To work through a recent or long-standing conflict or crisis,
To get a mediator for third-party support and stabilization,
To decide whether to stay together or not, to open their relationship or not, and so on.
One partner could also be asking the other to go to couples therapy as an ultimatum.
Inter-racial/-religious couples may need additional support in navigating cultural dynamics or extended families.
No matter what your reasons are, I hope to create a safe enough space for both of you as individuals and as a couple to explore these questions, desires, fears, triggers, and decisions.
In couples therapy, we will examine your relational patterns, your individual and relational needs and ways to meet them, the emotions that are coming up for you both, and what is being triggered, so that we can find ways to interrupt the cycle and have mutual understanding and deeper communication. I hope to increase intimacy between you as a couple (even if it means the romantic aspect of your relationship has to end) by increasing intimacy within yourselves.
As you gain more insight, you both may have to mourn the ways you, your partner, or the relationship has evolved, or the hopes or idealistic fantasies you had. However, as things slow down and become clearer, my hope is that the next steps you need or want to take as an individual and/or as a couple will present itself and that through our work, there will be enough space, capacity, courage, and Love to take them together.
See my Couples Therapy Approach here.
Pre-marital and Pre-engagement Therapy is similar to couples therapy but is more focused on exploring structured topics, such as your families of origin, values and spirituality, finances and money, rituals of connection, parenting, and so on. Some couples may also seek therapy like this at a time when they are not in crisis or to discuss topics they had not thought to talk about before. Having vulnerable conversations like these in a supportive environment can help you to learn new skills, discover more about each other, and build a deeper foundation as you start your new chapter together.
For couples who have been required to go for pre-marital therapy (e.g., by their church), I am Prepare/Enrich certified.
Neuropsychological assessment refers to evidence-based tests a psychologist can use to help those who want to learn more about themselves or who need diagnostic clarification for various neurodevelopmental conditions, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, learning disabilities, developmental delay, obsessive-compulsive disorder, dementia, and mood disorders. After analyzing the test results, I provide a report with treatment recommendations that details accommodations for work or school. This assessment will also help you to discover your strengths and areas of growth.
I have assessed adults in medical, outpatient, community mental health, and private practice settings, integrating both qualitative and quantitative data in my assessments. These measures include various Wechsler intelligence scales for children and adults, Wechsler achievement scales, executive functioning measures, such as the D-KEFS, personality assessment measures including the MMPI-II and 16PF, as well as projective measures including the Rorschach inkblot test and Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank test. Implementing these various tests within an assessment battery allows for a multifaceted snapshot of the individual.
Common Referral Questions:
Do I, or does my child, have ADHD/ADD & if so, what type of treatment is recommended?
Does my child need any accommodations at school?
Is my memory normal for my age or do I have dementia, or some other medical or psychiatric disorder impacting my memory? Or Does my parent/caregiver have dementia?
What is my IQ?
Do I, or does my child, have a mental health diagnosis and what treatment is recommended?
What are my personal/cognitive/professional strengths and weaknesses?
I don’t seem to be performing well at school or work, is there something impacting my performance?
Types of Assessments:
Neuropsychological
Psychoeducational
Personality
Occupational
What does the process entail?
Interviews to obtain your current/past concerns and medical/psychosocial history
Questionnaires
Medical record review
Standardized paper-and-pencil tasks
Standardized computer-based tasks
Consultations with other professionals
How long does the process take?
While this depends on the referral question, the assessment usually takes 4 sessions.
Intake Session
Testing Session
Testing Session
Feedback Session
Due to the need for a report to get accommodations quickly, I will try to get the report to you within 2 weeks.
Professional Clinical Supervision/Consultation involves seeking guidance from a clinical psychologist to obtain support in your clinical work. I provide professional clinical consultation to other licensed professionals, such as psychologists, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, and clinical social workers.
As a mental health practitioner, you may be feeling stuck, confused, frustrated, or burnt out. During the consultation, we will have the opportunity to reflect on, and review, your clinical work in a confidential and supportive space. I aim to provide you with alternative perspectives/theories in your clinical work, suggest new interventions, process countertransference and the intersubjective space, and help you to develop new skill sets.
This can be conducted on an ongoing basis or in regard to specific clinical cases.
Services
Frequently Asked Questions
Our first session together will be 45 minutes long. Prior to the appointment, I will send you some forms and questionnaires to fill out.
It is normal to be anxious or nervous as you come for your first appointment. My hope is that we will co-create a space so that you will feel comfortable enough to talk about yourself and your experiences and that you will feel understood.
In these initial sessions, it is important to remember that you are also deciding whether I am a therapist that you can work with. Good fit and chemistry are crucial to therapy, so I am open to discussing this.
I recommend that we meet 2-3 times before deciding whether or not to continue working together. However, if you can tell immediately that we will not be able to click, it makes sense to switch therapists at that time. If you determine that we are not a good fit to work together, I ask that you share it with me (if you are comfortable), and I will provide you with referrals to other therapists or colleagues who might be a better fit for you.
Therapy sessions are weekly and are usually 45 minutes long. Once we have a sense of the nature of our work together, we can collaborate together to determine your session length and frequency (e.g., 90-minute sessions, bi-weekly sessions). It is an ongoing discussion that will evolve over time.
If you need to cancel your appointment, a 48-hour advance notice is required to avoid being charged for that appointment. However, if we are able to reschedule within the same business week, you won’t be charged for that cancellation.
The best way to know if I am the right therapist for you is for you to come in for a session or two. Other than that, you can read my bio or my musings to get a better sense of who I am and how I work.
After our sessions, I recommend that you check in with yourself to see how you felt working with me. You can ask yourself questions like: do you feel comfortable with me, and how comfortable do you feel? Do you feel like you can be honest and open with me? Do you feel that I understand you and your concerns? Do you feel like I am able to help you with your concerns? Am I responsive to your needs, concerns, or questions?
If there is any feedback for me, questions, or discomfort—if you are comfortable enough and feel safe enough—I ask that you share your thoughts with me so that we can see if we can establish more safety, explore what is happening between us, or if I need to repair.
I cannot emphasize how important this is because I believe that issues get worked on precisely in the therapeutic relationship, instead of jumping to different therapists when things get uncomfortable. However, if you are unable to share your therapy experiences with me, we can end therapy, and I can provide you with referrals to other therapists or colleagues who might be a better fit for you.
Once you believe progress has been made and maintained, we can reduce frequency and complete therapy. Before finishing, I suggest that we decrease frequency (e.g., meet once every two weeks, then meet once a month) to see if there are any flare-ups after periods when you are feeling better. If, after finishing therapy, you want to start therapy again, always feel free to reach back out to me.
As a licensed clinical psychologist, I do not prescribe medication. If you are interested in taking medication, I can refer you to a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor, who can prescribe medication and can also provide psychotherapy.
In some countries (such as America and Australia and not Singapore), there is a board of psychology that basically serves to protect consumers of psychological services. They are set up to ensure the quality of psychological services by regulating mental health professionals. What my license in California means is that the California Board of Psychology has ensured my competency to practice independently and safely. In addition to my doctorate degree, I was required to have a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience (they only counted the last 2 years of my 5 years of training, so I have even more than this), and I passed both a national exam and a California law and ethics exam.
The California Board of Psychology also requires that I obtain training and Continuing Professional Development so that I can maintain my license and renew it every 2 years. This allows me to keep growing as a clinician and keep up to date with legal/ethical issues as well as current research in the field.
Note for Singapore clients: Licensed clinical psychologists are extremely rare in Singapore because there is not a board of psychology and regulation. I did not need a license to see clients in Singapore. Therefore, I went an additional step in terms of qualifications and rigor of training by obtaining my license in California so that I can provide the highest quality of care to clients in Singapore. The closest equivalent in Singapore to a board of psychology is Singapore Psychological Society, of which I am a full member.