The Counsellor’s Rumblings…
~Mr. James Chong
February is a relatively short month, being further “shortened” by the long the lunar new year festivities. We have braved through this month with many “trophies”.
The first one was participating in setting a new record in the Singapore Book of Records. The second was being presented the accreditation certification by APACS for the CBT course during the recent AGM in February. Thirdly, we have fruitful meetings with Happiness Initiatives, and NP ActivAid for various collaborations for 2019. This motivates and excites us to continue bringing quality programmes to the public!
One more (personal) “trophies” – I am officially a FULL member of the Singapore Psychological Society! This provides the affirmation that our programmes and services as not only counselling-based but also psychological-based!
In addition, our Psychology Revision Clinic programme was well-received by participants. Special shout-out to our fun-loving Centre Manager – Wei Jie for developing the awesome course materials for us.
Dhivyaa, our in-house Psychotherapist will be contributing quality Psychology-related articles (below) starting this month!
We are also proud to be the Community Partner with Happiness Initiative’s Happiness Film Festival 2019!
Our CBT course is the only accredited course in Singapore. Furthermore, we are double accredited! Visit this link for more information about our accreditation with ACA.
We have prepared some interesting workshops in coming March and April. One of them is our collaboration with Mrs Vijaya Mohan for a one-day ACA accredited workshop on Art Therapy. So do look out for them!
To read past articles, you may go to The Counsellor’s Corner page.
The Psychotherapist’s Rumblings
~ Ms. Dhivyaasrree Krishnamoorthy
Hello everyone!
Welcome to the first edition of “The Psychotherapist Corner”. In this edition, we will be sharing information about your brain with you! If you have friends who play soccer, then there is a high chance you would have heard the word “concussion” before! But what exactly is concussion?
Your brain is inside the skull; however, it is not attached to the skull – your brain “floats”! It is protected by membranes, known as meninges. When something hits your head with great force, the impact causes the brain to shake. This may result in cell damage. Concussion, a type of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), occurs when the damaged cells are neurons. Symptoms of concussion include memory loss and headache. However, these signs may not appear immediately.
So, friends! If you ever hit your head anywhere and even though you think you’re fine, always get a scan done to be 100% sure! Better safe than sorry!
Case Studies
Four years ago, Chelsea had a seizure and fell on the ground at college. Her brain was damaged when she stopped breathing. Post-recovery, she has mood swings and is not able to control her rage. Minor disruptions such as not being able to go back to school resulted in her getting physical with her mother and punching her father (Dodgson, 2018).
In 2014, Adam was in a major car accident that resulted in a serious TBI. After being discharged, his family said he was not the same person anymore. He displayed argumentative behaviours, was childish and vulgar (Wearne & Trimmer, 2017)
How It Affects People?
TBI may result in people having difficulties in communicating, planning daily activities and problem solving. There may even be changes in behaviour where the person becomes more aggressive and either have an excessive of emotions or a totally flattened mood. (Wearne & Trimmer, 2017).
How Can We Support Them?
Recovery varies for everyone. Many have difficulties adjusting to their new lifestyle. They may not be able to live independently or achieve certain types of goals. This may add on to their frustration. Their behavioural changes may place a strain on families and friends. It is important for us to understand why there’s a change in their behaviour and to continue to provide support. With understanding, we can foster a supportive and encouraging society! (Wearne & Trimmer, 2017).
References
1. Dodgson, L. (2018). Brain injuries can cause some people to become violent criminals and pedophiles — here’s what scientists know so far about why that is. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.sg/brain-damage-can-turn-people-into-criminals-2018-2/?r=US&IR=T
2. Wearne, T., & Trimmer, E. (2017). Explainer: What is traumatic brain injury? Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-traumatic-brain-injury-75546
