This woman helps individuals take care of their mental health, a part of our health that has been stigmatized until recently. As a psychotherapist, she tells of how she balances her own self-care with helping others care for themselves.

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Titled “A Day In The Life Of A Woman,” this series celebrates the women in our lives. From the everyday to inspirational, the series aims to highlight women from various fields and share a bit of the diversity we experience every day.

Sophia Goh is the founder of Sofia Wellness Clinic, a private counseling and psychotherapy clinic located in the Central Business District (CBD) of Singapore.

Sophia says her days are pretty unpredictable as it depends on the timing of client appointments. Some of her clients like early morning sessions, some of them prefer to come in during lunch. Most of them come in after work, so Sofia spends a lot of weeknights at the office. She schedules other daily tasks around client appointments.

Below is how one of her days go:

7 AM: Spend the first hour of my day reading, and eat breakfast while I read. My breakfast is usually something fuss-free, something that I can eat with one hand, like a sandwich.

8 AM: Check my calendar and Trello board for my schedule and to-dos for the day. I use the SELF Journal to plan out my entire day and write down three things that I am grateful for.

9 AM: Head to the gym three or four times a week. I usually join a High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or a TRX suspension class at the gym. If I am not in a gym class, I follow a series of strength training exercises using weights and gym machines. I usually listen to podcasts while at the gym, and my current favorites are “The School of Greatness” by Lewis Howes, and ”Where Do We Begin?” by Esther Perel.

10 AM: I head back home to shower and prepare for the day ahead.

11 AM: I usually spend my mornings working on the business aspects of the clinic. This involves writing articles for my website, digital marketing, and growing external partnerships for the business.

12 NN: Lunch time! If I am still at home, I usually make my own lunch. It could be reheating soup that I have prepared earlier in the week, or a simple salad that is super quick to put together.

1 PM-3 PM: I spend time writing case notes for my sessions from the previous day.

During this time, I note down what was discussed during the sessions, and also spend time reflecting on how the sessions had went. Sometimes, I also go through audio or video recordings of my client sessions (if consent was given) to see if there were any points or nonverbal actions that my clients had made that I did not notice during the sessions. This aspect of my work involves a lot of quiet time thinking and reflecting.

3 PM: Head to the office for my sessions. I usually read while I am travelling, and am currently reading Carol Dweck’s “Mindset.”

4 PM-6 PM: Client session. Every client session is different. Some sessions are task-focused, with the agenda of discussing certain issues or skills that the client would like to explore. Some sessions are heavily punctuated by silences, which may be what the client needs most at the point in time.

6 PM: Dinner time! The CBD is so much quieter at this time, as most would have headed home for dinner. This means no queues wherever I go!

7 PM-9 PM: Client session

9 PM: Head back home. I usually can’t wait to see my husband, but I can’t say the same for him. He thinks that I talk too much, which is probably true!

Counseling And Psychotherapy Are Essential Self-Care

For Sophia, counseling and psychotherapy are other aspects of self-care, just like going to the gym, getting a manicure or getting a haircut. “It is just as essential to take care of our mental health as it is to take care of our physical health,” she explains. “In my practice, I work with teenagers and adults to help them overcome whatever life challenges that they may be facing, and to flourish as individuals.”