Frequently Asked Questions
Selecting a Therapist
What is the difference between a Care Therapist and an Empathy Therapist?
Care and Empathy Therapists are TYHO categories of Therapists that reflect a difference in fees charged for counselling services.
You may refer to the Pricing page for more information on the fee structure for Singapore.
The fees do not, and are not intended to, reflect a difference in terms of seniority or experience. The difference in fee structure for the two instead points towards their different clientele and specialisations.
Regardless of Therapist category, all TYHO Therapists are selected through the same, strict selection process. They each have the right qualifications (min. Master’s degree) and professional training, and are also aligned with TYHO values. These include being empathetic, non-judgmental, and sensitive to diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. Each of them is deeply committed to their clients.
Most importantly, we encourage clients to select the Therapist based on whether the Therapist will be a good fit for their needs, and whether they will be able to open up to them easily and speak about matters that may be deeply personal.
See more about guidance on selecting a suitable Therapist below.
How do I select a suitable Therapist?
You may use the filters on our website to shortlist Therapists who best suit your needs. You may filter Therapists on the basis of issues you would like to seek support for, and any preferences you may have in terms of gender, language, service type, medium, and country.
You may also wish to go through their videos and individual profiles, including reviews for them, to learn more about their practice, background and approach to therapy. This allows you to gauge if they are a good fit before you book a session with them. A Therapist who may be right for one person may not be as suitable for another.
Please note that therapy can be a long term commitment. As such, having a Therapist who you feel you can open up to easily is important, as the quality of therapeutic alliance is a reliable predictor of positive outcomes for the client.
About Our Services
What are the different services offered?
We offer individual, couples, family, trauma, Walk &Talk, and hypnotherapy at the moment. The services each Therapist offers are indicated on their profile.
Please ensure that your Therapist’s profile lists the particular service you are looking for, and that you indicate your selection accordingly when booking your session. For example, if you would like to have a couples counselling session, please select a Therapist who has “Couples” indicated on their profile, and select “Couples” under the “Services” tab when booking your session.
What are the different mediums for therapy available at TYHO, and what are the differences between them?
Currently, online (audio / video) and in-person sessions are available at TYHO.
Online (audio / video) sessions take place on your Dashboard, where you and your Therapist speak with each other verbally through a pop-up audio / video interface. Online sessions afford you greater autonomy and convenience (ie you are in control of your environment). They help your Therapist detect verbal / visual cues as you speak, and better understand how you are feeling.
In-person sessions take place at the Therapist’s office, where you and your Therapist interact directly face-to-face. Our Therapists who offer in-person sessions have general location tags indicated on their profiles. If you find it easier to open up in-person, do not have a private space to attend sessions from, or would like a psychological assessment (applicable if you have selected a Psychologist only), you may wish to consider booking an in-person session.
Note: In-person sessions incur an additional S$40 for the use of space.
How do I book a session (individual, couples, in-person etc)?
The different services (ie individual, couples, family), mediums for therapy (ie online, in-person), and time slots our Therapists offer are listed on their respective profiles.
You will be able to book a session with your Therapist of choice by either clicking on “BOOK A SESSION” on their short or full profiles.
Simply input your service and medium preferences accordingly and select a time slot that best suits you. You will be directed to our payment page after confirming your selection. Upon successful payment, you will receive a booking confirmation to your email address. The booked appointment can also be found on your Dashboard.
Note: A session will only be confirmed with successful payment in full.
What is TYHO's rescheduling / cancellation policy?
Talk Your Heart Out has a minimum 24 hour rescheduling / cancellation policy. We do not accept rescheduling or cancellation requests within 24 hours of the scheduled appointment time to be fair to our Therapists who have blocked out time for sessions.
Any payments made towards such appointments will be non-refundable.
Attending Your Session
How long is each session?
Each session is an hour long. This applies to all our sessions, be it the individual, couples, or in-person session.
Where do I go to attend my session?
Online sessions (ie video and audio) take place on the platform. To attend your session, please first sign into your TYHO account. If you scroll down on your Dashboard, you will see a “Start Session” button on your upcoming session booked for the day. Click on it to enter your session (the respective audio / video plugin will be prompted).
In-person sessions take place at your selected Therapist’s office space. At the time of booking, you will only be made aware of their general location. Their full address will be visible to you after you have successfully booked your session. Do head down to the stated location on the day of appointment to attend your session.
Discount
How do I book sessions at a discounted rate?
Users will need to purchase a package or top up their wallet (with a minimum of S$ 360) to be able to book sessions at a discounted rate.
To proceed, please click on “Buy a Package” from the righthand menu of your Dashboard. Upon purchasing a package or topping up your wallet with a custom amount, your payment will then be deposited as credits into your wallet.
To use your wallet credits, simply ensure that the “Use Wallet Balance” field is checked on the payment page.
We provide a 6 percent discount for a top up of your TYHO Wallet between S$ 360 to S$ 959, and 8 percent for between S$ 960 to S$ 3000.
The discount is intended to encourage users to commit to long-term therapy, where required. You may refer to the Pricing page for more information.
Are You a Regular Client?
I forgot my password and am temporarily locked out of my account. What should I do?
For security reasons, our system temporarily locks your account if a wrong password has been entered 3 times. However, you will still be able to reset your password and enter your password if you need to access your account immediately using this link.
Note: A password reset will require an OTP.
If the issue persists, please email us at [email protected], or reach out to us via WhatsApp (+65 9831 0005) for further assistance.
I am permanently locked out of my account. What should I do?
If you see the following message, “Your account is permanently blocked.”, you will not be able to sign into your account or reset your password.
Please email us at [email protected], or reach out to us via WhatsApp (+65 9831 0005) for further assistance.
About Counselling
What is online counselling?
There are ups and downs in everyone’s life. One effective way to deal with a difficult personal situation is by talking to someone trained in helping you work through issues and find suitable solutions. Online counselling refers to accessing such services remotely through your computer or personal device, be it a laptop, tablet, or smart phone.
At Talk Your Heart Out (TYHO), this can be done via video or audio functions facilitated by the TYHO platform, whatever your preference may be.
Several studies have shown that online sessions can be as effective as traditional face-to face counselling, with the added advantages of flexibility, relative anonymity, affordability and convenience.
What is the difference between a psychologist and a counsellor?
Psychologists and counsellors (collectively called Therapists on our platform) are trained in providing talk therapy that would help a client improve their mental health and wellbeing.
In most situations, which type of professional you consult is not critically important. This is because there are considerable overlaps among them with respect to the training they have received, types of problems they help with, and the approaches they use. All are competent to recognise and help with the more common mental health issues, whether it is mild to moderate forms of depression, anxiety, relationship problems, or addictions.
Having said that, there are some differences between the type and level of support that will be provided depending on the Therapist you pick. This is because they have all acquired different educational qualifications and specialise in different areas.
Broadly speaking, the different roles are as follows:
- Psychologists have usually studied psychology at a master’s level and are experts in the science behind human emotions, behaviour and mental processes. They use evidence-based strategies to diagnose and manage mental health illnesses and disorders non-medicinally over the long-term. They may also perform assessments and analyse the results, as well as diagnose psychological or behavioural conditions.
- Counsellors generally have a minimum of a postgraduate diploma (TYHO’s Professional Counsellors all have at least a Master’s in Counselling degree), and are highly skilled in applying integrative therapies to assist people in working through their personal and emotional issues. They tend to adopt a more person-centred approach that focuses on the overall wellbeing of their clients when helping them address specific problems. If you would like to talk about a specific issue (eg adjustment to a new job, coping with loss, problems at school), then a counsellor may be more appropriate to approach.
How are online sessions different from in-person sessions?
The primary difference between online sessions and in-person sessions is the proximity at which counselling takes place. While in-person sessions require you to speak with your Therapist at a physical location, online sessions allow you to do so remotely.
Online sessions also provide you with more choice and convenience, allowing you to talk with your Therapist on your terms – all you need is your personal device. For example:
- You may decide the medium for therapy (eg audio or video), depending on your preference and comfort level.
- You may find it easier to communicate with your Therapist from home, office or another private space of your choice, and save travelling time.
- If you choose to change your Therapist, this can be done easily on the platform without the need for further “shopping” on your part to find someone suitable, or having to explain your history one more time (session notes will be shared with your explicit consent only).
What are the benefits of online counselling?
Talk therapy has been shown to have numerous benefits to one’s overall wellbeing, including improving self-awareness, enhancing interpersonal interactions, and managing certain physical illnesses (eg chronic pain and IBS).
Above all, it allows one to not just deal with their immediate concerns but also cultivate healthy habits that improve their overall quality of life. These practices can then be imparted to loved ones as well.
If you are thinking about going for counselling, you may want to consider the various advantages of doing it online, including:
- Easier access to counselling, particularly for those who are otherwise busy with work or other commitments, have carer responsibilities, or reduced mobility.
- Up to 50 percent more affordable as compared to traditional in-person sessions.
- Greater time efficiency as travelling is not required, and scheduling is made simpler.
- Reduced inertia and fear of judgement as you will be attending sessions from a private space.
- The option to express yourself through writing, if you prefer.
At the very least, conversing with a Therapist on our platform lightens your mental load and gives you another perspective to approach your issues.
When is online counselling unsuitable?
As a general guideline, online counselling is not suitable where a person:
- is in a crisis;
- is suffering from psychiatric disorder and/or experiencing psychosis such as hallucinations, paranoia or delusions;
- experiences severe or long-term mental health illness; or
- engages in excessively risky behaviour such as heavy alcohol or drug use.
Persons experiencing the above should consider engaging a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist for a face to face session instead. Psychiatrist are medical doctors who specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders and can prescribe medications if necessary.
Can I remain anonymous during an online session?
Not entirely. Your safety is important to us, and hence your Therapist must be able to contact you or an individual you trust in case of an emergency. Otherwise, there is no requirement to share a picture, date of birth, NRIC or other personal details that can identify you. You may also wish to converse with your Therapist via an audio call if you prefer to remain relatively anonymous.
Are my sessions with my Therapist confidential?
Yes, what you share during your sessions will be kept between you and your Therapist only, unless:
- You request for a change of Therapist, and give your consent for the new Therapist to have access to your previous Therapist’s session notes.
- There is a legal obligation to disclose anything that is discussed. For example, where the client is assessed to be at risk to self or others, external parties (eg the police, crisis service providers) may be informed of the situation.
What can and can't I talk about with my Therapist?
You can talk with your Therapist about anything at all – there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ thing to talk about or a taboo topic that cannot be discussed. We ensure strict confidentiality of anything you say during your sessions with your Therapist.
How often should I have therapy sessions?
For a start, individuals can consider going for therapy once a week. Weekly sessions instil regularity which is highly beneficial to clients, particularly at the beginning of the therapeutic journey. You may refer to the Pricing page where we elaborate on research-based findings on the benefits of having regular sessions.
How do I know if my sessions are working for me?
When we have been attending sessions for a while, it can feel almost like “I’m here, what’s next?”
While it is normal to expect results fast, the simple fact is that progress takes time. To gauge if therapy is working for you, look out for these signs that suggest you are on the right track:
- You begin to notice small changes in both your physical and mental health (eg better sleep, uplifted moods). Do keep in mind that therapy is not always linear and that sometimes you will have bad days or weeks.
- You don’t dread sessions. You may even start looking forward to them! Opening up to a stranger can be uncomfortable initially, but over time you’ll realise that it is a dedicated time for you to be in touch with your feelings.
- You feel respected and validated. A hallmark of therapy is being in a safe environment where your needs are heard.
- You feel better equipped to manage bad days. After several sessions, you have developed a repertoire of coping skills to help you weather the storms. This can be an improvement in dealing with conflicts or even simply learning to prioritise yourself.
