Family Therapy Institute launched in Singapore
A new institute to provide families in Singapore with marital counseling and family therapy work was launched on Wednesday.
The Family Therapy Institute is managed by the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association (PPIS), and is part of PPIS’ efforts to extend such services beyond the Muslim community.
Opened by Minister for Communications and Information Yacoob Ibrahim, the FTI operates out of PPIS’ head office at Block 1 Eunos Crescent.
Dr Yacoob was also on hand to launch the Temasek Cares-PPIS Family and Marital Counseling Program during the event.
The pilot program, funded by Temasek Cares, aims to help more Muslim families resolve familial and marital issues through counseling by taking into consideration the language, cultural and religious factors surrounding each family.
Help strengthen families in Singapore
Dr Yacoob, who is also the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, hopes that the FTI will be part of a journey that will strengthen families in Singapore
“This (the institute) is a good development and PPIS has decided to embark on this program. We also welcome the contribution of Temasek Cares in ensuring that this institute can take off, provide the much needed service not just for the Malay/Muslim community but at the national level,” said Dr Yacoob.
The institute will be providing up-stream services for couples and families in a conducive setting, engaging families early and empowering family members to better understand and interact with each other.
Support for professionals
The FTI will also provide support to professionals working with families as well as contribute to practice research on work with families in the Singapore context. The help extended by PPIS to these professionals will benefit the community, Dr Yacoob noted.
“We need more counselors and therapists and hopefully, with such an institute, we encourage the culture of turning to experts for help.
“I think we must take some of the things that we see in the Western society where when there is a problem you turn to the experts. By having such facilities in the community, families that are undergoing stress would want to turn to an institution like PPIS where they can come and talk in confidence about the challenges they face and work through the solutions,” he said.
