Motivated to be more - Yvonne Ang

Yvonne Ang is a counsellor with Montfort Care’s Strengthening Families Programme@Family Service Centre (FAM@FSC). Trained both as a counsellor and social worker, she embodies the fact that a social service career has room for growth and development.

Learn, empower, repeat

Yvonne Ang has always believed that social service professionals must constantly reflect on themselves in a critically thoughtful manner to be able to help those they serve more effectively. This would involve examining not just one’s thoughts, values and beliefs, but competencies as well. “As needs evolve and change, social service professionals should ideally be well versed in different areas and sub sectors to perform their roles well. To do this heart work we must have the humility to learn and upgrade ourselves. Having both counselling and social work qualifications along with research skills could potentially enable me to improve services, enhance the well-being of clients and contribute to policy discussions at the national level,” she shares. Motivated by her secondary school principal and teachers who encouraged the potential of every student and focused on character development, Yvonne began her social service journey by pursuing counselling under the Social Service Scholarship. It was while working at a Family Service Centre eventually where she was inspired to embark on social work as well. “At the Family Service Centre, I met wonderful social work and counselling colleagues and leaders who helped me reflect on my practice. It piqued my curiosity in social work,” she reveals. The holder of two Masters degrees has also taken up training in various treatment methods such as Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy.

Driven by purpose

At FAM@FSC, Yvonne supports couples and families by helping them at the earliest signs of stress. “Taking an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach for each case, I provide counselling, marriage and divorce support programmes for families as well as psychoeducation and therapeutic groupwork for parents and children. I also assist in clinical and casework supervision to maintain standards of professional practice,” she explains. In addition, Yvonne collaborates with a team to discuss cases and works closely with her director and administrative team in managing case referrals, documenting statistics and ensuring that cases are managed well. Aside from her day-to-day work, Yvonne volunteers with an Aging in Place initiative which facilitates greater communication among grassroots and community partners to support elderly care needs. Being a social service scholar and a social service leader with the NCSS Sun Ray Scheme has also enabled her to develop broader sector perspectives.

Competent, compassionate tribe

“Social service has been gradually evolving to build capabilities and capacities. Various disciplines are being recognised for the value they bring to the integrated work we do together. I would definitely recommend others to join social service to lend their talents in different ways,” Yvonne shares. To her fellow social service professionals, her advice is to be more human by developing empathy and holistically considering the perspectives of clients, colleagues, organisation and sector needs.

A role in Counselling is one of many roles in social services. To find out more, click read about a career in Counselling.