Our Treatment Focus
We believe that each client has his or her own story to tell, with no single treatment approach being the best solution for every individual. Our experience enables us to offer effective outpatient, individualized, psychological care. We treat a number of mental health disorders, and provide a safe place and neutral ground to individuals.
We offer both individual psychotherapy as well as animal-assisted therapy with our trained therapy dog, Phanta.
What We Treat
Our Patient “Pawmise”
We promise to be there for you every step of your journey, guiding you to develop healthier mindsets and habits so that you can have healthier and more positive views of yourself. We aim to empower our clients, who include children, adolescents and adults, to overcome their personal challenges, know themselves as whole and complete, and to move forward to where they want to be in life.
Meet The Team
P E A R L E N E L I M
Pearlene is our Senior Clinical Psychologist, with over a decade of experience walking alongside her clients as they embark on their recovery journey. Believing that therapy is not a “one size fits all” approach, she takes on a client-centred integrative approach to treatment. She is trained in psychological assessment and a variety of evidence-based interventions, including but not limited to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
Pearlene’s academic background includes a joint M.Psychology degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Melbourne and the National University of Singapore (NUS). She also has a M.Soc.Sci in Psychology and a B.Soc.Sci in Psychology from NUS. She is also trained to conduct Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), and holds a Animal & Human Health Certificate from the University of Denver.
She has extensive experience working with a broad range of clients across different hospital, community and private settings. Her foray into mental health started when she volunteered at the Institute of Mental Health as a teen, which sparked her interest in playing a direct role in the recovery of those experiencing mental health issues. Her professional career started at Singapore General Hospital, where she was part of the Eating Disorders team. Since then, Pearlene has worked with clients with other mental health disorders, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, phobias, trauma, obsessive compulsive disorders, autism and dementia.
Outside of her professional career, Pearlene enjoys embarking on new culinary adventures and doing dog training/agility with her lovely dogs. As a team, Pearlene and her now-retired agility dog Terry have represented Singapore at the World Agility Open international competitions in 2018 and 2019. Currently, she runs her 4 year old sheltie Reverie and is actively competing in local agility trials. She is also a dog agility trainer with one of the local dog training schools in Singapore.
P H A N T A
Phanta is a shetland sheepdog who has been trained to be your best canine buddy in the clinic. He has a calm disposition, and enjoys treats to the fullest! He is always ready to offer a gentle paw, and is happy to spin and bounce around when given permission to. He is also always up for learning new tricks – provided that he gets his treat rewards!
What is Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)?
When people experience severe stressors or rough patches in life, they commonly feel like their lives are unravelling – and they may seek professional help. For some, speaking to a psychologist may be a daunting experience.
We aim to provide a safe and enjoyable experience clients to process their thoughts and feelings with the presence of our friendly therapy dog.
Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is a goal-oriented, planned, structured and documented therapeutic intervention directed by health and human service providers as part of their profession. It involves a suitable animal (e.g. dog) which the professional specifically involves in their work to facilitate clients’ objectives and goals as they (professional, animal, client) work together.
Is AAT suitable for me?
While AAT sessions can be highly beneficial, clients may not be suitable if they have the following concerns:
If you are unsure if this is suitable for you, please feel free to contact us for clarification.
What happens during my AAT session?
Our therapy dog Phanta will be present during the session, and he is involved in the session in different ways, depending on the direction and goals of the session.
Sometimes, he takes on a more passive but comforting role by sitting in your lap or staying close to you as you speak with your psychologist. At other times, your psychologist could lead a more interactive session, where you could be asked to complete a series of tasks together with him. These activities serve as a way to facilitate discussions that may draw parallels or provide insights into better managing the challenges that the you are facing.
Get in touch with us!
The Gentle Paws Psychology Clinic
20 Upper Circular Road, The Riverwalk, Singapore 058416
Whatsapp: (65) 8742 4438
Email: [email protected]
Operating Hours:
Currently, we operate on every 2nd and 4th Thursday afternoon of the month on an appointment-only basis.
