MrCourage

It's my pleasure to conduct a talk for a group of CID Police NS (Men) on mental health and the impact of smoking and va**ng.

I always recognise that the social stigma, values, and expectations placed on men have made it challenging for them to seek help. Unfortunately, when things become too overwhelming, distressing situations can arise.

During my talk, since the audience consists entirely of men, I emphasised the importance of "Men"tal health and shared the RAISE framework that I developed to provide practical, bite-sized tips on managing their challenges.

The RAISE framework focuses on:

Recognise our early signs of burnout, such as exhaustion, irritability, and trouble sleeping.

Acknowledge our feelings with compassion. Stress is normal—don’t be too hard on ourselves.

Identify the root causes of our stress, whether related to work, family, or other situations.

Seek support from our supervisor, colleagues, or a professional to address the challenges we face.

Engage in self-care activities and sustainable solutions to promote long-term well-being.

It has been a while since I used play therapy or therapeutic play in my sessions with children in my private practice. I've learnt a lot from the children I engaged with, and I want to emphasis the importance of parents' involvement. It's cliché, but I do think that it takes two hands or even three to clap. It's important for parents to be involved in the process. Children are not mini-adults; they need role models, people from whom they can learn to regulate and make sense of their life challenges.

The process can be slow, and many parents prefer other modalities that show results quickly. There's nothing wrong with that. However, I thought not everyone responds well to those approaches. Some need their own time and space to process and grow. What do you all think?

It's always a pleasure to conduct sharing to fellow professionals and students on how play and play therapy can support the children they work with.

Together with SASW Student Connect, we creating a resource book for social work field placement students! This collaborative effort includes insights, tips, and stories from social work practitioners, instructors, and fellow students. Join me in this meaning project by becoming a contributor. Scan the QR code or fill out the form via the link to find out how you can contribute. Let's make this project amazing together!

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I know I have said it many times, but I truly feel honoured to be invited to share about play therapy. I hope that my sharing provides the audience with a different perspective on how they can create a safe and consistent environment to support children's growth and healing in their most natural language - play. I am looking forward to sharing with more people about play therapy.

One of the ways to support rehabilitation is to raise awareness, reduce social stigma, and garner support for recovering persons.

In addition to play therapy, I also provide counseling for youth substance use and smoking/va**ng cessation.



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It's my privilege to teach play therapy to so many individuals from educators, professionals to parents. Everyone's sharing in class enriched the learning. Hope everyone who studied play therapy, specifically Child-Centered Play Therapy, will remember "heart to heart connection; the power of therapeutic relationship; child most natural language is play; not necessary to ask questions".

It's nice to meet these amazing people again - my ex-colleagues from former Youth Infinity which now is known as Allkin Singapore Youth Service. Wishing ASYS all the best and continue to unleash the infinite potential of the youths.

Self-care is more than just a trendy buzzword. It is a vital part of maintaining our physical, mental, and emotional health. With our busy lives and constant demands, it's easy to forget to take care of ourselves, but doing so can have a significant impact on our well-being. Self-care is also an essential part of preventing burnout. By taking time to engage in self-care practices, we can reduce stress, improve our mood, and increase our resilience in the face of challenges.