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About us
Nina and Emma set up Thrive Family with a vision to support both the local and the expat communities. The aim is to focus on providing an excellent service for clients, by choosing clinicians that share in their values and expertise. Thrive Family was also set up with an intention to support local communities, and to nurture the provision of good quality psychological care and to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues. To this goal, Thrive Family works with a number of local communities, such as Zenith Medical in Punggol, CPAS, Institute of Mental Health and National University Singapore. Thrive Family also offers clinical supervision, training and hands on psychotherapeutic work within the community.
All the therapists at Thrive Family are motivated to be here by more than for financial reasons. We all have a shared commitment to using evidence based practice in our work. We are all working to become experts in our line of work, and we do this by continually training and educating ourselves. We also work as part of a team, and we are all very supportive of each other and the work we do. We believe this helps us deliver the best service to our clients. We also work to be a hub for connecting mental health professionals all across Singapore. We hold regular meetings, attend conferences and train other professionals. And we practice ethically. If we don’t think we can provide the right services to meet a person’s needs, we’ll refer that person onto someone who can. We pride ourselves in answering every contact we get and helping every one find their way in a complicated mental health system
Approaches
Some of the therapies we use are:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Mindfulness
For Adults
Life can get difficult. We often have to juggle many roles and responsibilities. Often unsupported by extended family. Sometimes when we have family involved, this can add to the burden. Some of us feel isolated and lonely. Some of us feel overstretched and overwhelmed. Individual therapy can help ease some of this pain. Our clinicians are all highly trained and experts in dealing with many of the issues that have become pervasive in today’s society. Some of the issues we help address are:
- Anxiety
- Stress & Burnout
- Depression & Unhappiness
- Workplace Bullying
- Self-esteem and Confidence
- Coping With A Break-Up & Divorce Abuse (Emotional, Sexual and Physical)
- Relationship issues
- Grief & Loss
- Anger Management
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) & Obsessions
- Phobias
- Addictions – substances, sexual
- Self-harm and suicidality
- Confusion About Sexuality or Sexual Orientation
- Trauma or PTSD
- Sleep problems
- Ante or Post Natal Depression
Each individual will be assessed and the issues will be discussed collaboratively. Following assessment, clients will be provided with a personalised therapy plan, which is tailored to support your unique needs.
For Couples
All relationships can sometimes suffer under the increasing pressure of everyday life. People may argue, be unable to communicate, struggle with trust or intimacy. Couples come to therapy to improve their relationship or to separate as amicably as they can.
Gottman Method Couple Therapy is one of the most researched and evidence-based therapeutic models for couples therapy. It is a short term, structured, goal-oriented, client-focused therapy. It is the only couple therapy system that is continually evaluated for its efficacy and effectiveness and boasts the lowest relapse rate – which in turn makes this the most successful couple therapy method available today.
How does couple therapy work?
The couple and therapist will work together to understand their relationship strengths and challenges and address these with a number of interventions that are based on Dr Gottman’s 30 years old research across thousands of couples.
The therapist and couple will work to improve:
- Friendship and affection
- Trust and commitment
- Improve conflict resolution – resolve longstanding differences
- Develop deeper understanding of each other’s worlds
- Create a shared meaning in life
Therapy will start with three to five session for the assessment which will include individual sessions and a number of questionnaires. Time is spent exploring the challenges and strengths in the relationship and the history of the issues and of the couple. Individual sessions are used to explore any individual history that may be relevant to the difficulties faced.
Finally, the couples will again with the therapist to explore the findings from the assessment and to plan therapy together. The goals are set collaboratively and the work is started. Weekly sessions usually are between 60-90 minutes and homework is set to practice the skills worked on in session.
Dr Emma Waddington is trained in Gottman Couples Therapy and will be able to support you and your partner in this work together.
For more information on Gottman’s Couples Therapy
For Adolescents
Talking therapies for young people can be life changing, helping them deal with challenges they are experiencing and teaching them important coping skills they can use in life. Our therapists work effectively with a wide range of issues including;
- Mood and Emotions: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, obsessions, compulsions, impact of trauma, stress, phobias, social anxiety
- Behavioural Difficulties: anger outbursts, aggression
- Self-Harm and Risk Taking: cutting, suicidal ideation, putting self in danger
- Self-Regulation: managing emotions
- Difficulties with Friendships: making and maintaining friends, isolation, withdrawal
- Difficulties with Development: autism, ADHD, general and specific learning difficulties
- School Issues: attendance, academic progress, motivation, behaviour, relationships with teachers, bullying. Motivation & academic challenges
- Family Life: conflict between or with parents and / or siblings, separation, divorce, managing as a reconstituted family, illness, bereavement
Parenting: bonding, boundary setting, managing as a single parent, parenting effectively as a couple, relationship building, balancing work / life / and family - Transition and third culture issues
- Body Image and eating disorders
- Sex related issues
- Grief and loss
For Children and Families
We can work with babies to school aged children. Working together with parents is central to our approach.
- Mood and Emotions: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, obsessions, compulsions, impact of trauma, separation anxiety, phobias, mutism
- Behavioural Difficulties: tempers or meltdowns , anger outbursts, aggression
- Self-Regulation: sleeping, feeding, wetting, soiling
- Difficulties with Friendships: making and maintaining friends, isolation, withdrawal, being bullied and bullying
- Difficulties with Development: autism, ADHD, general and specific learning difficulties
- School Issues: attendance, academic progress, motivation, behaviour, relationships with teachers, bullying.
- Family Life: conflict between or with parents and / or siblings, separation, divorce, managing as a reconstituted family, illness, bereavement
- Parenting: bonding, boundary setting, managing as a single parent, parenting effectively as a couple, relationship building, balancing work / life / and family
- Transition and third culture issues
Assessments for Adults
Examples of areas we assess:
- Learning disorders
- Intellectual disability
- ADHD
Assessing ADHD in adults.
ADHD tends to be a condition typically associated with children but it can also continue to affect adults. Many adults were not diagnosed as children.
In order to be considered for ADHD diagnosis we need to establish that your symptoms:
- Began in childhood and have been ongoing since. This is important as adults cannot be confirmed with a diagnosis unless there were symptoms present during childhood. It is currently understood that ADHD cannot develop for the first time in adulthood.
- Cannot be explained by another mental health condition
- Are significantly affecting your day to day life. You may be finding you are underachieving at work or find your close relationships difficult.
How do we diagnose?
It can be more difficult in adults as they may find it harder to remember whether they had such problems as a child. It may be helpful for the clinician with your permission to view old school reports/records or interview your parents or old teacher.
In order to be diagnosed, ADHD should be effecting different areas of your life, such as under achieving in education or work, driving dangerously, having difficulties with friends or close relationships.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (which includes a condition that was known as Aspergers Syndrome)
Assessments for Children and
Adolescents
Examples of areas we assess:
- Learning disorders/difficulties including, dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia.
- Intellectual disability
- Developmental Delays
- ADHD
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (which includes a condition that was known as Aspergers Syndrome)
A typical Assessment for a child will include;
A parents appointment initially, where background, including developmental, medical, educational and behavioural information is gathered. with permission interviews with others e.g. grandparents, school teachers might be carried out.
It is also possible we may want to have some other professionals views, for example; an Occupational Therapist, Speech and Language Therapist or a Pediatrician. We would discuss this and help facilitate this as we are well linked with great colleagues and easy referral pathways.
Observations– The clinician may carry out a school visit, or come to your home to how your child is in their usual environment.
Based on the findings from above the clinician will determine what diagnostic tools are needed. Sometimes testing is deemed unnecessary or unsuitable at this time. If we go ahead with testing requires standardised internationally approved and up to date tools and questionnaires are used. The assessment may take place over a few days. We aim to get the best out of children, with cognitive assessments we prefer the testing to be done in the morning when they are most alert. Children will be offered sensory and play breaks, even a run around our garden! Rewards are also used to get the best from them.
After testing is complete a formal feedback appointment with parents and child depending on the child’s age is carried out. Feedback to schools can also be provided. A formal report and diagnosis where relevant will be given and recommendations for home and school will be made.
We are familiar with the requirements for the Ministry of Education (MOE) and international schools regarding applications for specialist accommodations e.g. additional time for exams.
If you wish to ask about our testing protocols or have questions relating to assessment please contact Dr. Jennifer Greene or Ms Hayley Su
Clinical Hypnotherapy
Are you looking for support to:
- Resolve a habit or addictive behaviour?
- Prepare for a new life event?
- Reduce stress / enable relaxation?
- Overcome a fear?
- Relieve pain?
By using hypnotherapy to ‘re-programme’ old beliefs or behavioural patterns Helen Skinner assists clients to:
- Stop smoking, drinking, overeating, nail biting and other habits
- Get over fear of flying, dentists, making presentations or any specific phobias
- Prepare for childbirth
- Get exam ready
- Reduce or eliminate chronic pain or bruxism
- Improve their sleep, reduce stress and improve their levels of relaxation and confidence.
- Coaching
What is hypnosis?
The British Society of Clinical Hypnosis (BSCH) describes hypnosis as being “neither asleep nor awake”. It’s a “little like daydreaming, with a pleasant feeling of deep relaxation behind it all.” This state is referred to as being “in trance” and it may be a surprise you to learn that most of us experience trance daily during the course of our lives – think driving the car on autopilot or daydreaming of your favourite holiday whilst on crowded public transport. Even passing into ordinary sleep involves a kind of trance state.
Clinical Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is deliberately taking someone into a state of hypnosis to treat various medical or psychological problems. During trance the hypnotherapists words “by-pass” the rational part of the client’s mind (the conscious). The conscious would ordinarily assesses every new idea presented to it against the stored behaviours and ‘programming’ in the client’s sub-conscious, choosing to accept or reject those new idea based upon previous experience and beliefs. By offering suggestions to the client’s sub-conscious mind (via trance) the client’s brain is more likely to accept new ideas without the usual dismissal of ‘Yeh I tried that before and it didn’t work…’. It’s like supercharging an individual’s willpower. As the brain doesn’t know the difference between something that’s vividly imagined or something that’s actually happened, if a client imagines him/herself enjoying a new experience or sees themselves confidently interacting differently in a situation that may have caused them discomfort or fear in the past then they are much more likely to give the new behaviour or reaction (such as quitting overeating or smoking) their best shot and stick with it long term.
It’s important that clients know that no-one can be hypnotised against their will and even when hypnotised, a person can still reject any suggestions provided by the therapist – that’s why one of the first things the therapist will ask is about your motivation to change. Hypnotherapy is therefore a state of purposeful co-operation where the therapist assists the client to achieve a trance state and offers them suggestions aimed at helping them to achieve their therapeutic goal. BSCH reports that an estimated 85% of people will respond at some level to clinical hypnotherapy. It may even succeed where other more conventional methods of treatment have not produced the desired result. When carried out by a trained and qualified hypnotherapist, the benefits can be long lasting and often permanent. It is natural and safe, with no harmful side effects.
Birth Preparation
Helen works with expectant mothers to address any fears they have about birthing and to prepare them for an empowering experience. Helen uses visualisation and deep relaxation, drawing on her Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy, her UK qualification for birth preparation and her own personal experience and work with expectant parents to date. She passionately believes that all women should take some time to prepare mentally for birth, as an empowering experience provides a fabulous start to motherhood and leaves you best placed to tackle the steep learning curve of caring for baby when the birth is over!
Coaching
Helen works with clients on a one-to-one basis to support them in setting stretching goals and then taking action to achieve them. She also helps clients to overcome long-standing emotional blocks that they feel no longer serve them and are holding them back from living there best intentional life.
Supervision for Professionals
Drs Stevens, Waddington and Greene provide clinical supervision to Psychologists. All three clinicians have years of experiences in clinical supervision of Psychologists in Universities, private practice and in Hospitals. Dr. Stevens is currently an adjunct associate professor at National University Singapore supervising Clinical Psychologist trainees on their placements. Dr. Waddington was an adjunct associate professor at NUS for five years. Dr. Stevens, Dr. Greene and Dr. Waddington have previously trained clinicians in the UK, having years of experience supervising clinicians and trainees in London both in local services and private practice.
Currently, Dr. Stevens and Dr. Waddington are available to provide supervision in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, child assessments, behavioural assessments and educational assessments. Dr. Greene is also available to provide supervision in child assessments, Cognitive assessments and Autism assessments in addition to school provisions and support.
Dr. Stevens has a specialism in adoptions and foster care, having worked for 20 years in London Social Services.
Ms Mahima Gupta, Dr. Cherie Chan and Dr. Lea Kendrick also provide supervision.
Please get in touch should you require any further information.