Singapore

Many social workers in medical settings also provide services to patients who are HIV+.

Social workers reported "inadequacies in professional resources, knowledge, skills, and training with regards to helping LGB clients. Even more seasoned social workers lacked sufficient training and some were not emotionally prepared to work with LGB clients."

From the research by Dr. Peace Yuh Ju Wong, NUS Department of Social Work. Singapore social work practice with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients, International Social Work, 2018.

We are developing a peer support system based on research evidence and includes a protective structure, continuing education and program management. Peer support is a wellness action and a self-care activity that helps one move through life, especially when the world challenges our authentic being, our true self. Peer support is fundamentally a community experience and safeguards us.

We share our lived experiences to learn from and support one another. We explore our identities, our relationships, our sexualities, our livelihood, our health--in the contexts of the psychological science of aging and the on-the-ground realities of aging in Singapore.

There are no resources or policies for LGBTQ+ aging in Singapore that support the provision of safe and culturally appropriate services for this population and their caregivers. There is also a generational divide within the LGBTQ+ community. Our goal is to change this.

'40+' lesbian group and the next batch of ‘40+’ gay and bi men group are in development.

In 2019, Dr. Maha Y. See initiated the trauma-informed counselling services for The Greenhouse Community Centre in Singapore. He developed the counselling internship program for counseling students and volunteer counsellors. This counselling approach integrates trauma with substance use, sexuality, spirituality and religion, co-morbidities, and familial and cultural issues, in the care of trauma-affected clients struggling with alcohol and drug use.

This program is continuing at The Greenhouse with a new clinical team and management and includes a few clinicians from the original group.

In collaboration with Pelangi Pride Centre, we organized presentations and discussion groups on providing and receiving affirmative mental health services.

Academic coursework on psychological services for sexual and gender minorities is almost non-existent in Singapore. When the topic is mentioned in multicultural courses, it consists of a few sentences or a paragraph. There are extremely few competent and targeted education and training programs for working with this population.