Divorce Counselling Singapore
Divorce Counselling
A space to make sense of what’s happening, heal deeply, and move forward with clarity and strength.
Divorce is never just a legal process—it’s an emotional one.
Whether you’re in the thick of it, considering separation, or trying to rebuild after the dust has settled, this experience can shake the very foundation of who you are.
You may be feeling overwhelmed. Grieving not just a relationship, but a vision of the life you thought you’d have. You may be questioning your worth, your choices, your future. Or maybe you’re simply tired—numb, emotionally drained, and unsure what comes next.
You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Divorce counselling offers you a safe, non-judgmental space to process the complex emotions that come with this transition—pain, guilt, anger, fear, even relief. It’s a space to untangle the story, reclaim your voice, and begin healing from the inside out.
Who is it for?
Divorce counselling is for you if:
You’re feeling stuck in the decision-making process and unsure whether to stay or leave
You’ve already separated or divorced and are struggling to move forward emotionally
You feel consumed by guilt, shame, resentment, or sadness
You’re coping with co-parenting stress, financial fears, or loneliness
You’ve been through a high-conflict or emotionally abusive relationship and want to rebuild your sense of self
You want to break old patterns so you don’t repeat them in future relationships
You’re ready to heal and grow—even if you’re not sure what that looks like yet
Wherever you are in the journey, this space is for you—not your ex, not the legal system, not anyone else’s expectations.
How divorce counselling can help
Process the emotional weight of the breakup in a space that’s validating and safe
Make sense of what happened—so you can release blame and take your power back
Reconnect with yourself after years of prioritizing others or losing your sense of identity
Develop emotional resilience and healthier boundaries
Navigate co-parenting or solo parenting in a way that feels grounded and aligned
Create a new chapter that feels authentic, calm, and empowering
Divorce may feel like an ending—but it can also be the beginning of a more meaningful and beautiful future ahead for you.
You are not alone. You are not broken. And this is not the end of your story.
If you’re ready to feel seen, supported, and strong again, I’d be honoured to walk this part of the path with you.
Book now for a 20 mins discovery call https://calendly.com/sylviatan-psych/discoverycall
Or reach out with any questions. I’m here when you’re ready.
The Gottman Couples Therapy is a form of couples therapy developed by Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman. It is based on a Sound Relationship House theory which specified 9 components to healthy relationships. The 9 components are:
1) Build love maps: This is about couples getting to know one another better. It’s learning to hear and learn about each other’s inner psychological worlds. This would require couples to share openly about their inner thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams.
2) Share fondness and admiration: This is about learning to express appreciation and respect for each other to strengthen their bond.
3) Turn towards, not away: This is about learning to notice when one’s partner is seeking attention, affection, and comfort and how to respond appropriately and lovingly.
4) The positive perspective: This is about learning to see one another positively, seeing errors as matters of circumstance, not failures of the individual.
5) Manage conflict: This is about learning to manage conflict effectively.
6) Make life dreams come true: This is about supporting and championing one’s partner in their dreams and goals.
7) Create shared meaning: This is about finding rituals and stories that have shared meaning for the couple. This helps with bonding and building a shared connection with each other.
8) Trust and commitment: The two weight-bearing walls of the Sound Relationship House help couples work through the seven floors. Trust is about being able to rely on one another and feel like they’re a team, and commitment is about sticking together no matter what to improve their relationship.
Interventions used in the Gottman Method are based on 40 years of research done by Dr John and Julie Gottman. The interventions are geared towards disarming conflicting verbal communication; increasing intimacy, respect, and affection; removing barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy, and creating a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts patterns that affect their mood and behaviours. It is usually used for individual therapy but this approach can also be used for couples to help couples identify unhelpful patterns of thinking and perceptions that have contributed to unhealthy patterns of communication, negative emotions and behaviors towards one another.
The therapy will involve helping couples reframe negative thoughts so as to improve the way they view their partner, themselves and their relationship.
There will also be a component of helping couples get in tune with each other’s emotions. As couples share their feelings about how certain situations or thoughts trigger a certain feeling, a deeper understanding and empathy for each other can be engendered.
- When one or both parties are losing interest in sex with the other party
- Infidelity or multiple affairs
- Communication breakdown
- Ongoing feelings of hurt and resentment
- Feelings of contempt towards partner
- Conflict in parenting styles
- Conflict over finances
- Having conflict stemming from different cultural background
- Feeling the need to control or feeling controlled by the partner or spouse
Couples counselling or marriage counselling can help with
- Breakdown in communication
- Infidelity
- Disagreements and conflicts
- Misalignment of goals
- Depression and anxiety
- Issues surrounding infertility
- Conflicts involving in laws
- Differences in parenting
- Differences in values
Couples counselling starts off with an initial assessment. The first session is a joint session for the couple. The couple therapist will ask the couple to share what the problem has been for them. The therapist may give them a questionnaire to complete and ask them questions about the relationship or marriage.
After the initial joint session, the therapist will have separate individual sessions with each party. This is where the couple therapist will gather more information about past history and each party’s own family background and upbringing. After the individual sessions, the couple will come back together for joint sessions, and the couple therapist will work closely with the couple to identify the goals for therapy and map out areas of the relationship to focus on.
The duration for couples counselling can vary from couples to couples. Minimally, 6 sessions will be required for intervention to take place. Typically couples counselling can range from 6 to 12 sessions. You can discuss with your therapist the frequency of sessions and how many sessions will be required.
Our Counselling Psychologist
Sylvia Tan - Founder, Principal Counselling Psychologist, MPsych (SRP Registered)
Sylvia is a Counselling Psychologist practicing in Singapore. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology from Curtin University of Technology ( Perth, Western Australia) and is currently a registered counselling psychologist and a clinical supervisor with the Singapore Register of Psychologists (SRP).
After her graduation in 2002, Sylvia lived and worked in Australia for many years before her relocation back to her home country Singapore in 2014. To date, Sylvia has over 20 years of experience working in a range of settings both in Australia and Singapore.