My Approach to Helping
Hi, I am JK, a registered counselor.
I have 6 years of experience working with kids, teens, and working adults as a counselor. It has always been my passion to help and counsel.
I strongly believe in counseling as a way to help with one's well-being. As a trauma survivor and domestic violence survivor myself, I believe in advocating for kids’ and teens’ voices. Being a client for years, the experience has helped me to relate better with my clients in order to accompany them along the journey of healing or the journey of self-discovery.
I believe in holistic well-being. Work, life, mental health, food, shelter, art, music, coping skills, friends, family, etc are part of life and they can impact our lives in different ways. I am endeavored to help clients to find the balance, meet my clients where they are, and help them to walk the journey together. In the session, My goal as a counselor is to create a safe, nonjudgmental, and kind atmosphere, in order to build a trusting relationship with my client. I apply a collaborative approach and work together with my client throughout the journey of counseling, self-discovery, and healing.
Quote :
"People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, "Soften the orange a bit on the right-hand corner." I don't try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds." Carl R. Rogers
“In my early professional years, I was asking the question: How can I treat, or cure, or change this person? Now I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal growth?”
― Carl R. Rogers
I believe in a client-centered approach as a way to better serve my clients to help them to reach one's potential. Hence, I resonate strongly with this quote.
Collected 1800 clinical hours, 200 peer external supervision hours, 68 personal therapy hours, attended roughly 160 workshops, training, online courses and conferences.
** SupervisorsConsultant: Associate Professor Dr Anasuya Jegathevi Jegathesan, Professor Dr Ng Kok-Mun & Dr. Robert Rhoton
More Info About My Practice
Therapy: Career coaching, Emotion-focused Therapy & Trauma Therapy
Areas that I am trained in :
Complex trauma, Career exploration, Career planning, career choosing, career transition, depression, anxiety, anxious, grief, academic, work-related issue, teenager-related issue & LGBTQ
PhD candidate in Health Psychology (UKM)
MS. COUN., K.B., P.A.(HELP)
BA.PSY(HONS)(HELP)
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP:
1. Register Counsellor of Lembaga Kaunselor Malaysia (KB08811PA08415)
2. Member of Malaysia Psychological Association (PSIMA) (2170000298)
3. Member of International Counselling Association of Malaysia (PERKAMA INTERNATIONAL) (ASH 00887)
4. New Professional of American Counselling Association ( ID # 6549238)
5. Member of American Psychological Association (APA) -00977701
6. Member, American School Counselor Association(#637462)
7. Member, International Society For The Prevention Of Child Abuse & Neglect (#PCR9218 )
8. Member, Association of Child Protection Professional (#08909)
9. Member of Singapore of Psychological Society (FM020060N)
10. Associate Member, Malaysian Marriage and Family Therapy Association (#164)
11. Member, International School Counselor Association (61435840)
12. European Association for Counselling (IM2204)
Training Received
1. Supporting Victims of Domestic Violence by University of Sheffield
2. The 10 Core Competencies of Trauma, PTSD, Grief, and Loss by Dr. Eric Gentry & Dr. Robert Rhoton
3. Master Clinician Series: The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study by Dr. Vincent Felitti
4. Unseen Wounds: Contribution of Psychological Maltreatment to Child &
5. Advanced Workshop on Grief & Loss by Robert A. Neimeyer, Ph.D.
6. Meaning-making in the Midst of Suffering by Dr. Mark Yang,Psy.
7. QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Program by Lee Kok Han, QPR Institute
8. Evidence-Based Trauma Treatment & Intervention by by Dr. Eric Gentry & Dr. Robert Rhoton
9. Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Intensive Training Course (CCTP) byIATP & PESI
10. Real World Safety: Protecting Youth Online and Off ( Bullying), Child Safety Matters Prevention Education Programs
11. Protecting Children from Sexual Abuse, Child Safety Matters Prevention Education Programs
12. Trauma-informed Resilient School, Starr Commonwealth
13. Psychological First Aids, John Hopkins University
14. Ethical Issues Related to the Practice of Online Clinical Supervision, ACA
15. Expanding Perspectives: Systemic Approaches to College Students Experiencing Depression, ACA
16. A Constructive Approach to Help Counselors Work With Clients Who Express Discriminatory, ACA
17. Reducing the Risk of Child Sexual Abuse ,NCTSN
18. Educator Sexual Misconduct in Schools: Guidelines for Staff, Volunteers, and Community Partners ,NCTSN
19. Real Life Heroes: Rebuilding Attachments for Children with Complex Trauma, NCTSN
20. SPARCS: Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to ChronicStress: A Guide for Trauma-Focused Groups, NCTSN
21. Secondary Traumatic Stress in Professionals Treating Child Sexual Abuse,NCTSN
22. CBT for Anxiety with John Ludgate Ph.D.
23. Schools and Grief: Helping Students Cope with Death, ACA
24. Grounding Techniques in Tele-Therapy by Jessica Horder, MS, LMHC
25. Applying Evidence-Based Trauma Treatments for Childhood Traumatic Separation, NCTSN
26. COVID-19 and Telebehavioral Health: Ethical Considerations During a Public Health Emergency,ACA
27. Trauma Therapy Innovations: Intensive Trauma-Focused Therapy
28. Responding to LGBTQ Youth after Sexual Abuse, NCTSN
29. LGBTQ Youth & Young Adults in School, College, Careers,ACA
30. Developing Competence in Working With LBGTQI+ Communities: Awareness, Knowledge, Skills, and Action
31. How Should a Psychologist Advise a Heterosexual Man Who Has Sexual Thoughts About Men? by American Psychological Association
32. Introductory Competencies for LGBTQ- Affirmative Counselling by American Counselling Association
33. Developing Competence in Working With LBGTQI+ Communities: Awareness, Knowledge, Skills, and Action ,ACA
34. Choice therapy and Reality therapy certificate
35. Suicide in Schools: Prevention and Intervention , Mental Health Academy, Australia
36. An On-line Training Course for Cognitive Processing Therapy, Medical University of South Carolina
37. A course for trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, Medical University of South Carolina
How Psychotherapy Can Help
My approach is :
Collaborative + Experimental + experiential + trauma-informed , existential + person- centered + systemic approach + lgbtq affirmative approach.
My approach is rather holistic to help with growth, discovery, maximizing potential rather than "fix me" or "fix my problem and move on" approach.
I believe counseling and healing is a journey that will benefit you. Hence, at times, I will have a client who comes in once a month, twice a month to four times per month depending on the nature of the struggle and their financial ability. They then explore and experiment with what they have learned or progressed in the session. They will then schedule another session with me after that.
The population that I work with :
Child
Adolescent
Working adult or young adult
My View on the Purpose of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a process of healing, building rapport, discover, rediscovery, reflection, process, thinking, learning, accompaniment, unlearning, and growing.
It is like going to the gym, except that, this is our mind doing the work-out.
I am the trainer to walk the journey with you, you are the client who is training your muscle.
What I Love about Being a Psychotherapist
To walk the journey with my client.
It provides a layers of meaning for me, to walk the journey with my client, as a counsellor.
Through the process of the healing journey, to accept, to embrace, to learn and to support my client.
My Role as a Therapist
My role as a therapist is to accompany you, guide, and walk the journey with you together as a counselor. It is essential for me to provide unconditional regard, non-judgemental, and safe space for my client. I will meet you at where you are, follow your pace to progress in the session.
A counseling space that is:
(1) Non- judgemental
(3) meet you where you can be who you are
(4) you feel safe and comfortable
We will work together as a team to walk the journey of discovery and healing.
On the Fence About Going to Therapy?
Take your time.
There will be a time when you are ready. It may take some times.
For me, when I am not ready, there is no way anyone can force me into therapy.
However, when I feel I am ready, I want to change, I am ready to embrace the challenge and start the journey to be a better person, I will start my journey of healing.
I am here to wait for you, to start the journey of healing with me when you are ready and you think I am a suitable candidate for you to consider.
Important Factors for Choosing a Therapist
Seeking a therapist is like a relationship. You need to look for someone who clicks with you, resonates, have chemistry with you. Qualification, beliefs, values, personality and training are important to consider while choosing a therapist.
I hope you can gain some insights about who I am as a person as well as a therapist to consider if I may be a suitable counsellor to walk the journey with you.
How My Own Struggles Made Me a Better Therapist
My struggle as a human and counselor.
I am a human first, then only I am a counselor. I have been in therapy sessions in the past years on and off as my journey of healing. I have grown and learned to become a better human being and a counselor. Yes, there will be times that I struggle, where I experience low or triggered by a series of events. These experiences help me to relate to my client. They provide a lens for me to understand my client in order to build a good rapport with my client.
I believe my struggles as a human being makes me a better counselor, as the saying on, being human is a process of being, same goes to being a counselor, it is a process of being.
Hence, I will continue to learn, continue to do my best and continue to be the best possible therapist at that moment of time, to journey with you, to walk the healing path with you and to grow together with you.
Why Going to Therapy Does Not Mean You are Weak or Flawed
Therapy is a process of discovery, reflection, and healing.
It does not mean that I am weak or flawed if I am attending therapy.
In fact, if anything, therapy means empowerment, brave, and resilience.
You are seeking ways to grow, reflect, and process in order to become a better person.
In the 11 years of therapy, I have learned about coping strategies, ways to reflect and becoming a better person.
My View on the Nature of 'Disorders'
Label ("disorder") helps us to understand the syndrome. I see my client as more than what the label is.
The client may struggle and have displayed syndromes.
The client may struggle with regulating themselves.
The client may find it difficult to accept that he or she is seeing a therapist.
The client may find it difficult to entertain the thought of taking a pill.
But, they are more than that. They are human first before they are associated with any of the disorders.
So, managing the disorder or syndrome is just a means to help the client to regulate and stabilize themselves.
The "disorder" is just one of the lenses for a counsellor to understand or interpret the clusters of symptoms and behaviors.
For me, as a counsellor, I am more curious to know, what happened to you?
The Duration and Frequency of Therapy
It depends on the nature of your concern. It depends on your availability, your pace and your financial status. I will always discuss this part of the therapy with my client to come out with a plan that is catered toward what could work for me and the client considering the effectiveness of the healing journey and therapy session. Respecting client's concerns and decision on this part is essentially important.
As for me, as a client, I constantly check in with my therapist for at least once a month, that is to ensure I provide quality healing and counselling service at my best, in order to journey with you with my best possible self.
If you have concern about this, kindly personal message and we can have a chat.
