Velda Chen

Velda has over a decade of clinical experience in public healthcare (IMH & CGH) and private practice after graduating from the University of Queensland with her Master in Clinical Psychology. A strong believer in ongoing professional development and using her knowledge to help others, Velda has also recently graduated with a Master of Science in Sleep Medicine with Merit from the University of Oxford, Sleep & Circadian Neuroscience Institute.

Velda conducts adult personality and cognitive assessments. She adopts different approaches of psychotherapy with adults suffering from complex psychological or psychiatric difficulties, or health problems. Her areas of work include: depressive and anxiety disorders, personality or relational difficulties, trauma, grief, and other health-related difficulties such as stress, insomnia and weight management. As a psychotherapist, Velda focuses on the client as a person, and synergises evidence-based knowledge with compassion and sound clinical judgment to alleviate one’s emotional pain and struggles, or to attain psychological well-being. In 2014, Velda was awarded the Health Manpower Development Plan (HMDP) Fellowship funded by Ministry of Health (MOH) to train in working with individuals with complex needs in the United Kingdom. She was also one of the founding members of the Complex Needs Services in CGH.

Velda also provides clinical supervision. She has extensive experience in training and supervising junior psychologists and postgraduate clinical psychology trainees in the last decade. Velda was also a Faculty member of the National Healthcare Group (NHG) Psychiatry Residency Program for 8 years where she was highly involved in training and providing clinical supervision in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy to trainee doctors in psychiatry. Up to Oct 2020, Velda was an Adjunct Assistant Professor with the National University of Singapore (NUS), Department of Psychology, supervising postgraduate clinical psychology trainees. She retains a strong interest in nurturing the younger generation of clinicians.

Velda also provides consultancy services to statuary boards. In addition, she has conducted talks on various mental health care issues to schools and organisations. She enjoys writing and has contributed to articles for local magazines. Velda has published a research article. She also reviews journal articles submitted for publication.