Counselling in Singapore — Free & Affordable Help for Mental Healthcare

We’re all the time joking about slaving our lives away, however that’s solely as a result of it’s true — fairly often, residing, finding out and dealing in Singapore can really feel like being in a stress cooker. 

In accordance with a Singapore Psychological Well being Examine (revealed Aug 2021), 13% of the final Singaporean inhabitants skilled despair or nervousness signs. Of the circumstances assessed have been scientific despair, nervousness, gentle to extreme stress, and extra.

The research additionally discovered that 81.8% of Singaporeans have been keen to hunt skilled assist – a far cry from the latest previous the place stigma of psychological sickness and the lack to recognise the signs inhibited people from getting assist.

If you happen to suspect that you just or a beloved one could also be preventing psychological sickness, know that reasonably priced (and even free) assist is on the market. You may even think about getting psychological medical insurance.

Free counselling in Singapore

Many church buildings and different non secular organisations have volunteers who assist with counselling. It could be problematic although, if you’re practising one other faith. However there’s no hurt find out what they might have to supply. Some church buildings like Wesley Methodist Church explicitly state on their web site that they’ve non-religious counselling as properly. 

The place to get free counselling assist

Inexpensive counselling providers in Singapore

If price range is a priority, then the free counselling providers are the primary ones to take a look at. Nevertheless, with all free (or closely subsidised) healthcare providers, it might be onerous to get a primary appointment. And should you determine to proceed, the time between classes will in all probability be longer than really helpful.

If you happen to can afford to pay a bit for counselling, there are some reasonably priced and subsidised choices too.

AWARE (for ladies solely)

AWARE is a gender-equality advocacy group that helps ladies combat discrimination and different points.

The counselling charges are charged at 2% of your wage per session should you earn greater than $3,000 per 30 days. For instance, should you earn $3,000 month-to-month, you’ll pay $60 per session.

For individuals who earn lesser than $3,000 per 30 days or aren’t working, it will likely be $35 per session. For sexual assault and harassment instances by the Sexual Assault Care Centre, the primary 3 classes are free.

Shan You

Shan You is a non-profit organisation with Buddhist roots, however shouldn’t be non secular — they simply comply with the generic guiding values of compassion, mindfulness, morality and knowledge.

It fees $80 per session (50 to 60 minutes) for a person, and $100 per session (65 to 75 minutes) for a pair or a household. The charges are already subsidised, but when it’s nonetheless too costly for you, ask if you’re eligible for extra price subsidy, primarily based on a monetary evaluation.

Counselling and Care Centre

Counselling and Care Centre is a non-government, non-profit, registered charity providing skilled counselling providers.

Counselling is $180 per hour, which appears steep. Nevertheless, they’ve a subsidy system that provides decrease charges so long as you earn lower than $10,000 month-to-month. You must be a Singaporean or PR although.

Additionally, do observe that should you make an after-hours appointment (obtainable on Monday and Wednesday solely) past 5.30pm, there’s a $10 hourly surcharge. If you happen to cancel your session, you’ll nonetheless have to pay 50% of the price. 

Calvary Group Care

Often known as C3, this social service company was based by the Calvary Baptist Church in 2010 and offers help to youngsters, youth and seniors.

Their counselling service is for youth aged 13 to 25 and have expertise with youths who face abuse and trauma, nervousness, despair, consuming issues, grief, self-harm and have demonstrated ideas of suicide.

They encourage youths to get parental consent earlier than going for counselling. Some might discover it difficult, however they’ll name or write in for recommendation, earlier than going forward with counselling.

WINGS Counselling Centre

WINGS Counselling Centre, previously referred to as Ramakrishna Mission Counselling Centre, was launched as a pilot mission with help from Nationwide Council of Social Service. It began off specializing in steering for troubled youth in neighbourhood faculties, nevertheless it’s since developed to supply help for households and different people as properly.

Counselling is $80 for the primary session, and $60 for every follow-up session thereafter. Full and partial waivers can be found on the discretion of the centre.

Grace Counselling Centre

Grace Counselling Centre is Singapore’s first Christian counselling centre, shaped in 2009. However though a Christ-centred organisation, they do non-religious counselling too.

The charges are barely steeper than these above: for people, it’s $150 for a 1-hour session. The $180 price applies to its counselling psychologist (Kirby Chua). The classes are all held on-line by way of Skype, Zoom, FaceTime or WhatsApp. Face-to-face counselling classes can be found too and the charges fluctuate from $150 to $300 (for dwelling visits). 

Singapore Counselling Centre

Singapore Counselling Centre gives skilled counselling in not simply English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, however Chinese language dialects like Cantonese and Hokkien too. Their providers are additionally obtainable 7 days per week, which can be good for these engaged on the weekdays.

SCC gives totally different charges for people, {couples}, households and youngsters and youth. A 1-session bundle is$192.60 for people, $246.10 for {couples}, $171.20 for kids and youth and $374.50 for households.

You should purchase as much as 10-session packages, and save 10% to twenty% on the per-session charges. There’s additionally a option to see senior counsellors, however they’re barely dearer.

Psychological stress is NOT psychological sickness

There’s a distinction between feeling troubled or harassed and scientific psychological sickness. Relying on which you’re fighting, counselling might or might not be sufficient and even useful.

Counselling entails speaking about your difficulties and dealing by your issues with a counsellor. It’s often step one to in search of assist. Nevertheless, should you or a beloved one suspect a psychological dysfunction, it might be higher to see a psychiatrist as an alternative.

As a medical skilled, they’d have the ability to diagnose your situation and prescribe the correct treatment for it (if wanted).

Utilizing Medisave for psychological diseases

If you happen to didn’t know, Medisave can be utilized for psychiatric remedy too. For inpatient remedy, you need to use as much as $150 per day for day by day hospital fees, capped at $5,000 per 12 months. These aged 60 and above might withdraw one other $200 per 12 months below the Flexi-MediSave scheme.

Since 1 Jan 2021, the improved MediSave500/700 scheme has enabled sufferers with advanced persistent circumstances to make use of as much as $700 every yearly, whereas these with easy persistent circumstances can use as much as $500 every yearly. Outpatient therapies for 20 persistent ailments embrace main despair, schizophrenia, bipolar issues, dementia and nervousness. You’ll must pay a 15% co-payment although.

For reference, these are the fees at IMH.

Subsidised outpatient fees at IMH:

Subsidised inpatient fees at IMH:

For hospitalisation, you may be given monetary counselling in your estimated invoice dimension upon admission. A deposit is often collected on the identical time, even should you use Medisave (except your Medisave absolutely covers it).

For IMH, Medisave can’t be used for outpatient charges and exams (besides on permitted persistent illness administration diagnoses), and hospital stays for lower than 8 hours.

You’ll not be denied admission should you can’t cough up the money. As an alternative, these with monetary difficulties shall be referred to their in-house medical social staff.

Know somebody in a deep psychological funk? Share this to advocate some avenues for in search of assist.