What is therapy?
Therapy is a safe space for you to talk with a mental health professional about issues that you might want to work through.
The therapist does not give advice or prescribe medication. Rather, he or she will help you explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours surrounding the situation. In the process, you develop a deeper understanding of the situation, yourself and others, and be empowered to find your own solutions.
Who should see a therapist?
While people with mental illnesses often see a therapist to help them manage their condition and aid their recovery, you don’t need to be mentally ill to see a therapist.
Sometimes when we are struggling with something, it helps to speak to someone and get help working through it rather than power through it on our own. A therapist is a trained professional to do this. As the therapist is not related to you, he or she will be able to remain neutral and objective, keeping confidentiality and creating a safe space for your healing.
Issues people bring to therapy include (but are not limited to) the following:
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Mental illness such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder etc
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Personal struggles such as stress, low self-esteem, social anxiety, coping with life transitions
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Relationship issues such as friendships, parent-child relationship, healthy dating, coping with breakups, marriage troubles, or even working with entire families to resolve conflicts and improve relationships
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Grief and loss
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Fears and phobia
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Coping with illness (both the patient and the caregiver)
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Trauma such as developmental trauma, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence
Trauma-informed therapy
When you are looking to work through traumatic experiences, it helps to seek help from a trauma-informed therapist. Such a therapist is aware of the complex and complicated ways in which trauma affects an individual and will be able to help the person work through it so that the trauma no longer controls his or her life. Healing from trauma is possible and the process does not need to be retraumatising.
Elizabeth takes an eclectic approach, using different modalities in combination according to the specific needs of the client. In addition to talk therapy, Elizabeth is trained in Somatic Experiencing® and Clinical Hypnotherapy. She sometimes also makes use of a sand tray and art because she knows that it is sometimes hard to find the words to talk about what happened.
Somatic Experiencing®
Somatic Experiencing® is a body-based trauma healing approach. It is based on the belief that unresolved trauma is trapped in the body- think various aches and pains, clenched fists, tight jaw, heart palpitations, chest tightness, or even being more sensitive to movement on one side of the body as compared to the other side. Somatic Experiencing Practitioners help people stuck in patterns of fight, flight or freeze to release, recover and become more resilient.
Clinical Hypnotherapy
Clinical Hypnotherapy is hypnosis for therapeutic purposes. The therapist guides the client into a very relaxed state. This helps the client access the rich resources for both physical and emotional healing that are stored in the subconscious, with relative ease.
The subconscious is also where emotions and memories are stored. With the guidance of the therapist, the client is able to go back to the memories that are still affecting them today and heal them at its root cause.
The subconscious also has influence over the body. Thus, hypnotherapy is often used to help clients manage pain and aid physical recovery (eg. managing cancer treatment side effects, preparing for and recovering from surgery, bedwetting in children etc).
Testimonials
"I used to think hypnotherapy is a new age kind of healing which went against the teachings of my faith and was skeptical about how they therapy could help me. I came to Liz during one of the lowest points in life when I felt emotionally stuck. I sometimes lashed out, sometimes teared, but I couldn't understand what I was feeling or express it. It was confusing. Liz gave me a safe space to feel what I truly felt and through the regression sessions, I was able to understand that my inner child was wounded and needed healing for me to move on.it even helped me to slowly reconnect with God as I had issues with him. The struggles are still there and it's an ongoing process but after 4 sessions of hypnotherapy, for once, I feel lighter and free." - Jocelyn, 33.
"After hypnotherapy, my mind now spurs me to visit the loo when my bladder is three quarters full. When it is full, I am still able to keep it from dripping when in the past I couldn't. It is powerful how my mind is influenced by my subconscious" - Resident of Toa Payoh with Incontinence issues.
"Every parent want the best for their children, especially the best of health. My daughter was seeking professional treatment for her depression and showing only mild improvement. One point in time, it became so severe that she was even having suicidal thoughts. That was when I tried to seek alternate treatment and that is where I chanced upon hypnotherapy. At first, I was quite skeptical about it, however when I chanced upon Safespaces, something prompted me to send a text to Elizabeth. She responded very promptly to me, making time to understand my situation and granted us an immediate appointment to see my daughter. Ever since there is no turning back as she has helped my daughter overcome her anxiety issue and panic attacks etc. Although it is still a long road to recovery, Elizabeth was always very kind and patient to guide my daughter and always check on her condition. My daughter has since become much better and not only that, there are times Elizabeth also gives me advice which make me feel not so helpless. I have no regrets with my choice. Thank you Elizabeth." - Rosalyn, Mother of 15-year-old Gwen with clinical depression and anxiety.