“Out of damp and gloomy days, out of solitude, out of loveless words directed at us, conclusions grow up in us like fungus one morning they are there, we know not how, and they gaze upon us, morose and gray. Woe to the thinker who is not the gardener but only the soil of the plants that grow in him.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

We at Dawn Counselling offer unique insights and experiential knowledge to help you gain clarity, direction and control amidst personal and environmental challenges. We personalise your therapeutic journey using a combination of approaches in affective empathy, humanistic, cognitive and somatic modalities.  You have full agency to discover and create meaning, and to articulate experiences, thoughts and emotions in a non-judgmental, safe space.

The interplay of human behavior, knowledge and history informs highly personal observations and impressions of events, circumstances, relationships and our sense of self. We value the perspective of an individual’s lived experience shaped by the interaction of mind, body and spirit with the environment repeatedly over time.

Lived experience, as a concept in qualitative and interpretative psychological research, is well-documented and recognized as a relevant therapeutic modality for various neurotypes, in particular neurodivergent individuals. Lived experience can straddle marginalization, trauma and health struggles in one’s personal journey and social relationships, heightening our intuitive understanding of mental health conditions. The ability to relate to these experiences within a therapist-client relationship builds empathy, rapport and growth. Insights gained through lived experience, in addition to evidence-based and clinical interventions, contribute to a compelling healing journey.

As a neurodiversity-affirming practice, we champion neurodivergence in social, health and work spaces. We recognize that neuronormativity – a privileged set of cognitive assumptions deemed superior and socially acceptable and which stigmatizes non-normative social behaviors, attitudes, affect and action – is discriminatory and harmful to individuals of different neurological capacities that do not fit the norm. Affirming neurodivergent identities, believing their experiences and speaking up for special needs, we connect with communities that offer a multitude of perspectives in conversations coming out of Singapore’s mental health circles.

Our areas of counselling support: