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Lawrence Goh

Lawrence Goh

Therapy work is a life long vocation which I embarked on in 2007 after a mid-career switch from the corporate sector holding an IT managerial post. Since then I’ve had the privilege of serving clients from all walks of life while working as a counsellor in the social service sector.

I endeavour to facilitate a brave space for each person to encounter deeply with themselves and their loved ones, to find true understanding of self and other, and expand the possibilities for healing and growth at the individual and relational level.

Having personally experienced burnout, I am passionate about nurturing counsellors/therapists in their professional growth and have been providing clinical supervision since 2012.

Please contact me at: info@bravecrossing.com

Profession

Psychotherapist, Couple/Family Therapist

Specialities

ANXIETY AND PANIC DISORDERS
DEPRESSION
GENERAL RELATIONSHIP CHALLENGES (FAMILY, FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS)
LGBTQIA+
TRAUMA AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
PERSONAL GROWTH AND SELF-ESTEEM
LIFE TRANSITIONS
MARRIAGE AND PARTNERSHIPS
DOMESTIC ABUSE AND VIOLENCE
GENERAL MENTAL HEALTH
MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
GRIEF AND LOSS
SELF-HARM AND SUICIDAL FEELINGS
RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY

Finances

Sliding Scale Fees

Training

  • Master of Social Science (Counselling),
  • Graduate Diploma in Clinical Supervision

What kinds of treatment or therapy do you provide?

  • Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
  • Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)
  • Family Therapy
  • Couple Therapy

What language can you conduct the session in?

English, Chinese

What is the greatest reward in being a counsellor for the queer community?

Knowing that as a therapist I am holding a light of hope for clients even when they may not experience it.

What is the greatest challenge in being a counsellor for the queer community?

The greatest challenge personally is maintaining a balance despite my own sense of injustice or discrimination experienced as a gay man.

What was your path to becoming a therapist?

It was a culmination of work burnout and identity crisis that sparked a review of my career and life directions. Having personally received counselling, it set me on a path of self-acceptance and openness. I spent some years as a volunteer para-counsellor at a HIV testing site as a way to pay forward, which greatly enriched my life. I then profiled my own personality and values, which led to the decision to take a leap of faith to take on formal studies in counselling.

What are you most excited about within the evolving mental health landscape?

That mental health concerns are more closely being looked at by national bodies, and that there is ongoing engagement to de-stigmatise help seeking.

What do you do to continue learning and building competencies as a provider?

There are a few avenues: attending training, conferences, self-study and obtaining clinical supervision. In working as a supervisor, I continue to hone my skills when I encounter the cases that my supervisees present.

What advice would you give to someone who is hesitant to try therapy?

I once told a chronic depression client who was stuck at home due to anxiety: no harm trying. It took more than a year and he eventually could make short trips out of home.

What kind of training have you had in working with the LGBTQ population?

My earliest trainings started when I volunteered with an HIV anonymous test site in 2000. Subsequently I provided pro bono professional counselling with Oogachaga in 2007, the only queer affirmative counselling centre in those days. They provide supervision and training to the team of counsellors.

What should someone know about working with you?

I value regular feedback from my clients and adopt the approach of Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT). I believe therapists need to work towards aligning well with clients regardless of the modality used.

How do your own core values shape your approach to therapy?

A few phrases come to mind: 1) the person is not the problem (Narrative Therapy), 2) coping is the problem (Satir therapy). From my experience of clients, I believe the human spirit is not to be underestimated.

Are you a queer affirmative practitioner?

Yes
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