With well over a decade’s worth of experience in mental health, Shawn has worked in several public and private contexts in both Singapore and Australia. As a clinical psychologist, he has extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of an array of psychological issues, and provides clinical supervision to psychologists and psychiatrists in various contexts. He received his specialised training whilst residing in Perth, Western Australia, and was active in the activities of the Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy of Western Australia and the Australian Association for Infant Mental Health Inc. Western Australia. Shawn works both in long-term psychotherapy and in a short-term focused way.
Shawn’s specialist areas encompass Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Adult Psychotherapy, and Drug and Alcohol Dependence treatment. In his years based in Singapore, he has accumulated remarkable experience in the adult field, ranging from depressive/ anxiety/ anger issues to the assessment and treatment of Personality Disorders, Adult Sex Offenders, and Psychotic states. His work is known for being gentle and respectful, whilst supporting his clients develop insights into their difficulties.
He spent the earlier years of his career at the Institute of Mental Health/ Woodbridge Hospital (IMH) in Singapore, practising as a Senior Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Supervisor at the Psychology Department. After leaving public healthcare, he was invited to return as a Visiting Clinical Psychologist in 2019 at the IMH Psychotherapy Service, where he completed his visitorship as a locum Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and Psychodynamic Supervisor for psychiatry residents.
His areas of interest lie in the capacity for attachment over the life span, in particular, Infant Mental Health, as well as the practice of psychodynamic (or psychoanalytic) psychotherapy. In 2018, he formed the Psychoanalytic Association of Singapore (PAS), and was invited to membership with the International Society of Applied Psychoanalysis (ISAP), who recognised his practice as an international partner. A keen advocate for developmentally appropriate and respectful parenting, Shawn is a registered Circle of Security (COS) Parenting Facilitator with Circle of Security International.
Apart from providing clinical supervision, Shawn has guest-lectured and taught at several government and private institutions in Singapore and Australia. He currently holds Associate Lecturer positions at Murdoch University (Singapore) and the Singapore University of Social Sciences, where he teaches undergraduate Psychology and Masters in Counselling programmes respectively. His aptitude for teaching and nurturing others was developed since his formative years as a freelance leadership and team-building trainer.