Individual and Group Counselling

We use the word ‘therapy’ to cover talking therapies, such as counselling, psychotherapy and coaching. Therapy offers a safe, confidential place to talk to a trained professional about your feelings and concerns. You might talk about difficult events in your life or your relationships and emotions. Or you might have negative thoughts and behaviours that you want to change.

Therapists will not give you advice or solve your problems for you. They will listen to your story, helping you to understand yourself better and make positive changes in your life. KCPS has a team of counsellors and psychologists who can offer individual, group and family therapy. They will offer therapy (or range of approaches) suited to your circumstances. 

Behavioural therapies are based on the belief that your unwanted or unhealthy behaviours are a learned response to your past experiences. They focus on current problems and aim to help you learn new, more positive behaviours without having to analyse the past. Behavioural therapies, including CBT, can be useful for depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, compulsive and obsessive behaviours, addictions. eating disorders and managing long term conditions.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) aims to help you change the way you think (cognitive) and what you do (behaviour). Rather than looking at past causes, it focuses on current problems and practical solutions to help you feel better now.

Integrative counselling looks at the whole person, taking into account your mental, physical and emotional needs. An integrative counsellor aims to build a trusting and non-judgmental relationship that helps you develop self-awareness. When you understand the causes of your concerns or triggers for your behaviour, you can confidently set goals and develop new behaviours to improve your satisfaction with life.

Relationship therapy encourages the parties in a relationship to recognise repeating patterns of distress and to understand and manage troublesome differences that they are experiencing. The relationship involved may be between members of a family, a couple, or even work colleagues.

Family therapy looks at a family system, and the relationships between people, rather than the individuals. It allows family members to express and explore difficult thoughts and emotions safely, helping them understand each other’s experiences and views, appreciate each other’s needs and build on their strengths. It can help with many issues that affect the family unit, helping people make useful changes in their relationships and their lives.

Special Education

KCPS Special Education School first opened in July 2019. It was created to meet the needs of children who were not able to access mainstream education. Initially enrolled were 6 students, supported by 4 teachers. After 6 months, the number of students had more than tripled, requiring twice as many staff and a bigger school building. In January 2020, KCPS relocated to its current location in Toul Tompong. 

Everyone at KCPS believes that all children deserve a good education regardless of mental illness or disability. We specialise in autism education, with many of our students being diagnosed with autism and ADHD. Lessons are designed and taught by foreign teachers with special education backgrounds and trained Khmer assistants. 

We operate both half day and full day programs. Private support and tutoring sessions are also available. When a student is enrolled in another school, KCPS works alongside the school to arrange the best program for the child. 

The curriculum is flexible and can be adapted to meet the needs and interests of our students. Traditional subjects are taught daily, alongside social, communication and daily living skills. Some students engage with a sensory stimulus program, with intensive interaction implemented by the teachers. More independent children access lessons through engaging activities and tailor-made materials. Where appropriate, students are taught in small groups to develop their social skills and concentration. 

Parents are kept informed about their child’s development in daily conversations with key workers. Teachers complete student assessments every 3-6 months. A written report is created for parents outlining progress in the key areas of learning, social development and interaction, as well as sensory processing. Parents are invited to meet with the teacher to discuss the assessment and contribute ideas for the child’s next targets.

Support services for families of children with special needs are available. KCPS believes education is a collaboration between teachers, therapists and parents. The school hosts regular parenting training and information sessions. These feature a range of topics, from creative teaching methods, to toileting tips. 

In the future, KCPS intends to design and deliver a formal training program for anyone supporting children with Special Needs. This will be available for professionals working in educational or residential settings. 

For more information about any of our Psycho-Education Services, please contact us. 

Training, Development and Research

Training

KCPS provides in-house training for all its staff: regular meetings and supervision allow continuing support and development. Specific training sessions have also been facilitated by local NGOs and businesses. These included a short course introducing ways to support communication in the classroom, and online communication by developing a website. Furthermore, KCPS encourages employees to pursue external training, such as a recent ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) session provided by a local practitioner. 

In turn, senior staff disseminate their knowledge to colleagues and members of the community. They have held open lectures at Pannasastra University, online webinars, and on-site training for families of KCPS students.

Development

Working with KCPS is a proven way for individuals to further their careers. There are many opportunities for staff to expand their skills and gain experience in personal areas of interest. Currently, some employees are utilizing their professional development hours in translation, marketing, and photography. Former staff have gone on to secure additional employment in the education and healthcare fields. 

KCPS works towards changing the understanding, acceptance and reducing stigma of mental illness in Cambodian society. Alongside offering public training sessions, KCPS encourages employees to be active in community projects, organisations and associations. Director Hoeur Sethul is Chair of the Cambodia Association for Counsellors and Psychologists (CACP), while Special Education Teacher Kate Bowler is on the Board of Special Education Network and Inclusion Association of Cambodia (SENIAC). 

Research

Within the KCPS school program, Teachers and Teaching Assistants observe to informally assess students on a daily basis. They use this to update lesson plans and adapt their teaching approach. Teachers also conduct formal assessments and use data to evaluate the effectiveness of current programs. Not only does this ensure the best education for our students, but we hope to use this as evidence to influence Cambodian policy makers in their implementation of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport: Policy on Education for Children with Disabilities, in accordance with the Education Strategic Plan 2019-2023, and support further development of the Inclusive Education Training in Cambodia.

Moreover, add to the current worldwide understanding of mental illness and psychology by – conducting academic research, writing books,  

At KCPS, we aim to continue our personal professional development, as well as add to the wealth of knowledge in our respective fields. All senior staff hold ambitions of pursuing PhDs in the future. Meanwhile, KCPS is seeking funding for multi-disciplinary research projects, including how a child’s diagnosis of autism affects the mental health of other members of the family, and the ongoing effects of trauma in Cambodian culture.   

Supervision and Consultancy 

It is widely accepted that all counsellors, whether experienced or just starting out, will benefit from having regular professional supervision. A supervisor acts in a mentoring role, providing emotional support as well as information and guidance. Counsellors working within helping agencies will hopefully have supervision sessions built into their work schedules, but it may be overlooked by those working in other organisations or in private practice. KCPS is able to offer supervision for all types of mental health professionals.
As well as providing a sounding board for the counsellor’s concerns, a supervisor is in a good position to spot the onset of any symptoms of burnout and to assist the counsellor in dealing with them.
It is within the context of supervision that trainees begin to develop a sense of their professional identity and to examine their own beliefs and attitude regarding clients and therapy.
A good counsellor will be fully aware of his or her own values, beliefs, attitudes and biases; being aware of them lessens the danger of their impacting negatively on the counselling relationship. We all operate within a personal belief system, but counsellors need to remember to work with their clients in a way which is consistent with the client’s values, not their own.
As in all professions the counsellor needs to be constantly upgrading their knowledge and skills: there is ongoing development of psycho-therapeutic techniques, strategies and models and it is incumbent upon us to keep up to date. If we neglect to pursue this continuing learning process we are short changing our clients.
Discussing counselling sessions with a supervisor and getting feedback enables practising counsellors to gain an objective insight into their own performance and skills. It provides an opportunity to learn and practise new skills and to find better ways to help clients. Debriefing is also an important element of the supervisory relationship, enabling the counsellor to look objectively at the issues raised in the counselling session and their response to them.