Everyone has needs—the need for survival, freedom, power, fun, love, and belonging. When these important needs are not met, people turn to destructive and harmful behaviours. For example, when working with self-harming adolescent girls, I hear the issues of loneliness and a need for love and belonging come up again and again. We see the destructive actions on the outside, but we do not recognise the deeper underlying needs that are basic to all humans.
My journey in people-helping started when I volunteered as a tutor in orphanage homes in the Klang Valley. I quickly realised that the orphans needed a lot of love and attention but unfortunately, they were not getting any. Hence, at the age of 23, I decided to co-found a non-profit organisation called AGAPE Vision.This organisation empowers youth to be leaders in their community, and through our programme, young people can find and have their need for love and belonging met. In addition to my non-profit youth outreach work, I was a full-time school counsellor at a Malaysian Private school from 2011 to 2017, working with children struggling with ADHD, self-harming, eating disorders, anxiety, stress,and trauma. I have come to see that not only do children from orphanages lack adequate love and attention, sometimes, even children and youth from intact families can experience similar deprivation.
Aside from counselling children and youths, I have a soft spot for working with couples in crisis. In Rekindle I have worked with dating couples struggling to move towards marriage and married couples contemplating divorce due to extramarital affairs. I also provide coaching/counselling and facilitate Wellness Talks through Rekindle’s Employee AssistanceProgramme (EAP). I have worked with companies such as Entropia, Co-labs Coworking, SG Support, and Heritage Centre to name a few.
In addition to my role as a licensed professional counsellor, I am the Dean of Counselling Studies at Bible College Malaysia, and a Consultant Stress Counsellor for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, providing crisis, trauma, and stress counselling and workshops to international staff and delegates from national offices in Geneva, Philippines, and Indonesia.
My Approach to Therapy
I believe it is important to understand that the therapy process is not about finding fault or blaming each other, but being aware of our relationship dynamics and tapping into our own internal resilience and courage to change. I am comfortable working with children, teens, couples, and families in areas where they feel stuck and need a breakthrough. My approach draws on the power of the present—the here and now—in an expressive modality, to help clients identify their strengths and process their past trauma and inner child wounds. I also use tools such as sandtray, figurines, and other artistic expressions as and when needed during therapy.
In addition to my master's degree in counselling from the University of Malaya, I have also been trained in Satir Systemic Brief Therapy, Jungian Based Expressive Arts Therapy, and Sandtray Therapy. For my couples work I utilise the Prepare Enrich tools, PREP, and Satir couples counselling. I have also worked with master's-level students using the FIRO-B assessment tool to help them understand relational needs and dynamics in teams.
My clients experience me as a calm and approachable counsellor who creates a safe and supportive atmosphere for change.
More About Me
My love of learning and joy of seeing people change for the better has constantly challenge me to become a competent people-helper. To this extent, I have started on my doctoral studies in counselling to further my knowledge in the field. I consider myself blessed to be born and bred in Malaysia where I have had the opportunity to experience and learn from different backgrounds and races. My love for multiculturalism had drawn me to complete my undergraduate studies in America, where I also had the pleasure of living and working with an American family as an Au Pair. I am proud to add that I am married to a husband with mixed ethnic heritage (Chinese and Indian) and we are raising two beautiful children of our own.
Everyone has needs—the need for survival, freedom, power, fun, love, and belonging. When these important needs are not met, people turn to destructive and harmful behaviours. For example, when working with self-harming adolescent girls, I hear the issues of loneliness and a need for love and belonging come up again and again. We see the destructive actions on the outside, but we do not recognise the deeper underlying needs that are basic to all humans.
My journey in people-helping started when I volunteered as a tutor in orphanage homes in the Klang Valley. I quickly realised that the orphans needed a lot of love and attention but unfortunately, they were not getting any. Hence, at the age of 23, I decided to co-found a non-profit organisation called AGAPE Vision.This organisation empowers youth to be leaders in their community, and through our programme, young people can find and have their need for love and belonging met. In addition to my non-profit youth outreach work, I was a full-time school counsellor at a Malaysian Private school from 2011 to 2017, working with children struggling with ADHD, self-harming, eating disorders, anxiety, stress,and trauma. I have come to see that not only do children from orphanages lack adequate love and attention, sometimes, even children and youth from intact families can experience similar deprivation.
Aside from counselling children and youths, I have a soft spot for working with couples in crisis. In Rekindle I have worked with dating couples struggling to move towards marriage and married couples contemplating divorce due to extramarital affairs. I also provide coaching/counselling and facilitate Wellness Talks through Rekindle’s Employee AssistanceProgramme (EAP). I have worked with companies such as Entropia, Co-labs Coworking, SG Support, and Heritage Centre to name a few.
In addition to my role as a licensed professional counsellor, I am the Dean of Counselling Studies at Bible College Malaysia, and a Consultant Stress Counsellor for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, providing crisis, trauma, and stress counselling and workshops to international staff and delegates from national offices in Geneva, Philippines, and Indonesia.
My Approach to Therapy
I believe it is important to understand that the therapy process is not about finding fault or blaming each other, but being aware of our relationship dynamics and tapping into our own internal resilience and courage to change. I am comfortable working with children, teens, couples, and families in areas where they feel stuck and need a breakthrough. My approach draws on the power of the present—the here and now—in an expressive modality, to help clients identify their strengths and process their past trauma and inner child wounds. I also use tools such as sandtray, figurines, and other artistic expressions as and when needed during therapy.
In addition to my master's degree in counselling from the University of Malaya, I have also been trained in Satir Systemic Brief Therapy, Jungian Based Expressive Arts Therapy, and Sandtray Therapy. For my couples work I utilise the Prepare Enrich tools, PREP, and Satir couples counselling. I have also worked with master's-level students using the FIRO-B assessment tool to help them understand relational needs and dynamics in teams.
My clients experience me as a calm and approachable counsellor who creates a safe and supportive atmosphere for change.
More About Me
My love of learning and joy of seeing people change for the better has constantly challenge me to become a competent people-helper. To this extent, I have started on my doctoral studies in counselling to further my knowledge in the field. I consider myself blessed to be born and bred in Malaysia where I have had the opportunity to experience and learn from different backgrounds and races. My love for multiculturalism had drawn me to complete my undergraduate studies in America, where I also had the pleasure of living and working with an American family as an Au Pair. I am proud to add that I am married to a husband with mixed ethnic heritage (Chinese and Indian) and we are raising two beautiful children of our own.
