About

Joseph Yap
Joseph Yap – Counsellor in Singapore

About

I’ve spent the last decade sitting with adolescents, adults, and families across Singapore and overseas—people navigating anxiety, indecision, overwhelm, past relational wounds playing out in the present, and the quiet weight of disconnection. My work is calm, non-pathologising, and paced by you.

How I work

Sessions are unhurried. We go slowly enough to notice what’s here—thoughts, feelings, body cues—and discover what’s truly important to you, without forcing change. I stay close as you make contact with what needs your attention. If techniques help, we’ll use them; if not, we keep company with what’s already alive and let it unfold.

Who I work well with

You want more than advice, tools, or a system of therapy you go through week after week. You’re willing to feel a little more than is comfortable, and you’re curious about what happens inside you. Perhaps you sense that something in you is asking to be met—even if there aren’t words yet.

My counselling approach

Presence-led and integrative. I draw from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Focusing, and Gestalt within a trauma-sensitive frame. Models aren’t applied mechanically; they’re tools to support your process. The aim isn’t to “fix” you, but to create conditions where clarity, choice, and relief can emerge.

I believe your behaviour often comes from a positive or protective intent. Your emotions carry stories. When we meet them with respect, what feels stuck can soften. 

I care deeply about shifting how we see and support each other—moving away from pathology and perfection toward compassion and connection. That’s why I like to work in systems and also contribute to collective learning among counselling professionals.

Training & credentials

I hold a Master of Arts in Counselling from Nanyang Technological University and I’m a Clinical Member with the Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC). My formal training includes Internal Family Systems (Level 2), Gestalt, Focusing, Choice Theory Reality Therapy (Fully Certified), and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). I regularly program-assist in official IFS trainings with Australian, local and Korean organisers. Over the past decade, I’ve also worked across mainstream and specialised school settings and currently supervise Master’s-level counselling trainees.

Practicalities

Online sessions. Weekdays 4:00–8:30 pm; Saturdays 9:00 am–2:30 pm (SGT). Student rate 50% (limited slots). Fees in SGD.

If this resonates, reach out. I offer a brief Zoom call to see if we’re a good fit.