Frequently Asked Questions

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), feeling that you are helpless or out of your depth is an indicator to seek help. You may benefit from psychotherapy if you are feeling stuck, not knowing how to proceed, or when you feel that your situation isn’t getting better, you are worrying more without getting answers, or when your emotional distress affects your daily functioning, including losing sleep and taking out your frustration on your family members.

Another indicator that you need professional help is when the advice and support that you seek from your friends and family members do not lead to the progress desired. Psychologists and counselors are trained to support individuals who at the more serious end of the distress spectrum. Furthermore, the counsel that you will receive from a professional is different. Rather than being instructive (“Here’s what you should do”), therapists seek to understand you and adopt a collaborative approach in achieving the changes desired. Another essential difference in therapy is safety. You can be yourself, speak your mind, your fears, fantasies and aspiration without fear of being judged.

At some point of our lives, we all struggle with some adversity. We may question our ability to overcome these challenges, and feelings of hopelessness may creep in. At ImPossible, the psychologists believe that no individual should be judged by their struggles. Instead, we seek to draw out the unique strengths of each client, and work collaboratively with them until it is possible for them to overcome the challenges faced and grow stronger from these adversities.

The first step is to contact us via email or telephone to arrange for the first consultation session. To help us understand the nature of help required and to assign you to the most suitable psychologist, we may also enquire briefly about your background history and the nature of help needed on the phone.

Thereafter, the assigned psychologist will contact you to arrange for the first consultation session at our practice, which is located in the eastern region of Singapore.

You do not need a doctor’s referral for an appointment.

We do not accept walk-ins. Our therapists may be in session with a client, or may not be in the office. To ensure that you are not disappointed, we see our clients on an appointment basis only.

Below is a guideline for our charges, and are charged on a pro-rated basis for extended time thereafter. Charges commence from the agreed appointment time.

*Prices vary depending on the qualifications and experience of the psychologist/counsellor.

If cost is an issue, you can opt to be consulted by our associate counsellor or associate psychologist at a lower fee. These are masters-level therapists who are working towards registration. They will be closely supervised by our senior clinical psychologist.

An added fee of $40/hr will be charged for sessions conducted out of our regular clinical hours, and weekends.

Contact us for more information.

Our regular clinical hours are between 9am-5:30pm, on Mondays to Fridays. We are closed on public holidays.

We offer our services out of the regular clinical hours, and on weekends. Please take note that a fee of $40/hr will be charged on top of our regular charges.

Kindly provide us with at least 24 hours’ notice before the scheduled appointment, to enable us to accommodate other clients. We will charge you for your session if you do not provide adequate notice to cancel or if you do not turn up. This is a standard practice across all psychological practices in Singapore.

Upon arrival, you will be asked to fill up a form requesting contact information, family background, etc. You will also be given forms explaining our confidentiality policies, privacy policies and fee structure. Your therapist will then go over the forms with you, and clarify any queries that you may have. We recommend that you come 10 minutes early for the first appointment to complete the paperwork.

Upon completing the administrative matters, your therapist will spend some time getting to know you and the issues that brought you to therapy. It will a free-flowing conversation, and you are likely to find yourself discussing about your presenting concerns and coping strategies, family history, and your goals for therapy. Towards the end of the session, your therapist may summarize the discussion and engage you in some reflection. The therapist will then discuss whether you should come in again, and if so, provide some insights into how therapy may proceed in the upcoming sessions.

We also understand that coming in for your first therapy serve may be nerve-wrecking for some clients. It is not only normal, it’s expected. Indeed, the relationship in therapy is unique from other relationships. You will almost have to share about your past and the difficult situation that brought you for therapy, and hope that your therapist will understand you and be able to help you. Here’s the good news: You can speak anything on your mind in therapy. If you are really feeling uncomfortable, talk to your therapists about it. You may also enquire on your therapist’s experience and training in working with other individuals with similar issues you are bringing in therapy. Raising your concerns and gaining an understanding of what to expect in therapy will help reduce your anxiety and be a positive way to building a strong therapeutic relationship.

The subsequent sessions will vary depending on the presenting issue and the approach adopted in therapy. At ImPossible, we believe in providing a highly personalized approach tailored to the needs of our clients. The number of therapy sessions would also vary among different clients.

However, you can expect to be guided through the key elements of therapy, such as:

1. exploration of the presenting problems to understand the issues underlying it
2. developing awareness of ineffective behaviours/habits to overcome current difficulties
3. learning effective coping skills.

Therapy is a collaborative endeavor, and is most effective when the client and therapist work together to achieve the agreed-upon goals. The following are some responsibilities of the client to make therapy effective:

• Be committed. Work deadlines, social commitments and various life events may be pressing priorities in your life. They may also affect your commitment and motivation to recover. Add recovery as one of your priorities. In the long run, recovery will allow you to channel your energy and focus better on the important areas of your life.
• Attend therapy regularly. Consistency in therapy increases the likelihood of its success. Missing sessions will disrupt the momentum and slows down your progress.
• Do your homework. Homework may come in many forms, from simply reading up on a certain topic to being asked to do a relatively challenging task. The purpose of homework is to enable you to apply the concepts and skills from the therapy room into your life. Apart from fostering independent use of newly acquired skills by the client, homework also provides the therapist with insights to other areas that you may need work with.
• Work collaboratively with your therapist. Be an engaged partner in therapy sessions. Set goals with the therapist, and discuss with the therapist what went well or didn’t go well. This will enable your therapist to respond and tailor your treatment to your needs effectively.
• Know that change takes time. Changing behavior and habits is not an easy task. Give yourself reasonable time to see the positive changes. Also, do not be discouraged when you find yourself falling back to old patterns of thought and behavior.

The professionals in ImPossible are psychologists and counselors, and we do not prescribe medication. Medication for emotional/mental health issues are prescribed by psychiatrists.

Psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists all support people with emotional problems and assist those who are suffering from mental health disorders. However, significant differences exist between these professions in terms of education, training and additional responsibilities.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have completed specialized training in psychiatry, and hence can prescribed medicine. Counselors are professionals who have undergone post-graduate training in counseling theory and skills. They work collaboratively with clients with emotional distress, and focus on the personal strength and resources of the client. Psychologists perform the similar duties as professional counselors, but they also focus on the mental processes and provide additional psychological services, such as administering psychological assessments. Psychologists are also trained to work with people who seek help for problems that are severe enough to be disabling, such as severe anxieties or schizophrenia.

Maintaining your privacy is extremely important to us. To make your therapy as effective as possible, it is crucial that you are able to be open and honest about your most personal and private thoughts without worrying that your secrets will reach other ears. We may not even acknowledge you, if we were to bump into you outside. Furthermore, as professional psychologists and counselors, it is part of our professional code of ethics to maintain our client's confidentiality.

Only in the most extreme situation would the limits of confidentiality be breached, such as when you reveal your intention to hurt yourself or others, or if a court order is imposed.