Being Human

Dr. Chua Sook Ning interviews Anthea Ong, a former Nominated Member of Parliament for Singapore, and full-time entrepreneur and social advocate. Anthea shares openly about the setbacks, challenges, and difficulties she has faced in life and how she has used these experiences to connect with and serve others in deep and meaningful ways through her various passions. As an experienced leadership and...

“We need to look at who are the people who end up killing themselves, and why they are doing that. It isn’t because they’ve become negativistic; it’s because they have ended up on a road that doesn’t lead anywhere and they feel there is no good possibility in sight…” In this episode of Being Human, Dr. Chua Sook Ning hosts renowned existential philosopher and psychotherapist, Prof. Emmy van Deurze...

"Recovery is so important, but recovery from what? Often, the missing question is 'What are you recovering from?' Sometimes, people are recovering from injustice, poverty, abuse, systemic harm...not an illness." In this episode of Being Human, Dr. Chua Sook Ning is joined by Lisa Archibald, co-director of Intentional Peer Support, to talk about the importance of peer support within mental health a...

"If a health service is supposed to benefit me, why aren't I part of the development of that service?" When we think of mental health, we typically think about individual efforts and responsibility toward our health. However, many social and environmental factors contribute to our overall health, making mental health as much a collective as an individual responsibility.  In this episode of Be...

"You have to fundamentally appreciate that everyone is different and so, invariably, that's going to bring in clashes..." In this episode of Being Human, Dr. Chua Sook Ning is joined by Dr. Christopher Muran to discuss therapeutic alliance, the common ruptures that arise in therapy sessions, and how to repair those ruptures. Dr. Muran is an Associate Dean and Professor at the Gordon F. Derner Scho...

"We have to remember we're not working with machines - we're working with human beings." Dr Allen Miller oversees the training and clinical services at Beck Institute as the CBT Program Director. In this episode of Being Human, he joins Dr. Chua Sook Ning to discuss the importance of the relationship between therapists and their clients in order for effective CBT to take place. Dr Miller shares in...

"A life not felt is one that doesn't know what it needs..." In this episode of Being Human, Dr Chua Sook Ning is joined by the creator and co-developer of Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Dr. Leslie Greenberg. When Dr. Greenberg first appeared on Being Human, he talked about the wisdom of our emotions and the importance of listening to what they try to tell us.  In this discussion, he shares hi...

With a rise in suicide cases over the past decade (particularly during the Covid-19 lockdown periods), the media has played an important role in reporting this sensitive topic to the public.  In some cases, suicide is reported in ways that add to the problem rather than educate people and help reverse the worrying trend of suicide rates. In this episode of Being Human, Dr. Chua Sook Ning is j...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental illness that causes repeated unwanted thoughts or sensations (obsessions) or the urge to do something over and over again (compulsions). It is estimated that around 100 to 150 million people throughout the world live with OCD, with the most common treatment being ERP (exposure with response prevention). In this episode, Dr Chua Sook Ning talks to Dr....

What does it mean to be present with ourselves and others? How does being present enrich our connections, whether we're in session with clients or spending time with loved ones?  How can we learn to be more present?  In this episode of Being Human, Dr. Chua Sook Ning is joined by author and clinical psychologist, Dr. Shari Geller, to explore these questions and more. Shari teaches at Yor...

Every client or patient who seeks mental health support comes with unique needs, perspectives, and preferences. As a result, it's unlikely that any single therapy approach can work for every person who encounters it.  According to Dr. John C. Norcross, therapists have greater success working with clients when they take an integrative approach that draws from different techniques and models to...

What do daily routines and taking care of our body clocks have to do with mental health and the quality of our relationships? In this episode of Being Human, Dr. Chua Sook Ning is joined by Dr. Holly Swartz to explore the role of circadian rhythms and how they affect important aspects of our lives. They also discuss steps we can take to improve our mental health by establishing routines, and how r...

What makes some people believe in conspiracy theories while others don't? And how do conspiracy theories affect how we see and deal with public health issues such as the Covid-19 pandemic? In this illuminating episode of Being Human, Dr Chua Sook Ning discusses these questions and more with Frederick Philippe - a professor and researcher in personality and social psychology at the University of Qu...

Since her election in 2018 to serve as Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Kampung Tunku, Y.B. Lim Yi Wei has been a strong advocate for youth and women empowerment, as well as improved mental health in Malaysia.  In this episode of Being Human, she talks to host Dr. Chua Sook Ning about her journey from corporate life into politics and why the cause of increasing mental hea...

Struggles with body image are common and complex. People who have a negative body image can engage in self-critical talk about their appearance, scrutinising themselves in front of a mirror, and comparing themselves unfavourably to what they perceive as the "ideal" body image.  A negative body image can lead to social anxiety, depression, impaired relationships, eating disorders, and other he...

Is is possible for children to have mental health struggles, or are they just "acting out"?  How should parents and caregivers handle social media when it comes to the kids they care for? How does a child psychologist work with parents and children to provide mental health support? In this episode of Being Human, Dr. Chua Sook Ning is joined by Katyana Azman to discuss these questions and mor...

Irvin Yalom is an existential psychiatrist and pioneer of humanistic psychology, with a career spanning 60 years as an educator, writer, and psychotherapist.  An expert on grief, the emeritus professor of psychiatry at Stanford University spent 2019 writing 'A Matter of Death and Life' with his wife, Marylin, as each described their perspective on her terminal illness. Marylin died in Novembe...

When it comes to studying addictions and mental health, psychology has traditionally relied on researchers and clinicians to measure, observe, and collect data from which they offer their professional conclusions.  While this is an important part of understanding why people suffer - and what we can do to help them - there's a missing piece of the puzzle that can help us better understand thes...

Most of us will have heard of eating disorders – but what does it mean to have an atypical eating disorder, and why is the distinction important? In this episode of Being Human, Dr. Chua Sook Ning is joined by Dr. Jennifer Thomas to discuss what it means to have an atypical eating disorder, and some of the myths that surround eating disorders in general. They also talk about the steps people can t...

"If you find some goals that you're interested in and that are personally meaningful, what you'll find is the effort comes naturally to pursuing these - you don't have to rely on self-control." ~ Richard Koestner When we try to motivate ourselves, why doesn't self-control work as well as we'd hoped? And how can autonomy and playfulness help us to succeed where self-control and willpower fall short...

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) was initially developed as an effective intervention to treat depression. Pioneered by Dr. Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s, it has since been successfully adapted to treat many issues such as anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, chronic pain, and more. In this episode of Being Human, Dr Chua Sook Ning is joined by Dr N...

"People with even the most serious mental illnesses are not broken or fundamentally different than we are. In fact, if you could really do a deep dive, they share much, much, much more with us... The best way to change stigma is contact: interactions between people with lived experience and the rest of the population." ~ Prof. Pat Corrigan   What does it mean to show prejudice toward people w...

"We know more than we can say, and what we know is given to us in our bodies...we're wiser than our intellect or our rational mind alone. Our body has a wisdom and it gives us direction." ~ Leslie Greenberg When we deal with our past and present issues, we might try to rationalise what has happened and how we've been affected. In the process, we miss out on a lot of important wisdom that comes fro...

"I really want to see the day when people talk about counselling, when people talk about mental health and getting help." ~ Hannah Yeoh In this episode of Being Human, Dr. Chua Sook Ning is joined by Y.B. Hannah Yeoh as she discusses her journey from lawyer to politician, discovering her faith, and the struggles she encountered along the way. Hannah also talks about the importance of mental health...

Since 2017, Tengku Puteri Iman Afzan has been a refreshing advocate for mental health in Malaysia, founding her Green Ribbon Group in 2020 to raise awareness and break the stigma of mental health. In this episode of Being Human, Tengku Iman joins Dr. Chua Sook Ning, speaking candidly about her experience with anxiety and what inspired her to become a mental health advocate. She also offers her tho...