API Care and Counselling, the community outreach arm of the Asian Pastoral Institute (API), is happy to organise this course to help couples who are contemplating or preparing to get married.

One key role of people helpers is the support of others struggling with stress and anxiety. Understanding how to help can be a challenge as people respond differently to the help they receive. Some may respond coldly or reject any offer of support. To be effective in such situations, people helpers need competencies to elicit information and build rapport. This is achieved when people helpers demonstrate skills in listening, showing interest, and empathetic responding. This workshop will provide basic training in counselling skills to enhance people helpers’ ability to support and build rapport with those they help. Live roleplays and feedback for practice will be a unique value of participating in this workshop.

Family violence or abuse happens to people of all ages, races, religions, and occupational and educational backgrounds. Thirty percent of Singaporeans report experience of such abuse, or that someone close to them has experienced it (The Straits Times, 10 Dec 2019). Family violence has serious physical and mental health consequences for the victim, whether he/she is an adult or a child. Professionals and concerned others often feel ill-equipped to support such families as victims may not acknowledge their violent relationships or dare seek help for themselves. This workshop will draw on relevant case studies to provide participants with more confidence to provide a first response. The legal option of protection orders will also be discussed for families with ongoing family violence.