2023/2024

2024

1) Reparenting the Self (Raffles Institution)

This was a workshop for counsellors at Raffles Institution to gain an awareness of how to help students deal with neglected needs and gaping wounds that were inflicted during childhood. It adopts a psychosocial developmental approach in the healing of the wounds sustained by the inner child.

• Childhood & the Inner Child – Neglected Needs & Gaping Wounds
• Reparenting Therapy & Healing
• The 4 Pillars of Reparenting
• The Wounded Parent – Metacognition & Self Reparenting
• Reparenting, Psychosocial Development & Trauma
• Strategies for Self Reparenting

2) Issues in ADHD (Raffles Institution)

This was for counsellors in Raffles Institution to gain an awareness of salient issues in the study of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as well as how to help students how have the disorder.

Topics to be Covered

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – Characteristics & Concerns

Sensing the World Around: Through the Eyes of a Child with ADHD

The Etiology of ADHD

Therapeutic Approaches to the Treatment of ADHD: Pharmacology, Cognition, Sensory, Behavioural

ADHD & Adolescence – Human Development Considerations

Trauma & ADHD

Strengthening Focus & Concentration: Counselling Strategies

3) Calm Corners & Safe Spaces (Yishun Primary School)

This was a workshop to help teachers learn about the importance of calm corners and how to set up safe spaces in the classroom.

1. To help participants gain a deeper insight into Calm Corners and how these spaces can help in the areas of emotional regulation and stress management; and
2. To help participants apply these theoretical approaches through practical learning, thereby becoming more effective with student management and handling meltdowns in the classroom.

4) Attention & the Brain (Boon Lay Gardens Primary School)

This was a workshop on Focus & Concentration based on Nobel Economics Prize Winner Daniel Kahneman and his System 1-System 2 approach towards automatic thinking.

6) Mental & Social Wellness Workshops (Ngee Ann Polytechnic)

This is one of our core programmes, and we have been conducting these workshops for polytechnic students since 2020. For this run, our 8 trainers conducted 58 sessions for more than 70 students per session over a period of two weeks. Students were taught how to help their friends who are undergoing distress, as well as what to do when relationship boundaries are breached.

7) Workshops for Wellbeing Champions (Hwa Chong Institution)

This was a 2-part workshop to help Wellbeing Champs chart a Life Map and how to find personal meaning in helping others. It incorporated aspects of understanding youth issues and special needs, as well as how to deal with cognitive thinking errors.

Session 1 – Identity & Meaning

• What is Wellbeing
• Attributes of a Well-being Champion
• A Personal Journey: Understanding our Life Maps and how we find personal meaning in helping others
• A Picture of Reality: Rationality vs Irrationality – Understanding the Three Musts & Cognitive Thinking Errors

Session 2 – Helping Others & Helping the Self

• Understanding Youth Issues – scenario discussion on salient youth issues
• Understanding Special Educational Needs
• Self-care: How to set boundaries and seek referral

8) Life Skills for Students with Special Educational Needs (MOE S2 Cluster)

This was a 2-day workshop for students from the S2 cluster of MOE schools. This was a comprehensive programme for 17 students from 3 schools, and the students were taught to develop their social skills, interpersonal communication skills, self-confidence, perspective-taking and problem solving skills. The highlight of the programme was Day 2, which was conducted in Labrador Park, where students were provided with a full day of interactive and experiential activities.

9) Workshop on Transitions (PCF Sparkletots @ Bt Timah CC)

This was a talk for parents on how to create a safe space for children as they transition to primary school. We shared about how to manage change and how to deal with the stress responses associated with change.

10) How to Power Up the Brain (Paya Lebar Methodist Girls School)

This was a workshop for both parents and students and it was conducted to help participants gain a better understanding of how to harness the power of the brain to improve focus and attention in life.

1. Understanding the Brain
2. The Amygdala: Fun, Learning & Memory
3. The Hippocampus: Strategies to Improve Your Memory
4. The Cerebral Cortex & Neurobics: A Wake Up Call
5. Building Brain Connections: Crossing the Midline

11) Love Map for Life

This workshop was organised in collaboration with Little U, and was conducted to help couples gain a deeper understanding of each other in order to better weather the storms and crises in life.

1. Examining the Stages of a Marriage as outlined by Bader & Pearson
2. Considering marriage from a psychological perspective
3. Developing a Love Map, a place in your brain where you store all the
   personally important information about your partner’s life

12) Helping Youth with Special Needs (Youth Guidance Outreach Services)

This was a workshop for staff and volunteers at YGOS to learn about the sensory system and sensory processing disorder, in order for them to be better equipped to help youths with special needs.

13) Studies in ADHD (Beatty Secondary School)

This was an intermediate level workshop, for educators at Beatty Secondary School, with facilitated discussions on how to better help students who have ADHD. The workshop also considered other salient issues such as how psychosocial development affects students with ADHD, as well as how aspects of trauma can be understood and supported.

14) Peer Support Workshops (CHIJ Secondary School)

These were basic and intermediate level workshops for the Wellbeing Reps and Tech Champs to better support peers who are in distress both in person as well as on social media. The Social Factor undertook a revitalisation of existing workshop content to incorporate more facilitated discussions as well as roleplay sessions, and these workshops were part of the enhanced Peer Support sessions which incorporated an increased emphasis of empathic listening skills to help address mental wellness issues.

15) Learning & Stress Management Programme (Pasir Ris Primary School)

This was a 4-part series to help students with special needs in their learning and stress management. The series comprised the following:

• Learning & Strengths
• Managing Stress
• Managing Sensory & Emotional Distractions
• Downtime, Relaxation & Self Care

  

  2023

  1) Positive Behaviour Support (ACC Institute of Human Services)

  This workshop, conducted for participants at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS), had the following objectives:

  1. To help participants gain an understanding of PBS;
  2. To help participants adopt a proactive, positive (non-punitive), and instructional  perspective in managing students who exhibit challenging behaviour; and
  3. To provide participants with PBS-oriented strategies exercised over time with consistency. 

  2) Executive Functioning Workshop for SEN Officers (MOE N7 Cluster)

  This workshop, for SEN Officers, was developed with the following objectives:

  1. To help participants guide students in the area of executive functioning, thereby developing stronger learning and working habits, as well as developing more effective coping skills in relation to the social environment; and
  2. To help participants apply these theoretical approaches through practical learning, thereby becoming more effective with students in the classroom.

  3) “The Traffic Jam in the Brain” – Sensory Processing Disorder Workshop for Singapore Bible College

  This was a workshop for graduate counselling students to learn about the sensory system and sensory processing disorder, in order for them to be better equipped to counsel persons with special needs.

  4) Sexuality Workshop for GUILD International College

  This workshop for the parents of persons with special needs was intended to help participants learn how to communicate better with their children on sexuality matters.

  Topics Covered

  Key Issues Affecting the Development of a Person with Special Needs

  Recognising Warning Signs

  Communicating About Sexuality Issues

  Concerns & Considerations (Q&A)

  5) Managing Mental Health & Stress in the Workplace – Health Outreach Programme

  This was a corporate talk for employees at Siemens Singapore. It was conducted to help employees learn the different phases of stress reactivity, as well as how to manage stress and avoid a burnout.

  6) Workshop on ADHD – Beatty Secondary School

  The workshop had the following objectives:

  1. To help participants have a better understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the etiology of the disorder; 
  2. To understand how a student’s sensory needs can affect his/her behaviour; and
  3. To learn about various classroom strategies that can be used to help students with ADHD.

  7) Mental Wellness e-Workshops for Polytechnic Students – Nanyang Polytechnic

  This is part of a regular run of mental wellness workshops conducted for 1st Year Students at Nanyang Polytechnic (May 23). A total of 12 sessions were conducted over four days, and students were equipped to recognise signs of distress as well as how to  support themselves and their peers.

  8) Peer Support Programme – Evergreen Secondary School

  This is the third year that The Social Factor is conducting a Peer Support workshop for Evergreen Secondary School Student Peer Supporters. This was run at both Basic and Intermediate Levels, and students learnt empathic listening as well as how to manage stress and engage in self care activities.

  9) Peer Support Programme – CHIJ Secondary School

  This workshop was conducted for Welfare Reps at CHIJ Secondary School. It was run at both Basic and Intermediate Levels, and students learnt empathic listening as well as how to manage negative automatic thoughts.

  10) Peer Support Programme Workshop & Booklet – West Spring Secondary School

  The Social Factor conducted two workshops for Peer Support Leaders in West Spring Secondary School, and assisted in the design and production of a peer support booklet. The programme was run at both Basic and Advanced Levels.