FAQ

Therapy is a very skilled form of counselling that takes years of training to practice effectively. Only professionals who have received at least Master’s level training in psychology plus a minimum of a few years of supervised training in psychology have the basic skills required for therapy. Often the terms counselling, psychotherapy and therapy are used interchangeably by the general public.

Therapy is not easily described in general statements. The shape and form therapy takes varies depending on the personality of the client, the particular difficulty he or she is facing and the skills and therapy approach of the psychologist. Despite the fact that there are many different methods therapists may use to deal with the concern that the client hopes to address, underlying all the methods is a basic and common feature. This feature is to help the client address the concern at hand so that she/he is better able to cope with and function in everyday life.

Therapy can have benefits and risks. Because therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of a person’s life, one may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness and helplessness. On the other hand, the benefits of therapy include:

• A significant decrease in feelings of distress
• Resolution of specific difficulties
• Improvement in interpersonal relationships
• Improvement in academic or work performance
• Improvement in self-esteem and self-confidence
• Increased ability to understand oneself
• Increased ability to recognize, achieve and embrace what it is one wants
• Increased ability to deal with future stresses

The above are all possibilities in therapy, however, there is no guarantee that one will experience any or all of the above-listed benefits and risks.

Typically, a good indicator that help may be beneficial is when one notices that:

• A difficulty one is experiencing is impacting one’s family, work, social, and/or academic life.
• One is not functioning as effectively as one would like in some or all aspects of life.
• One would like to see some changes in one’s life, relationships, career, or general functioning but is having difficulty in knowing what the necessary change is, how to achieve it, and feels stuck or that there are some internal obstacles or challenges that hinder one from achieving the desired change.

Besides the therapist having the appropriate qualifications and training to perform her duties, a good fit between therapist and client is essential in therapy.

Firstly, the therapist needs to have a minimum of a Master’s degree in psychology or a related field, plus at least 2 years of supervised clinical training.

Secondly, the only way to assess whether you can work with a therapist is to meet with him or her. If your initial visits leave you feeling uneasy, it would be appropriate to keep looking until you find the right therapist. In this process of finding the right therapist, one needs to trust his gut feeling with regards to whether he feels comfortable with the therapist. One needs to also keep in mind that therapy can sometimes be difficult and uncomfortable, however, in general, one should generally feel comfortable with his therapist and have a sense of confidence that he or she can be honest with the thrapist.

If after your initial visits with the therapist, your answers to the following questions are positive, then you have found the right therapist for you:

• Did you feel like the therapist was interested in you and understood why you are seeking therapy services?
• Did you feel comfortable in the presence of the therapist?
• Did the therapist seem trustworthy?
• Was the therapist able and willing to explain his/her approach to therapy?

You should keep looking for a therapist if you:

Did not feel comfortable

• Did not feel heard or understood
• Immediately prescribes medicine without proper evaluation
• Does not do a thorough evaluation and propose a plan to discuss together 
• Felt the therapist set goals for therapy that were different from the ones which you were interested in achieving

The following are some things that should never happen in therapy:

• You should not be berated, belittled, and/or threatened in therapy.
• You should not feel forced to do things that you do not want to or are ready to do in therapy.
• You should not feel afraid for your safety in therapy.
• A therapist should not make sexual advances toward you in therapy.
• Sex should never be a part of therapy.
• You should not be verbally, physically, and or sexually abused in therapy.

Seeing a counsellor does not mean that one is “crazy”. Everyone can benefit from counselling services. Even if there is no particular concern or area of difficulty, you can still gain a tremendous amount of self-awareness through therapy sessions that would be beneficial for everyday life. Everyone experiences distress and emotional discomfort at least once in their lifetime. In some situations, the distress self-rectifies or subsides within a reasonable amount of time and in other situations, it does not. In prolonged or significant states of distress, you do not have to suffer in silence or alone as there are helpful resources in society that can be accessed to help yourself work through the difficulties and allow yourself the opportunity to feel better. Seeking the services of a counsellor can be a part of taking care of ourselves.

In the past, because of the stigma attached to taking care of one’s emotional and psychological health, many people suffered in silence. Today, because of the significantly reduced stigma attached to accepting ourselves as both physical and emotional beings, a lot more people are taking care of their emotional needs. Hence it is only healthy for one to pay attention to this aspect of oneself as it often impacts physical wellbeing and effective participation in home, school, work, and social life.

he specific condition, how long it has been present, and the extent to which it impacts one’s life determines the nature and length of counselling. This can be gauged only after your initial appointment and even then it is only a rough estimate as no two individuals or families are alike and everyone progresses at their own pace.

According to an APA summary, “One major study showed that 50 percent of patients noticeably improved after eight sessions while 75 percent of individuals in psychotherapy improved by the end of six months.” These benefits extend to children as well as adults (link to APA summary).

This will be determined at your initial appointment. More often than not sessions are once weekly. If it is agreed that you need more support during a significantly distressful period, then more frequent sessions may be scheduled. As you progress and are nearing completion of the therapy process you may have further spaced sessions. The timing of the gradual discontinuation and frequency of sessions will be decided jointly by you and your service provider.

What if my family member or friend is not agreeable to seek therapy?

Sometimes, others may notice that a friend or family member is suffering emotionally sooner than the individual does. You may notice the impact of your friend or family member’s suffering on his or her behaviours or school, work, home, and social functioning. The individual who is suffering may be in denial, may not be ready to seek counselling services, may not know that help is available, and/or may be sceptical of the concept of therapy. To watch someone you care about suffer can sometimes be as painful as going through the suffering yourself. This is a very uncomfortable but common situation. Expressing your concern to the individual in a caring and compassionate way as opposed to a punitive, blaming, demanding, and the threatening way is helpful. Suggesting therapy as a way of helping himself or herself make things better for him or her may be helpful as well. As an expression of your caring, support, and commitment to him/her, your offer to accompany him/her to see a therapist may be encouraging and comforting to your friend or family member. For further assistance regarding how to help or encourage your friend or family member, please contact the Samaritans Counselling Centre.

Medication in and of itself is not the standard treatment for most concerns. It is recommended only if it is needed and even if your service provider recommends it, you make the final decision on whether you want to further explore this option.

Although psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors are all mental health practitioners and have similar foundational training in the human brain, human development and functioning, psychiatrists undergo training to be a medical doctor or physician prior to specialising in psychiatry. Psychologists, on the other hand, undergo Bachelor’s and Master’s or Doctoral training in psychology and likewise counsellors. The specialised training prepares psychiatrists to effectively prescribe and manage medication and psychologists to conduct thorough evaluations and tests to determine an individual’s intellectual functioning, personality functioning, etc.Counsellors tend to do things similar to psychologists although lass focused on formal tests. Though there are some psychiatrists who provide talk therapy, psychologists and counsellors are the primary talk therapy providers. So, frequently, in order to provide clients with comprehensive services, psychologists, counsellors and psychiatrists work closely together with individuals who can benefit from both forms of assistance.

Typically those with a Master’s degree who have completed a specified amount of supervised training (minimum 300 hours). In Singapore for instance, they should be affiliated with a professional body like Singapore’s Association of Counselling (SAC) 

In Singapore, there are currently no regulations or legal restrictions on who is legally allowed to call oneself a counsellors or a mental health care professional and what and how they are permitted to practice. The terms Psychologist, Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Counsellor are used somewhat freely and interchangeably. Hence, these professional labels include those who have and those who do not have the basic required training and qualifications typically required of psychologists in other developed countries. Until stringent regulations are established in Singapore for who is allowed to practice and in what capacity, it would be advisable for the service seeker to, without hesitation, ask professionals about their training, qualifications, and extent of supervised clinical experience prior to establishing a therapeutic relationship. If you feel satisfied with the responses to your questions, proceed to engage the therapist to assist you. If the responses leave you feeling confused or are unsatisfactory, there is no harm in continuing your search for a qualified therapist or psychologist.

In most parts of the world where the medical profession is regulated, psychologists/counsellors do not have prescription privileges (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia).

You will be referred to an experienced psychiatrist who will evaluate, prescribe and manage the medication that you will be taking while you continue to work with your counsellors/psychologist in therapy. Research shows that medication alone is usually not the most effective form of treatment for most conditions. Often, for conditions where medication is deemed beneficial or necessary, simultaneous therapy is strongly recommended.