Child Counselling In Singapore
Child counselling in Singapore is often sought out specifically by school recommendations. When international or local schools feel that a child might benefit from seeing a clinician to improve their social skills, challenging and/or uncooperative behaviours, or academic difficulties, they will recommend to parents to have the child come to a clinic. This can really enhance their overall quality of life, and academic difficulties.
What Is Child Counselling?
Child counselling is a supportive process which aims to help children to overcome their emotional, behavioural, social, or developmental challenges.
These challenges can be tied to a specific event (such as a divorce, grief, trauma, etc) but it can also be more general (such as anxiety, depression, learning difficulties and more).
Child counselling tends to begin with creating a safe and trusting environment for the child, before moving on to use different techniques (such as cognitive behavioural therapy, activities, play therapy, art therapy, etc) to help them explore their emotions and develop coping skills.
No matter what your child is going through or has gone through, counselling is there to ensure that the psychological distress they have felt is not left untreated, which could negatively impact their educational aspirations, developmental milestones, and cause delays/difficulties that persist into adulthood.
Signs That My Child May Need Counselling
Significant signs that could help you identify whether your child may need counselling are:
- Notable changes in behaviours (anger, retreat, aggressiveness).
- Changes in appetite or sleep
- Academic difficulty and school challenges
- Social challenges in, or outside of school
- Persistent signs of sadness or anxiety
- Trouble in adapting with big changes (moves, separation of parents/siblings, grief, etc)
What Type Of Therapy Is Best For Children?
The most common therapy modalities for child counselling are play therapy, art therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
How Do I Prepare My Child For Counselling?
It can be important to remove the stigma around counselling and be honest with your child.
You can explain that counselling will be a safe space where they can openly talk about feelings and anything they feel like they would like to discuss. Reassure them that the clinician will be there to help them and will not judge, and that going to counselling is not a punishment.
You can tell them that it can also be fun, and exciting and might include some drawing, and playing and anything they might particularly enjoy doing.
How Can Us Help You?
Experienced Therapists
Our processes and quality assurance is led by Dr Emma Waddington, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Founder of Us Therapy, with over 20+ years of experience in helping individuals in Singapore.
Holistic & Personalised Approach
Our clinicians draw from various therapeutic models to create a holistic approach. At Us, we have seen hundreds of clients and we recognise that each individual is unique. Our approach is tailored to you but always includes customised treatment plans and integrative techniques.
Thorough Assessment
At Us, we pride ourselves on our comprehensive assessment processes. We will undergo a thorough assessment process with you in your first sessions before we come up with a plan for your therapy.
Our Therapists
Our therapists have over 40 years of collective experience working with children. They have all been highly trained and have undergone specialist training in Child Counselling.
What To Expect
Initial Consultation – A Space to Be Heard
The first session is all about getting to know you. It is a conversation—one where you can share what is been on your mind, what has been feeling difficult, and what you would like support with. Your therapist will ask questions about your background, experiences, and goals, but there is no pressure to answer any questions—just a safe space to begin
Questionnaires & Onboarding Surveys – Understanding the Full Picture
To help tailor therapy to your needs, you may be asked to fill out some brief questionnaires before or after your first session. These can give insight into things like mood, stress levels, relationship patterns, or coping strategies. They are not tests—just tools to help your therapist understand how best to support you.
Individual Therapy Sessions – Your Journey at Your Own Pace
Each session is a step forward in your journey. Therapy is not just about talking—it is about discovering new ways to navigate life’s challenges, make sense of emotions, and feel like you are getting the most out of your life. Depending on your needs, sessions may focus on:
- Exploring patterns of thought and behavior
- Understanding past experiences and their impact on the present
- Developing practical coping tools
- Strengthening emotional resilience
Feedback Sessions – Reflecting and Adjusting
After the first few sessions (or after assessments), a feedback session provides space to reflect on how therapy is going. This is a chance to talk about what has been helpful, what you would like more of, and how therapy can continue to best serve you.
Intervention – The Heart of Therapy
Intervention is where meaningful change happens. Every therapy journey is unique, and the approach will be shaped around what works best for you. Some common approaches include:
🌱 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Helping to identify and shift unhelpful thought patterns, reduce anxiety, and develop healthier ways to cope and new patterns of behaviour.
🧠 Schema Therapy – Deep, transformational work to uncover long-standing patterns that might be keeping you stuck, often rooted in early life experiences.
💙 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – Learning to handle difficult emotions with self-compassion and move towards what truly matters in life.
🌊 Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – A powerful approach for healing trauma and distressing memories, helping the brain reprocess them in a way that feels less overwhelming.
🧘 Mindfulness-Based Approaches – Building self-awareness, grounding techniques, and ways to manage stress and emotions with greater ease.
Therapy Approaches
Play Therapy
Play therapy is to help the child express themselves and their emotions through games and play and will help them be open and communicative. It also helps to see their imagination and what might be happening subconsciously.
Art Therapy
Art therapy will aid the child in expressing him/herself in a non verbal, artistic way. It can be particularly hard for certain children to put their feelings into words, therefore with creative tools such as drawing, painting, sculpture, colouring and more, children can express what they feel without needing to verbalise it. Creative work has also been shown to reduce stress and have calming affects, which can help some children be more grounded and relaxed.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT really helps a child understand emotions, and how to understand themselves and their feelings better. It helps to modify certain negative thoughts and behaviours. It is particularly useful for children that are anxious, depressed, have phobias or low self-esteem.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is a very compassionate and validating therapy modality. It can be very beneficial for children because it does not focus on changing the negative thoughts and emotions, but rather to accept them, and learn to move forward from them.
A good example would be if a child feels anxious, rather than trying to get rid of the anxiety, it will teach them the right tools to accept it and learn how to cope with it, all whilst learning other positive behaviours that can help them and their development. ACT can really help a child build resilience and confidence.
Fees
Individual Counselling Rates
Clinician Type
Fees and Duration
Clinic Founder
$290
Principal Psychologist
$290
Senior Clinical Psychologist
$262
Educational Psychologist
$262
Clinical Psychologist
$236
Counsellor
$170
Expressive Arts Therapist
$170
Associate Psychologist
$130
Phone calls / Emails
Clinicians rate pro-rata (10 Mins)
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Counselling
What age is appropriate for counselling?
There is no ‘minimum’ age for a child to start counselling. This will entirely depend on the needs and development of each child. Children can struggle a lot even in preschool in Singapore, whether that be through separation anxiety, social challenges, challenging behaviours and so on. Counselling can be beneficial for any and all demographic and age groups.
How can counselling help my child?
Counselling is a great tool for children to learn how to understand and express their emotions. It also can help them build stronger social skills and therefore strengthen friendships and relationships.
Child counselling is also very beneficial for developing communication skills, building self-esteem, managing stress, improving academic performance, and gain problem-solving skills. Importantly, a counsellor can help them make sense of themselves, and the world.
If they are coming in for more specific issues, the clinician will help them unpack and work through their anxiety, trauma or behavioural difficulties, leading to a better quality of life, and an easier, and more optimistic transition into adolescence and adulthood.
How many sessions will my child need?
The duration entirely depends on the child’s needs and the nature of the challenges.
When working through a specific significant change, or struggle, the child might benefit from short-term counselling, which can be anywhere between 8 and 14 sessions.
Other children may need ongoing support. If you would like to get an idea of what your child needs, do ask the clinician what they think your child’s case and needs will require.
I do not want anyone knowing that my child is in counselling, will you be telling the school?
In many cases, the school recommends for the child to come to counselling, which can then be beneficial to let them know that your child is getting the right support outside of school.
It can also be beneficial to create cohesive support and for the clinician and school to liaise to ensure your child can also get adapted support in school.
If this is not something you or your child would like and do not consent to this, nobody will be told about the counselling and this will remain entirely confidential. If you’d like to find out more confidentiality, you can review our privacy policy here: https://us-therapy.sg/privacy-policy/
Do I come into the sessions with my child?
The first session with the clinician will be a parent intake. In this parent intake, the child will not be present in the room. This is to be able to get as much background and information from parents without the child being present and hearing all the challenges parents may feel they are struggling with.
Following this, the next sessions will be entirely with the child. Sometimes, in the first session with the child, they may feel shy or nervous about going in without the parent, in which case we will bring the parent in for the beginning of the session, and once the child is more comfortable, the parent will leave the room. Any consecutive sessions will be with the child alone.
Will I know what is being said or done in sessions?
Typically, children tend to be open and parents will know what they are generally and broadly working on and what they did in the session.
However, clinicians are still bound by confidentiality regardless of whether the child is underage or not. Therefore, ethically and legally they will not disclose what the child shares in therapy without consent.
This confidentiality can be broken if there is a risk of harm to self or others, suspected abuse or neglect and certain legal requirements (i.e. court cases where a court may subpoena records).
Other than these, if the child does not want what they have said to be shared with parents, they will not be. This will be a discussion in the first session with parents and the child, which in turn will also help to foster trust with the child.
If you are concerned about confidentiality, it is a good idea to discuss this with the clinician in the parent intake.
FAQ
What type of therapy is best for men?
The best type of therapy for men depends on each individuals unique needs, challenges, and preferences. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective for addressing negative thought patterns, while Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps men align their actions with core values. Both these models tend to be short term and are effective with a number of different challenges like anxiety, mood or addictions. Men may also benefit from solution-focused approaches or trauma-focused therapies like EMDR, especially when dealing with specific events. The key is finding a therapist who fosters a safe and supportive environment for open conversation.
How much does therapy cost in Singapore?
In Singapore, therapy costs typically range between SGD 150 to 300 per session, depending on the therapist’s experience and the clinic’s location. Some centers, like here at Us, offer subsidized rates or sliding scales based on financial need, and group therapy options may also be more affordable. Employers, insurance plans, or Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) might cover part of the cost, so it’s worth exploring these avenues as well.
Should a man get a male therapist?
Choosing a therapist is a personal decision, and gender can be an important factor for some men. While some might feel more comfortable discussing sensitive topics with another male therapist, others may value a different perspective or feel gender doesn’t matter at all. The key is selecting a therapist who understands and respects your experiences, regardless of gender. All our female clinicians are very confident and have years of experience working with men.
Is it OK for a man to go to therapy?
Absolutely, it’s not only OK but also courageous for a man to seek therapy. Society’s outdated notions of masculinity can make it hard for men to prioritize their mental health, but addressing emotions and challenges is a sign of strength, not weakness. Therapy offers a space for growth, self-discovery, and resilience, empowering men to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.
If you are interested in therapy for men, you can book a consultation or reach out to us on WhatsApp, you can also call us +65 6980 8580. We look forward to welcoming you to our clinic.
FAQ
Each individual’s grieving process is unique, and it is very important to recognise that there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to grieve.
Grief counselling often uses a variety of techniques tailored to your needs, including:
- Narrative Therapy: Encourages you to share your story of loss, deepening your understanding of the meaning of your loss and helping you make sense of your emotions.
- Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Provide tools to manage overwhelming feelings and ground yourself in the present moment.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps address unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs about the loss and promotes healthier coping strategies.
- Art and Creative Therapies: Allows for expression of grief through mediums like drawing, writing, or music, offering an alternative outlet for emotions.
Each technique aims to provide comfort, understanding, and practical tools to navigate your grief journey.
The best type of therapy for grief often depends on the individual. Many find Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Narrative Therapy helpful, while others benefit from more experiential approaches like art or mindfulness-based therapies.
A skilled therapist will work with you to determine the most suitable approach.
