about me
- Master of Counselling
- PGDip Counselling Psychology
- Child-Centred Play Therapy (Australia)
Hello! I'm Adeline (she/her).
I’m passionate about working with young ones, supporting them to process challenging experiences through play and evolve into healthier, happier, more self-confident versions of themselves.
I’ve worked with children for nearly a decade. supporting their growth and development – across special education, music education, preschool teaching, forest school coaching, and counselling. In that time I’ve seen and worked with hundreds of children from all walks of life. Each one is unique, with their own strengths, interests, and needs.
When kids struggle with their emotions and behaviours, everyone has a hard time. Parents take the greatest brunt. Teachers feel stressed. Peers fall into conflict.
Kids impact their environment, and the environment impacts kids – setting up a constant feedback loop. Outside of our awareness, children often internalise highly critical / unhealthy messages of themeselves. Sometimes these messages are explicit, but many a time they are interpretations our kids have conjured up. These beliefs can feel like absolute truth for our kids, and they come to shape their entire world.
I’ve been in the same shoes:
- “I don’t belong” – I felt constantly like my friends fit together in a way that I did not. My circle of friends cared for me, but I was prey to frequent insecurities about how much I really mattered.
- “I don’t need love” – I was happy often being the listening ear for friends. I didn’t have anyone I trusted to talk to, but I believed I was different, and that because I was independent and enjoyed my alone time, I didn’t need love or long-term bonds.
As a result, I only realised I needed friendship after I hit my early 20s! It might sound unbelievable, but that’s just how strong my inner messages were.
Working with kids in child-centred play therapy provides the opportunity to challenge unhealthy beliefs without needing to talk about them. Instead, we use the medium of play to process their feelings, needs, and experiences, and change these beliefs from the inside-out.
How my passion developed
The starting point was teaching in a special education school,
where I worked with children with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and other disabilities. Their no-holds-barred honesty sometimes hurt, but also impressed and touched me.
I began recognising that children spoke a different language. One filtered not by words and cognition, but via play and actions.
This lesson continued to repeat itself. Week after week, the kids I led in forest school showed me the power of becoming confident and resilient at their own pace, supported by a nurturing environment. Similarly, my piano kids could not be rushed in growing their love for the instrument, but they could and were stifled when pressured. When I shifted focus back to fostering their personal connection and respecting their uniqueness, they softened and blossomed.
When I completed specialist training in child-centred play therapy, and then in filial therapy, all the pieces fell into place. The set of skills to support children in a clinical setting are different, but the underlying principles remain the same. Respect, nurture, trust – and the evidence shows that these are effective at making the change we seek for our children.
Today, I’m dedicated to helping children overcome their anger, anxiety, and past trauma, so that families can heal. With the support of this evidence-based work, stressed and worried parents can finally come out of firefighting mode, feel empowered to rebuild precious connections, and nurture the loving and joyful family they’ve always wanted.
I'm commited to serving children and families, and continually learn and grow as a therapist.
Key elements for long-term transformation: Learning through experience (not just talking); bringing about shifts in the body; and understanding and leveraging family, school, and other systems in one’s life.
Qualifications:
- Master of Counselling, Flinders University, Australia
- Postgrad Dip in Counselling Psychology, College of Allied Educators, Singapore
- Bachelor of European Studies (Honours), Minor in Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Child Centred Play Therapy (Child Centred Australia)
- Filial Therapy (Child Centred Australia)
- Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy Level 1 (Satir Pacific, Canada)
- Accredited Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFTi, UK)
- Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®️) Certified Provider (TRE For All, USA)
Supervision:
I undertake supervision with a long-standing leader in the field of child-centred play therapy, Dr. Bill Nordling, a licensed clinical psychologist based in Virginia, USA.
Adeline Chang
Qualifications:
- Master of Counselling, Flinders University, Australia
- Postgrad Dip in Counselling Psychology, College of Allied Educators, Singapore
- Bachelor of European Studies (Honours), Minor in Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Child-Centred Play Therapy (Child Centred Australia)
- Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy L1 (Satir Pacific, Canada)
- Accredited Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFTi, UK)
- Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®️) Certified Provider (TRE For All, USA)
Registration:
- Provisional Clinical Member (Singapore Association for Counselling)
- Provisional Member (Association for Play Therapy Singapore)
- Register of Play Therapists (Child Centred Australia)