Psychologists / Counsellors 

A trained medical doctor and a public health professional from the US, Dr Priya Fafat further trained in counselling and psychotherapy and is one of few internationally Certified Mindfulness Teachers (CMT- P, IMTA) in Asia. She is extremely passionate about empowering people to reach their full potential, and approaches mental health counselling with the belief that every person has an innate capacity to heal, renew, grow and flourish holistically in their emotional, mental, social, relational and physical domains.

 

Priya describes her professional journey of 22 years as one of “eyesight to insight”.  She began her professional career, attending to people’s physical health as an Eye surgeon/Ophthalmologist in India, followed by working as a researcher in hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry in the US. 

 

Life’s journey with multiple moves across the globe, saw Priya personally experience life of a trailing spouse, displacement from home and community, career changes and adapting and integrating with new cultures constantly. This propelled her to not only become a lifelong student, but also look deeply and realize that robust mental health and well-being is such a crucial part of self-care - perhaps the very foundation of who we are and how we show up in our personal and professional lives. However, understanding and assuaging our own mind is more subtle and often neglected, but when the right help is sought, it can make a huge difference. This is what prompted Priya to train herself to become a mental health counsellor and a mindfulness coach, when she moved to Singapore, in 2014, with a goal to make mental health more easily available, accessible, affordable and stigma free for all.  

 

This global exposure of working with people from different walks of life – patients, researchers, students, youth, women, professionals and entrepreneurs, with diverse cognitions and beliefs has made Priya more appreciative and sensitive to diverse cultural influences and conditionings and enables her to connect with clients from diverse backgrounds.  She understands and values connecting with the clients at a human level and is a keen believer in the importance of building a therapeutic relationship where the clients feel safe, supported and heard. Priya is often described by her clients as kind, patient, gentle, empathetic, compassionate, insightful and a keen listener who journeys with client in a non-judgmental manner. 

 

Priya employs a client centred, customized, integrated approach which involves meeting the client where there are and utilizing a combination of various counselling techniques of evidence based therapies to ensure that it effectively aligns with the personality of the client and meets their needs and goals. She is proficient in using various counselling modalities such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Solution Focused Therapy (SFBT), Acceptance and Compassion Therapy (ACT), Person Centered Therapy (PCT), Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Positive Psychology and various Mindfulness therapies such as MBCT, MBSR, MBWE, Mindfulness for children and teens, and Mindful parenting.

 

Her clientele includes  teenagers, young adults, senior citizens, professionals, executives, CEOs, homemakers, trailing spouses, LGBTQ, live in and married couples, based in Singapore and overseas. She works with them collaboratively to help them navigate issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, burn out, low self esteem, grief, personality issues, postpartum depression, emotional dysregulation, life transitions, peer pressure, career challenges, body image issues, relationship & marital issues and sometimes also “figuring out self”. 

 

In addition to counselling, as a Certified Mindfulness Teacher, Priya integrates counselling into her psychotherapy practice when working with clients. She also regularly conducts Mindfulness workshops for schools, companies and the public on various topics. 

 

Priya’s pursuit with her clients is to help them not only navigate the immediate issues at hand, but also help them develop healthy life skills to tap into their inherent strengths and build their resilience so that they feel self-empowered to approach life confidently and meaningfully and realize their full potential. 

 

Happily married, Priya is a loving mother to two teenagers. She also has many varied interests such as having a red black belt in taekwondo, going for regular nature walks and indulging in nature photography, yoga, biking, badminton, reading and such. She invests in herself by regularly upskilling through new trainings and workshops in a variety of topics, connecting with her extended family & friends and indulging in dance and music from time to time.