A Helping Hand

I’m originally from Holland, and I’m here with my husband, who works in a bank in Singapore.
We’re looking for a house right now. I’ve been here twice before to visit a friend, who also lived here with her husband. Hopefully I find a job, but that’s difficult for somebody who’s not living in Singapore and comes from another country.

How long have you been a child psychologist for?
Seven years. It’s a really nice job; difficult sometimes, but I like it. I like helping children and parents.

What are you hoping to work as?
I hope to work in a school. There is a Dutch school here in Singapore, so hopefully I can work there. Otherwise, I’d work in a clinic or hospital. That’s what I hope, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen! Till then, I’m going to college to learn about English history. I can meet other people in college as well.

What are some of your biggest challenges in your work?
To help everybody. There are a lot of children whom you can’t help, because their problems are too big or their parents don’t understand everything you say. That’s difficult, but I like when it’s difficult, because we have a lot of things to do! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work, but it’s okay. That’s part of the job.

What’s the most difficult case you’ve come across?
Sexual abuse of a child who was eight years old, whose parents were drug addicts. You can’t help the system, because it’s so destroyed. I took care of the child, a girl, and put her in a place for children with a lot of problems. She’s better now—better than she would have been with her parents, I think.