

Elizabeth Teo CCHT
Elizabeth started her career as a General Paper teacher. She learnt to create safe spaces in and out of class for students to share their struggles and life stories. Classrooms became little havens, where students could be authentic and not feel judged. Out of class, she journeyed individually with students and helped them believe in themselves again.
In 2013, she became the school's Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) Mentor, and started writing a curriculum based on personal narratives and trained other teachers to create safe spaces in their own classroom.
Increasingly, she realised that everyone had a story, but there were so few spaces that they felt safe enough to share them. So most end up bottling up their pain and struggle through it alone. So, in 2014, she left the teaching service and started working as a freelance facilitator.
Elizabeth trained as an interfaith and inter-ethnic facilitator, creating safe spaces to enable the dialogue about sensitive issues through the use of personal narratives. Elizabeth also became an advanced Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Trainer and Assessor with ©6Seconds (USA). In addition, she obtained a Diploma in Adult Faith Formation from the Singapore Pastoral Institute.
With these tools, she started going to different schools, community organisations and even churches to run workshops and create safe spaces for authentic dialogue and community building. She focused on helping people be emotionally intelligent, develop life skills, personal mastery, self-esteem and personal growth.
With these skills, she also worked with families to help them communicate and listen better. She mediated conflicts. She journeyed with patients and their families through end-of-life issues. She taught people how to use their emotions to make better decisions. She was also invited to run church camps and retreats for teens and young adults to help them discover God in their own story. She was also the chief facilitator and panel speaker of Singapore's first sexual abuse campaign- A Holding Space.
In her journey of creating safe spaces, she has heard stories of domestic violence, sexual abuse, dysfunctional families, clinical depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociation, anorexia, self-harm, suicide ideation and even multiple suicide attempts. When these stories surfaced, she would work with parents, teachers, church leaders, therapists, psychiatrists and even benefactors to get them the support they needed.
Elizabeth is no stranger to life's challenges. She is a survivor of complex trauma (post-traumatic stress disorder), and battled with depressive symptoms for years to rebuild her life. The authenticity of Elizabeth's story often helps create the safe environment for people to share their struggles because they are able to relate to her.
Over time, she heard many stories and felt strongly that she wanted to do something to help them herself. Thus, Elizabeth trained to become a Clinical Hypnotherapist (certification number: 119-040) with the Hypnotherapy Training Institute, certified by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners.
Elizabeth also has a Masters of Arts (Counselling and Guidance) from the National Institute of Education.
She has also completed Beginning I/II/III, Intermediate I/II/III and Advanced I Somatic Experiencing training. She is expected to complete her Somatic Experiencing training by October 2022.
Education and Certifications
Masters of Arts (Counselling and Guidance)
National Institute of Education
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore
Bachelor of Communications (2nd Upper Honours)
Electronic Broadcast Media Specialisation
Minor in Drama and Performance
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore
Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (Distinction)
National Institute of Education
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore
Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) Mentor Training
Ministry of Education
Singapore
Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy
American Council of Hypnotist Examiners (ACHE) certified
(certification number: 119-040)
Hypnotherapy Training Institute
Corte Madera, San Francisco, USA
EQ Educator Certification
EQ Practitioner Certification
EQ Advanced Trainer Certification
SEI Assessor Certification
SEI-YV (Youth Version) Assessor Certification
Explorations into Faith Facilitator's Training
Southeast Community Development Council
Singapore
Explorations into Ethnicity Facilitator's Training
Onepeople.sg
Singapore
Diploma in Adult Faith Formation
Singapore Pastoral Institute
Singapore
Awards
Caring Teacher Award (National Level), 2012
Caring Teacher Award (School Level), 2013
Most Innovative Teaching Award (Team), Second Place, 2013
Outstanding Contribution Award, Teaching and Learning of CCE (Individual Category), 2013
Experience
Schools/ Organisations she has worked with:
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Onepeople.sg
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Explorations into Faith Co-Facilitator (2014)
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Explorations into Ethnicity West Zone Cluster training programme (2015, 2017)
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Temasek Secondary (Camp Culture (2015/ 2016)
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Community Engagement and Leadership Programme jointly organised by MOE and Onepoeple.sg (YJC and CJC) (2015/ 2016)
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EQ Training with ‘O’ Level Class, Nanyang Girls’ High School (2015/2016/2017/2018)
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Meranti Programme, NIE (2015, 2016, 2017 Feb)
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Singapore Chinese Girls’ School Peer Support Group National Level Training Camp (2015)
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HarmonyWorks Conference facilitator volunteer (2014-2016)
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Diversity Workshop with School of the Arts (2017)
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EQ Workshop with Sec 2 N(A) students, St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School (2019)
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EQ Workshop with Sec 4 Express students, St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School (2019)
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Sec 1 Catholic students’ retreat, St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School (2019)
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Facilitating School Superintendents at Schools West, Schools Division, Ministry of Education, Branch Meeting (2019)
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Facilitating Vice-Principals who are Facilitators of Network Learning Communities, Student Management, West Zone (2019)
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Facilitation Skills workshop, West Zone 3 Cluster Board Meeting, held at Methodist Girls’ School (2019)
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EQ Workshop @ Principals’ Academy (2019, 2020)
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Facilitating Safe Spaces Workshop @ Principals’ Academy (2019, 2020)
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Sec 1 Catholics Students’ Retreat, CHIJ St Josephs’ Convent (2019)
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Facilitator, Hello Kawan @ PricewaterhouseCoopers (2020)
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Facilitator, Singapore International Chamber of Commerce: Workplace Integration is a Commercial Necessity (2020)
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Facilitator, Stereotypes, diversity, and inclusivity @ NUS High (2020, 2021)
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Moderator, Gnana Shakthi Panel (panel discussion on women’s empowerment in conjunction with Hindu Navarathri Festival) by Sri Gnanananda Giri Peetam (2020)
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Lead Facilitator and Panel Speaker, A Holding Space, online sexual abuse forum (2020)
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Trainer, civic literacy and civil society, student leadership camp, Fuhua Secondary School (2021)
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Facilitator, Leadership Camp, Ridge View Residential College, National University of Singapore (2021)
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Facilitator, National Police Cadet Corps Harmony Camp (2021)
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Project Designer and Facilitator, Being Community, a 9-month-long campaign to talk about racial and religious discrimination in Singapore (2021)
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Facilitator, Facilitation Skills Workshop for teachers, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (2021, 2022)
Volunteer Based Activities:
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Accompanying people and their loved ones to prepare them for death
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Family counselling
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Using EQ techniques for decision making
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Using EQ techniques in conflict mediation
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Journeying with teens/ young adults with mental illness
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Volunteer panel speaker at Faith X Mental Health by Interverse (2019)
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Volunteer panel speaker at Westwood Secondary Civic Literacy Dialogue (2019)
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Volunteer library book at Westwood Secondary Human Library event (2019)
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Volunteer Carer at Assisi Hospice (2019)
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Volunteer Facilitator - Conversation Buddy PSY - “Peer Support for Youths Post Covid-19 Into the New Normal” by Campus Psy (2020)
Church-Related Activities
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Catechist, Holy Trinity (2003-2005)
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Catechist, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (2009-2012)
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Facilitated a session on ‘Faith and Sexuality’ for OLPS youth (2015)
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Chief Designer and Overall Camp Facilitator for Christ the King Youth Camp (2016)
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Designed and delivered a series of 5 facilitators training workshops for the youths of Church of Christ the King (2016)
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Chief Designer and Overall Camp Facilitator for St Theresa’s Confirmation 4 camp (2016)
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Chief Designer and Overall Camp Facilitator for St Theresa’s Confirmation 3 camp (2016)
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Emotional Quotient workshop for youth leaders at OLPS (2016)
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Chief Designer and Overall Camp Facilitator for Young Christian Students National Level Executive Committee Camp (2016)
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Overall Facilitator for Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Confirmation 2 Camp (2016)
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Facilitators and Intercessors Trainer for Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (2017)
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Facilitators and Intercessors Trainer for Church of the Holy Cross (2018)
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Chief Designer and Overall Camp Facilitator Confirmation 2 camp, Church of the Holy Cross (2018, 2019, 2022)
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Programme Designer and Facilitator, Pre-Confirmation 3 Camp, Church of St Anne’s (2019)
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Facilitation Skills workshop, Canossian Daughters of Charity (2019)
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Catechists Day of Recollection, Church of St Anne’s (2020)
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Chief Designer and Overall Camp Facilitator Confirmation 3 camp, Church of the Holy Cross (2021)
Elizabeth is an MOE registered instructor.