Zenith is in a unique position to provide mental health services.
Psychology Services that just work
Psychotherapy, counselling and educational assessment services at Punggol, Singapore, are provided by our clinical psychologists and doctors.
A team approach to mental heath. Mental health family physicians and experienced psychologists care for patients at Zenith.
By consulting our family physicians first, a patient is right sited to the most appropriate care immediately.
If a patient requires medications, or medications and therapy; Zenith team can efficiently handle.
If you only require psychotherapy, you will be assigned the most appropriate and experienced clinical psychologist according to your condition. The therapeutic models and techniques used can be collaboratively decided by you and your psychologist.
Once you have been seen by the family physician, you might be able to claim CHAS subsidies and/or medisave for consult and medicine. Subject to the laws of the land. We price our services between the government hospitals and the private hospitals.
We are located in the heartlands in Punggol. A preliminary online assessment with the psychologist can be done if travel is difficult. However, if you require further treatment, you will have to make a physical visit to the clinic. If your condition is suitable for teleconsultation, follow-up sessions can be conducted remotely. After the first consultation with us, we can determine whether your condition can be effectively treated via teleconsultation.
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Contents
What to expect as a client?
You can book either an appointment with the mental health family physician for a 10 minutes assessment or an online 20 minutes assessment with the clinical psychologist. You will be asked about your symptoms and the appropriate treatment options will be discussed. Sometimes you might not need treatment.
What kind of treatment to expect?
If you require treatment. It will include psychotherapy and/or medications.
What if you have some financial difficulty?
If you are diagnosed to have a chronic disease management program – mental health (CDMP-MH) condition as defined as the government, you may be eligible to subsidies. The community health assist scheme (CHAS) is available to all Singaporeans, everyone can go and apply for it. If you are diagnosed with a CDMP-MH, you will be eligible for government subsidies and use your own or family members medisave up to $500 per year, subject to government rules and audits. (The fine print is that your diagnosis and NRIC will be submitted for audit purposes)
What happens after the first assessment?
Subsequent psychotherapy sessions will be 1 hour sessions. You will generally require at least 3 sessions to see initial improvement. The session can be conducted in person or online.
Can I see a psychologist online?
Yes and No. Online provides convenience that is unparalleled, yet it might limit proper assessment and treatment of your condition. CHAS/Medisave claims might not apply to online sessions. After the first consult by us, we will be able to advise if your condition can be seen online or needs to be seen in person. Some conditions that cannot be seen online include panic disorder, presence of self harm and safety concerns, etc.
“Who should I see? Psychiatrist? Mental Health Gp? Psychologist? Or Counsellor?”
Check this article.
Mental health conditions our psychologists are trained to assess and treat
We can treat depression and anxiety in adults as well as children. They include, but are not limited to the following:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Trauma related disorders
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Psychotic Spectrum Disorders
- Personality Disorders
- Addictions and Substance Abuse Disorders (Eg; Smoking cessation, alcohol addiction)
- Stress
- Anger
- Relationship problems, including male and female sexual dysfunction
Additional services catered for children include the following:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessment
- Psycho-educational assessments such as assessment for IQ and specific learning disorder/dyslexia
- Giftedness assessment for children
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A glimpse into assessment and treatment
The role of a psychologist is to be a non-judgmental listener, assess and provide an explanation for possible contributions to your difficulties, and discuss and collaborate on a treatment plan.
Our psychologists utilize various therapeutic models, including but not limited to the following:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
- Functional Analytic Psychotherapy
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Schema Therapy
However, it can be challenging to pinpoint the exact “models” used as they depend on various factors, such as the presence of past trauma, the client’s goals, the type of disorder, and current stressors.
“Would my conditions be disclosed to the government, my employer, insurance company or any other organisations?”
Your confidentiality is assured. We are a 100% privately-owned organisation. Your medical records and notes are solely for the purpose of treating your condition. The only people who have access are the treating psychologist and the treating doctor (if one has been assigned to your case).
With adult clients, confidentiality is strictly maintained between the therapist and the client, except when the client wants to harm themselves or others (see our article here). In both scenarios, physical safety of the persons involved is crucial and relevant people who can intervene will be informed.
“How are children different?”
With child clients, a comprehensive assessment and intervention are essential for treatment success. During the assessment phase, the people involved in caring for the child are encouraged to come along and necessary information is gathered from them. This process is very tedious and can often take multiple sessions or many hours.
Observation of the child in classrooms and information from teachers are necessary to ascertain an accurate diagnosis in some cases. Treatment of the child often includes educating parents, teachers and other caregivers on how to help the child, as well as individual therapy for the child.
“How long is the path to healing?”
It is particularly difficult to predict how long a person needs to go through treatment. It depends on several factors:
First, it depends on how much a client is willing to commit at the stage that he or she comes for therapy. Some just want to seek the psychologist’s opinion a “once-off” basis, whereas others are ready to do whatever it takes to overcome the difficulty that brought them to the clinic in the first place.
Second, it depends on the nature and severity of the disorder. It takes about 8 to 10 sessions to treat a client with anxiety disorder. With past trauma involved, it becomes more intricate and often requires more than 10 sessions to process through all the sufferings of the past and present.
Most clients can be discharged completely after a period of regular followup, some will require a check-in after 3 to 6 months while others will require lifelong support.
Begin your journey of healing
Faced with unbearable mental pain and suffering, our first instinct is to avoid thinking about it. It is difficult to talk about our innermost fears even to loved ones, let alone a psychologist.
We often distract ourselves by drowning our mind with work, occupying ourselves with social media, playing video games, drinking alcohol etc. It makes absolute sense because as long as we can distract ourselves, we don’t need to endure our shame, guilt, depressed mood or anxiety. But at what cost?
It often stops us from living our life in a way that is meaningful to us.
Depression eats away our joy and vitality, robbing us of our ability to become involved actively in our own lives and our loved ones. Anxiety constantly tells us scary stories and stops us from doing what we value. Shame and guilt keep us away from others as we perceive ourselves to be unworthy.
“What can I do now?”
Consider this.
What if living a meaningful life involves taking a close look at our inner monsters of shame, guilt, depression or anxiety? Rumi, a 13th centuary poet, described very aptly the path to healing:
“Don’t turn away.
Keep your gaze on the bandaged place.
That is where the light enters you.”
Take a moment to reflect on your life, as you read this article.
Consider how you are probably lucky to be here (you might not agree at this point). This may be a chance for you to explore and relook the priorities in your life.
You probably already know what needs to be done and exactly how.
But sometimes, what everybody needs is an empathic ear, a little sharing and a guide to walk this path with you.
And sometimes, all it takes is for a psychologist to create a safe space for you to explore, and you will be off courageously into the next path of your life.
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“How can I get started?”
How do I prepare myself?
- Just be yourself in this present moment
- Bring your NRIC for registration
- Bring your child’s Baby Bonus card if the client is a child
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