Global Speakers

Forum Chairperson

Tony’s educational leadership extends across the Government and Non-Government sectors, and from K–12 through to Higher Education. His achievements include four Principal Class appointments; a Ministerial appointment as a senior policy consultant; and senior university roles including as an Associate Dean at Flinders University and as part of the start-up team of Swinburne Online – a partnership between Swinburne University and SEEK Ltd (an ASX listed company).

In November last year, Tony was appointed Principal of Melbourne High School. Melbourne High School is a unique educational institution with a strong tradition of academic excellence and influence. Its alumni have made significant contributions in a wide range of areas including medicine, the performing arts, education, and business. The school prides itself on providing a unique holistic curriculum that includes a commitment to the liberal arts and community service.

Prior to his appointment at Melbourne High School, Tony was a member of the Leadership Team at Mount Ridley College. The College on Melbourne’s rapidly expanding northwestern corridor is one of the largest public schools in Victoria with approximately 2,750 students. His Assistant Principal portfolio included Headship of the Junior School and College-wide responsibility for operations, information systems and eLearning. Tony’s achievements at the College included establishment of the College’s highly regarded, student services model and the development of a Community Hub for the College’s significant refugee community.

Tony’s broad academic scholarship includes a Bachelor of Arts from Swinburne University with a double major in English and Italian Literature. Tony’s postgraduate studies include research into child and adolescent development (Bachelor of Education (Hons) thesis); and the psychopathology of adolescent self-harm (doctoral thesis). Post-doctoral studies have included a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from Melbourne University. Tony has presented and published on a range of topics including applied ethics, workforce management and development, student engagement and high impact teaching strategies.

Tony is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors; was Secretary to Council at Deakin University and he has been a director of several boards including the Victorian Advisory Board of Community Hubs Australia.

Topic: Improving Schools’ Readiness For Involvement In Suicide Prevention: Effective Suicide Prevention Practice In Secondary Schools

Dr Ong is a senior consultant child psychiatrist and Chief of the Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry in IMH. He obtained his Masters in Medicine (Psychiatry) in 1999 and Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy in 2001 from the National University of Singapore. Since his return from a fellowship in New York in 2005, he has been deeply engaged in outpatient services for children and adolescents with psychological problems and has conducted research work in mood disorders, schizophrenia and ADHD. In Child Guidance Clinic, he specializes in treating children with neurodevelopmental disorders as well as children and young teenagers who suffer from anxiety, depression and trauma. He is a frequent speaker in public forums and media interviews on child mental health issues. His authorship also spans various relevant topics on children and adolescent mental health.

Topics: 

• A Case Study: One World International School – Suntec Campus’ Approach To Student Wellbeing
• Panel Discussion: To Build Mental Wellness And Resilience Among The Students: The Role Of School, Community And Health Care And In Youth Mental Health Prevention And Intervention

Mark Renie has a BA in Sociology and Labour Studies from York University, a PGCE from Sunderland University, and an MEd in Curriculum Studies and Teacher Development from the University of Toronto. He has garnered 18 years of teaching, leadership and pastoral experience in China, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore.

He is currently the Head of School for One World International School’s Suntec Campus. His previous roles have included Head of Primary, Campus Vice Principal and Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Topic: The Strengths Based Approach: Behaviour Management & Student Interaction With Pre-Teens & Teens

Topic: Panel Discussion: To Build Mental Wellness And Resilience Among The Students: The Role Of School, Community And Health Care And In Youth Mental Health Prevention And Intervention

Dr Jiow has lectured and trained over 40,000 students, parents, government officials and leaders on new media topics, both locally and internationally. His research investigates the impact of media on the family, cyber wellness and cybercrime, and he has presented academic papers on parental mediation, video gaming and gamification. Prior to obtaining his PhD, Dr Jiow helped set up Singapore’s first Cyber Wellness Centre in 2006 and was also involved in developing a body of cyber wellness values, ethics and best practices, to promote cyber wellness in schools. Dr Jiow currently serves as a member of the Films Consultative Panel (IMDA) and Media Literacy Council (IMDA).

For more information: https://www.singaporetech.edu.sg/directory/faculty/hee-jhee-jiow

Topic: Building Mental Resiliency To Prevent Student Depression And Promote Mindfulness And Empathy

Jackie Wong is the Student Care Manager and Pastoral Guidance Counsellor in Nanyang Technological University Singapore, School of Humanities. She supports students’ emotional and psychological wellbeing, personal growth and education journey in NTU. Besides partnering with students to discover strengths, build resilience, acquire coping skills and increase self-efficacy, she empowers them to act and make informed decision. Jackies also provides consultation to faculty on student wellbeing matters, collaborates with the school population on the importance of wellness and to reduce stigma of seeking help.

Before, Jackie headed NTU Career & Attachment Office, Career Coaching Team. Prior joining NTU, Jackie worked in MNCs involving regional and global projects.

Jackie is a Singapore Registered Counsellor and a USA Certified Career Counsellor. She is a mindfulness practitioner and uses mindfulness-based intervention in guidance counselling therapy work. She believes ‘who look outside, dreams, who looks inside, awakes’ by Carl Jung.

Topic: Tackling “Shame-Based” Stigma And Discrimination Surrounding Mental Health Issues

Catherine Mui-Hua is a Scientist-Practitioner who is currently pursuing a doctorate in mental health. She is a member of the Singapore Association for Counselling and Australian Counselling Association. Additionally, she is a registered practitioner with the Singapore Transactional Analysis Association and a certified practitioner with the William Glasser Institute.

Catherine is an active member of the community. She volunteers at the hospice and the Covid-19 hotline, and has reached out to various groups in the community, including foreign migrant workers in Singapore, silver citizens, and primary to tertiary students.

Catherine is an advocate for mental health and social outreach and has been invited to participate on a panel to discuss mental health and de-stigmatize mental illness. She is particularly passionate about raising awareness about the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on students’ stress, adult emotional dysregulation, and dysfunctional families. Catherine will also contribute a chapter to the Handbook of Social Sciences and Global Public Health as a co-author.

Topic: A Whole School Approach To Destigmatising Mental Health

Sok Ngin has been a practicing counsellor for more than 10 years and is a registered counsellor with Singapore Association for Counselling.  Since 2012, she has been a counsellor at TP and currently leads a team of counsellors and para-counsellors in providing care and support for TP students.  Other than overseeing the counselling support services, Sok Ngin also works with various health agencies such as HPB and CHAT on staff mental health literacy training and peer support programmes.  Prior to joining TP, Sok Ngin was working with youths in tertiary education for over 13 years, engaging them in leadership-building workshops and camps, while administering training, development and care in the area of human resource and corporate development. Besides holding a Masters in Social Science (Counselling), Sok Ngin also has a Graduate Certificate Clinical Supervision, and in Narrative Therapy.

Topics:

• Panel Discussion: To Build Mental Wellness And Resilience Among The Students: The Role Of School, Community And Health Care And In Youth Mental Health Prevention And Intervention
• Conversations At St Joseph’s Institution International: How To Create Bespoke Parent Groups Within A School Setting To Education & Strategize Prevention

Michelle Koay started out her professional journey as an engineering officer in the airforce in 2001. Due to her interest in working with people, she became a volunteer counsellor in the military. She went on to obtain her post-graduate degree in Master of Social Science (Counselling) with Edith Cowan University in 2006 and embarked on her journey as a counsellor. Michelle also completed her Master of Science course with King’s College London, specialising in Psychology & Neuroscience of Mental Health, in August 2019. For over a decade, Michelle has been working with adolescents and their families to address various psychological and interpersonal issues. In addition, as a parent coach, she runs regular parent groups throughout the year to support parents in their parenting journey. Michelle is a registered counsellor (since 2008) and clinical supervisor (since 2012) with SAC (Singapore Association for Counselling).

Topic: Promoting Student Mental Health In Challenging Transitions And Building Resilience For University Readiness

Aidan has worked in international education for 19 years. Prior to working in Singapore Aidan was Head of Guidance at leading international schools in Vietnam and The Philippines. Aidan guides students to their preferred choice of university throughout the world including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and Korea. Aidan frequently attends conferences and has previously presented at the Global University Counsellor Connect in Singapore, CIS-EARCOS in Bangkok, China ICAC and International ACAC conferences. Aidan has also delivered workshops in the Counselor Training Center Certification Programme with a focus on university counselling in international schools. Aidan sits on various committees to promote best practice and sharing in university counselling including the planning committee of GUCC, the UBC Counsellor Advisory Initiative, the University of Toronto Advisory Board in Singapore as well as having served on the planning committee of the IC3 conference and the International ACAC Communications Committee.

Topics: 

• Panel Discussion: To Build Mental Wellness And Resilience Among The Students: The Role Of School, Community And Health Care And In Youth Mental Health Prevention And Intervention
• Fire-Side Chat: Keeping Teachers From Burning Out And Improving Wellbeing Of Principals In Schools

Topics: 

• Improving Students’ Wellbeing through Positive Psychology
• Managing Psychological Energy For Personal Wellbeing

Benjamin is a Psychotherapist and he currently heads the Soft Skills & Pastoral Care section at the School of Business, Singapore Polytechnic. He leads a team of Specialists and Lecturers to provide expertise in Emotional Intelligence, Positive Psychology, Counselling Skills, Energy Management, Mental Wellbeing, Business Negotiation and Career Guidance.

Benjamin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology and Communication Studies from Nanyang Technological University and a Master in Counselling from Monash University, Australia. He was awarded a Ministry of Education Scholarship for his undergraduate studies at NTU. Benjamin also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from the National Institute of Education and a Music Diploma in Classical Singing Performance from the London College of Music, University of West London, UK.

Benjamin is a Registered Counsellor with the Australian Counselling Association and the Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. He is also a Certified Hypnotherapist with the National Guild of Hypnotists, a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society, a Certified SPARK Resilience Trainer, and a Human Capital Diagnostic Tool (HCDT) Assessor.

Topic: Managing Psychological Energy For Personal Wellbeing

Farah focuses on Hospitality and Soft-Skills modules. Farah spearheaded the EQ initiative since 2012 and was certified EQ Practitioner and Assessor by Six Seconds. Farah was awarded Journal of Teaching Practice 2018 and 2019, Excellence in Teaching 2017 and Outstanding Personal Tutor 2013.

Farah graduated with Masters in Education from Nanyang Technological University and Bachelor of Commerce from Murdoch University, Australia.

Before joining Singapore Polytechnic in 2011, she worked with several hotels. Her main focus was in Sales & Marketing, an expert in handling Government and Embassy accounts. With over 10 years in the hospitality industry, her proudest events include the pre-opening of Changi Village Hotel and organizing events like Business Asia Russia Form 2008 and Asia Pacific Judicial Reform Forum 2009. She was awarded the Best Sales Person for Le Meridien Singapore 2007, gunning herself the Starwood Global Incentive Award.

Topic: The Impact Of Social Media On Youth Mental Health

Dr. Jacqueline Tilley is an Assistant Professor with the Psychology and Child & Human Development Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University and a licensed psychologist in New York, USA. She has an M.A/Ph.D. in Psychology (Clinical Science) from the University of Southern California, USA and an M.Phil. in Education and Psychology from the University of Cambridge, UK. She has specialized clinical experience working with high-risk adolescents and adults across both public and private sectors in the United States, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Jacqueline’s research focuses on understanding risk and resilience factors in youth mental health among Asian families. She received clinical and research training at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center at Stony Brook University, Institute of Psychiatry (Maudsley Hospital) at King’s College London, the Center for Psychotherapy Research at the University of Pennsylvania, and the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge. In addition, her work has been presented at major conferences in the United States and Europe, and published in peer-reviewed journals, such as Child Development, the Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, and the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology.

Topic: Case Study – Upper Room: How  Touch Community Uses Evidence-Based Therapeutic Modalities To Support Student Wellbeing

Ms Andrea Chan is the Head of Intervention, leading the children, youth and families, mental health and vulnerable families intervention teams in TOUCH Integrated Family Group, TOUCH Community Servces.

Andrea has always have had a passion for people and is excited to bring her team to new heights with her strength in strategic planning. She is passionate about making a difference in the lives of people and tapping on the strengths of each individual to help them reach their fullest potential.

Clinically, Andrea has worked with patients on various issues. She has worked with children with learning disabilities and run groups as part of their treatment plans. She has also seen patients with depression, marital issues and work-related issues. She is currently engaging youth at risk in the various programs and providing therapy for youths with cyber addiction. In addition, Andrea lend her knowledge and experience in mental health to help TOUCH develop their mental health programs for all ages.

Andrea is certified by Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to conduct their BEAR, Building Emotional and Affect Regulation, Program which is aimed at building resilience in children. In addition, she have had experience providing social welfare reports to MSF for custody disputes.

In TOUCH, Andrea provides clinical supervision to her team and take on cases with a range of issues such as cyber addiction and mental health cases. Besides clinical work, Andrea also conducts training on cyber wellness for school counsellors, lecturers and MSF.

Topic: Experiential Learning And Strategies To Develop Empathy Towards Persons With Depression Through The Use Of Technology

Mr Joel Wong is a full-time social worker at TOUCH Integrated Family Group, a service group of TOUCH Community Services. Joel has been working with youths since 2015 through educational programmes, as well as engaging and providing counselling and intervention work for at-risk youths. Together with his team, he developed and runs the mental health education programme for secondary schools, “Do You M.I.N.D.?”, which incorporates virtual reality components to educate youths in Singapore about the importance of mental wellness. Prior to joining TOUCH as a staff, Joel has been a core volunteer for executing mental health initiatives, such as the mental health awareness campaign, Light of Hope, since 2015. He is passionate about seeing society embrace positive attitudes towards persons with mental illness. He believes that with adequate support from professionals and the community, these individuals can live life to their fullest potential.

Topic: Lived Expertise And The Difference It Makes With One-On-One Counselling For Youth Who Are Experiencing Suicidal Ideation Or Living With Mental Health Issues Diagnosed Or Not

The founder and current Executive Director of Limitless, Asher is a social worker with more than ten years of experience working with young people. He also has clinical tenures in the family, prisons and youth sectors.

Asher has a special passion to help youths who struggle with mental health conditions, and has spearheaded research, advocacy, and public education efforts to help promote help-seeking behaviour and reduce stigma in youths.

Currently on board as a member of Tote Board/NCSS’s Gifting Circle for Children and Youth Mental Health, Asher also works to explore how the VWOs, stat boards and government bodies in the mental health landscape can further support young people with mental health conditions, make help seeking easier, as well as facilitate prevention of said mental health conditions through trauma informed work.

Topic: Importance Of Managing Cyber Addiction In Adolescents

In 2020, Willie began the work behind the founding of MindConnexions, pursuing a calling to serve individuals, teams and organisations globally. With a big heart for people, Willie is skilled in creating a safe environment, enabling conflict resolution, restoration of relationships, and rebuilding trust.

A highly engaging and relatable facilitator, Willie is fully present with his audience, intentional in building relationships, improving team collaboration and culture. His unique blend of experiential learning methodology and facilitation of courageous conversations creates a safe space for leaders to discover new perspectives, enabling conflict resolution, restoration of relationships, and rebuilding trust.

Willie holds a Master of Counselling degree from Monash University.

Topic: 

Fire-Side Chat: Keeping Teachers From Burning Out And Improving Wellbeing Of Principals In Schools

Matt is an experienced Educational Leader both in Melbourne and Singapore. He has a passion for lifelong learning which has seen him acquire a Bachelor of Education from Melbourne University, a Masters of Education from Monash University, a Graduate Diploma of Psychology from Monash University, and a Graduate Certificate in Education (IB, PYP). Recently he has completed studies in Mindfulness (MBSAT), from Singapore Management University & Positive Neuroplasticity Training.

Matt is an active member in the broader educational context, from speaking at conferences, to authoring eBooks and articles and mentoring teachers. He has experience working with multiple curriculum models, and has spent time developing national curriculum resources for Australian schools as well being a consultant regarding 21st Century pedagogy and wellbeing for schools across South East Asia.

Matt’s ambition is to see all students flourish, through both academic and social/emotional learning. Matt is the Principal of Middleton International in Singapore, and has the privilege of working across its multiple campuses.

Topic: From Creative To Resilience: Using Art To Achieve Self-Care And Stress Relieve

Andrew Tan is an accredited Art Psychotherapist with Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA). He founded Creative Bear with the vision to provide art therapy services to different populations because he believes that different populations can benefit from the use of the creative process.

He has experience in social service and private enrichment education. He worked with different populations and researched different technics to work with children, youth and the elderly with special needs.

Andrew has felt a strong connection to mental and emotional health. His experience motivated him to achieve academic success. He received his Master’s Degree from Lasalle College of the Arts in Masters in Art Therapy, he has been providing his expertise to various populations ranging from children with trauma, youth at risk and adults with addiction.

Topic: Identifying Warning Signs Of Hidden Student Depression, Mental Illness, Anxiety And Suicidal Thinking: How To Effectively Spot Early Indications Of Mental Health Struggle

Bobby is a Psychology trained clinical counsellor, Certified Hypnotherapist and Time-Line Therapist, Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, ICAgile Certified Professional – Agility in Marketing, Agile Coaching, Agile Team Facilitation, Agile Product Ownership, Agile Professional and Leading with Agility, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Agile Service Manager, Certified Agile Process Owner, Neuro Linguistics Programming Master Coach and Trainer.

His professional experience includes working in the mental health industry as counsellor in the private, government, and community settings.

As a trained counsellor and registered member of the Singapore Association for Counselling, Bobby has a wide array of clinical experience with individuals from different age groups and across different walks of life, using different forms of therapy. 

As a certified NLP Master Coach and Trainer under the American Board of Neuro-Linguisitics Programming (ABNLP), Bobby has been successfully coaching clients and facilitating their self-growth.

Topic: Panel Discussion: To Build Mental Wellness And Resilience Among The Students: The Role Of School, Community And Health Care And In Youth Mental Health Prevention And Intervention

Topic: 

Student Mental Health And Suicide Prevention: A Clinical Perspective Of The Challenges Of Stigmatization, Pitfalls And Long Term Intervention

Ben Ho has been a Counseling Psychologist for 28 years. He specializes in marriage and family therapist, trauma and Christian counseling. He has been in private coming to 28 years. He has taught as an adjunct lecturer at various tertiary institutions such as NTU/NIE, Nanyang Polytechnic and SUSS. He is currently in private practice. He has firsthand experience in dealing with parental stress issues and suicide cases as a hotline counselor. In 2004, he trained volunteers in Critical Stress Incident Management before embarking in helping tsunami victims. He is a Singapore Registered Psychologist and Clinical Supervisor with the Singapore Psychological Society and a Registered Counselor and Clinical Supervisor with the Singapore Association for Counseling.