Special needs
Providing personalized support and guidance to individuals with special needs (i.e. intellectual disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dyslexia, Down syndrome, or other developmental delays) by empowering them to overcome obstacles in maintaining friendships, sustaining jobs or regulating their emotions. We are here to help them enhance their abilities, and lead fulfilling lives
Special needs counselling provides essential support through every phase of life. From early childhood and the initial adjustment to a diagnosis to the school years and developing social skills, and then on to the transition to adulthood and independence, counsellors partner with both parents and children to promote growth and confidence.
To help you understand the unique benefits of specialised counselling tailored to the evolving needs of special needs kids and families through each age and stage, it is essential to be aware of all of the options that are out there. Let’s take a look at how professional guidance, parent training, and consistent therapies can pave the way for people with special needs to keep achieving developmental milestones and living life to the fullest.
Have questions about the programs? talk to us!
COUNSELLORS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS
Senior Psychologist
- Masters in Educational Psychology
- Full Member of Singapore Psychological Society
- EMDR certified therapist
- Specialties: Trauma, Grief, Anxiety, Depression, Behavioural management and Positive parenting skills
- Approach: An eclectic mix of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing
- Language: English
Senior Counsellor
- Master of Social Science – Professional Counselling
- Registered with Singapore Association for Counselling
- Specialties: Depression, stress, emotional regulation, grief, family conflict, marital conflict, parenting difficulties, suicidal risk, self-harm, and relationship issues.
- Approach: Person-Centered Therapy with an integrative approach drawing from evidence-based interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotion Focused Therapy, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.
- Languages: English, Tamil
Senior Clinical Psychologist
- M.Phil in clinical psychology
- Rehabilitation Council of India
- Specialties: Anger management, Body image, Eating disorders, Personality disorders, Relationship issues
- Approach: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Positive Psychotherapy, Schema Therapy and Psychodynamic approaches
- Language: Hindi, English
Counsellor
- Post-Graduate diploma in counselling
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Anthropology and Social Theory
- 8 years experience in non-profit
- Specialties: Young working adults, Identity, Self-esteem, Depression, Grief, Relationship issues
- Approach: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy and Family Therapy
- Language: English
Special Needs Training Programs
Mindfulness for Emotional Regulation
Get in touch with your emotions!
Objectives of programme:
1. Allow trainees to be more in-touch with their emotions
2. Learn to use movement as a means of expressing emotions
3. Learn healthy ways of regulating emotions
Session 1: Introduction to mindfulness
Getting in touch with your 5 senses. Introduction to a series of activities such as listening to music, breathing exercises, and being present.
Session 2,3,4: Mindful movement (Yoga)
- Learn how to move their body mindfully and learn how to coordinate their breath and movement
- Learn to release their stress, anxiety, and frustration through yoga practices
- Learn to slow down
Session 5: Mindful movement (Walking)
Involved outdoor activities and learning to interact with nature and slow down.
Multisensory Art Programme
Enhance your creativity with us!
Objectives of programme:
- Equip trainees with the ability to express themselves through creative arts
- Improve gross motor and fine motor skills
- Improve body’s response to external stimuli through sensory-based experiences
- Learning to use every day materials as art.
- Improving creativity and explore options for future employment in the field of arts
Origami (3 sessions)
- Making paper feel fun
- Folding shapes
Fun with colours (2 sessions)
- Colouring with wax crayons
- Sticker Art
Edible Plasticine (3 sessions)
- Getting familiar with materials
- Mixing colours
- Learning about shapes
Getting familiar with different art materials (2 sessions)
- String painting
- watercolour painting
Expressing their dreams and emotions through art (2 sessions)
- Figurine painting
Improving fine motor and creativity skills (2 sessions)
- Clay modelling
Art in everyday materials (2 sessions)
- Print making
Special Needs Adult Employment Training Program
Objective: The objective of this special needs training program is to teach individuals with intellectual disability, as well as other developmental disabilities, such as Autism and Down’s Syndrome, to learn social and functional living skills:
- Learn how to communicate with supervisors, peers, and colleagues
- Learn proper behaviours at work
- Learn how to take initiative and solve problems at work
- Learn time and money management skills
- Learn coping strategies to manage difficult emotions (e.g., stress and anxiety)
These skills will serve as a way to help Persons with Disabilities (PWD) to find gainful employment and sustain in their jobs for longer periods of time.
Why Choose Our Special Needs Training Program?
- Our modules cover a mix of soft skills and functional skills to equip individuals with disabilities with relevant competencies to sustain employment and increase independence in the real world.
- Our programme is scaffolded to cater to different levels of functioning for individuals with intellectual disabilities. It is also supported by various resources that provide differentiated support, according to their needs.
- Our content is progressive to fit our trainees’ pace of learning. This ensures that every individual is able to benefit from the teaching content, regardless of congnitive ability.
- Our team is made up of trainers and facilitators who are experienced in working with individuals with special needs, and supported by consultants who are psychologists and counsellors specially trained in special needs education.
- Our trainer to trainee ratio are kept small, which allows for better joint attention and specialised support to be extended each trainee.
What to Expect?
- Each trainee will be screened before being allocated to a suitable class which matches their learning needs.
- Each module will be consist of 12 sessions, 1 hr/session.
- There are 5 modules, listed below:
Essential Workplace Social Skills
M1. Workplace Roles and Interactions
- Common Job Roles and My Aspiration
- Insights on how to get a Job
- Superiors’ Role and Interaction
- Co-workers’ Role and Interaction
- Customers and Interaction
- Setting boundaries
- Work-life balance
M2. Expression and Communication
- Self and Others
- Self-expression
- Emotions
- Emotional Regulation
- Fundamentals of Communication
- Good Communication
- Good Habits
Essential Workplace Functional Skills
M1. Workplace Roles and Interactions
- Common Job Roles and My Aspiration
- Insights on how to get a Job
- Superiors’ Role and Interaction
- Co-workers’ Role and Interaction
- Customers and Interaction
- Setting boundaries
- Work-life balance
M2. Expression and Communication
- Self and Others
- Self-expression
- Emotions
- Emotional Regulation
- Fundamentals of Communication
- Good Communication
- Good Habits
M5. Scheduling & Time Management
- Recognition of Days of the Week
- Sequencing of Days of the Week in Order
- Recognition of Months in a Year
- Sequencing of Months in a Year in Order
- Recognising Periods in a Day (Day and Night periods)
- Recognising Periods in a Day (AM & PM)
- Recognising Hours as Numbers
- Recognising Minutes as Numbers
- Understanding that 60 Minutes is 1 Hour
- Telling time in Hours & Minutes (Digital)
- Telling time in Hours & Minutes (Analog Clock)
Early Childhood Counselling
From the moment an issue is detected, counselling guides families on the road ahead while helping them to process the range of emotions that accompany a diagnosis. Counsellors can educate parents on their child’s condition, connect them with early intervention resources, and dispel any myths. They collaboratively develop strategies tailored to the child’s needs.
Parents learn how to:
- Support speech, motor, and cognitive development through therapies
- Foster the child’s strengths and independence
- Manage challenging behaviours with positive, consistent techniques
- Advocate for support services and an IEP
- Balance caregiving demands with their own self-care
For young children, play therapy allows expression through play, art, and activities.
Special needs counselling for children focuses on:
- Building communication, socialisation, and self-regulation
- Adjusting to medical equipment like hearing aids if needed
- Understanding their diagnosis in an age-appropriate way
- Learning to identify and manage emotions
- Developing coping strategies and resilience
- Navigating friendships and peer interactions
An empowering foundation in the early years provides the tools to thrive later on.
School Age Counselling
As school becomes more demanding, new challenges such as these can come up:
- Bullying, social isolation, and behaviour issues
- Poor self-esteem and frustration with limitations
- Learning disabilities affecting academic progress
- Sensory issues impacting focus and attention
- Anxieties about needing special education services
- Developing age-appropriate independence and self-care skills
Counselling is crucial for identifying and overcoming school struggles:
- Teaching assertiveness skills to tackle bullying
- Helping students process academic stressors and build self-confidence
- Guiding parents in advocating for suitable accommodations
- Introducing behaviour modification plans for home and school
- Encouraging social connections through group therapies
By promoting coping abilities and resilience, counselling maximises this critical period of learning and growth.
Young Adult Special Needs Counselling
The pivot to young adulthood poses new questions like:
- Navigating physical or social changes from puberty
- Separating from parents
- Weighing risks
- Developing sexuality and relationships
- Dealing with anxiety about future education and employment
- Cultivating skills for independent living and self-care
- Planning for life after high school (college, vocational programmes, workforce entry)
- Growing self-sufficiency to make choices and self-advocate
Counselling provides both life skills mastery and emotional grounding:
- Preparing for shifts in school settings, services, and supports after high school
- Fostering healthy identity, sexuality, consent, and relationships
- Learning budgeting, bill-paying, cooking, and hygiene to build independence
- Discovering creative outlets and social opportunities to prevent isolation
Guidance through this transitional time smooths the path ahead.
Special Needs Counselling for Adults
Adulthood presents opportunities along with challenges such as:
- Pursuing postsecondary education or meaningful employment
- Securing affordable, accessible housing and transportation
- Managing healthcare, insurance, disability benefits
- Building and nurturing relationships and social connections
- Handling money management, bills, and household tasks
- Receiving caregiving for parents’ ageing or passing
- Coping with mental health issues like anxiety or depression
- Facing stigma or discrimination in society
Counselling plays an invaluable role in fostering self-determination:
- Maximising independence across work, social, and home life
- Accessing vocational rehabilitation services and community support
- Learning and exercising rights
- Adapting living skills as evolving abilities allow
- Engaging in advocacy networks and self-empowerment groups
- Developing stress management tools and emotional coping strategies
Special Needs Counselling in Singapore
Life’s journey has ups and downs for everyone. Specialised counselling delivers the support needed to help those with special needs and their families remain resilient through it all.
Ready to get started with specialised counselling? You can reach our expert team at +65 8757 8049 or chat with us on WhatsApp at +65 8757 8049. For email, contact team@akindplace.co or just stop by our office at 63B Temple Street, Singapore 058608. Our team specialise in various fields such as depression counselling as well as professional caregiver support services. We also provide ADHD diagnosis in Singapore if you suspect you or your loved one is suffering from ADHD.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Special Needs Counselling in Singapore
Special needs is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of disabilities, medical conditions, learning disorders, or developmental delays that impact a person’s skills, capacity, or ability compared to typical development or standards. Some examples of conditions that are considered special needs include autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, intellectual disability, dyslexia, visual or hearing impairment, epilepsy, ADHD, anxiety disorders, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and many more.
Having special needs simply means a person requires certain accommodations, adaptations, medical care, therapies or specialised education services to reach their full potential. It does not lessen what a person can accomplish with proper support and intervention.
Families of those with special needs may also require additional community services, respite care, counselling, and government assistance. The level of support needed depends on the specific condition and the individual.
While the term special needs encompasses a vast array of diagnoses and disabilities, the common thread is these conditions cause a child or adult to experience developmental, learning, physical, cognitive or other challenges that impact typical functioning or independence. With compassionate care and support, those with special needs can thrive and live full, productive lives.
This type of counselling involves psychotherapy, support services, and specialised therapy techniques tailored to help individuals with disabilities, developmental delays, learning disorders, or other conditions requiring additional support. It aims to address the unique emotional, social, behavioural, and daily living challenges faced by those with special needs across all ages. Counselling provides compassionate guidance to enhance a special needs child’s development and abilities or assist special needs adults in achieving greater independence and fulfilment.
Sessions focus on building communication skills, social skills, positive behaviours, coping strategies, life skills, and self-esteem through approaches like play therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and more. Counselling also provides critical support for families of special needs children, addressing issues like grief after a diagnosis, parenting techniques, sibling adjustments, school advocacy, and caregiver stress. Support groups connect families facing similar journeys.
Specialised counselling aims to empower individuals to reach their full potential with personalised strategies. It helps families foster acceptance, confidence, and self-determination in their children. Whether starting at a young age after diagnosis or only beginning counselling as an adult, support tailored to the individual’s needs and goals can make a profound difference in living life to the fullest.
