Clinical Psychology Associates

Karen Tan, Clinical Psychologist

Karen Tan

Qualifications

Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours), Psychology National University of Singapore

Master of Psychology (Clinical) National University of Singapore

Master of Commerce (with Honours), Strategic Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations University of Melbourne

Others

Singapore Psychological Society Registered Psychologist (SRP No. 12050221)

Approved Registered Supervisor

Certified Trainer, Coach and Facilitator Signposts Program

Practitioner, SPACE Program (Yale Child Study Centre)

Certified Facilitator, Secret Agent Society (SAS) Small Group Program (Digital Edition)

Publications

Dorcas FF Yap, Nasriah Nasir, Karen SM Tan, Lily HS Lau (2019). Variables which predict maternal self-efficacy: A hierarchical linear regression analysis. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities 32 (4), 841-848.

Zhang Yonghao, Mascarenhas SS, Tan SM Karen, Daniel LM. (2023). Demographic and clinical profiles of preschool children with selective mutism in Singapore. Singapore Medical Journal, 11 May 2023. / DOI:10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2020-525.

Karen is a Registered Psychologist and Approved Registered Supervisor with the Singapore Psychological Society. She is certified as a Trainer, Coach, and Facilitator of the Signposts parenting program for positive behaviour management and contributed to its localization for Singapore. She is also trained in other evidence-based programs, including SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) from the Yale Child Study Centre, and the Secret Agent Society (SAS) Small Group Program, which supports children’s emotional regulation and social skills development.

Before joining CPA, Karen was a part-time Adjunct Assistant Professor at the NUS Department of Psychology (Clinical and Health Psychology Centre). Prior to that, she spent a decade in the child development department of a local women’s and children’s hospital, where she held various leadership roles, including leading the Psychology Team as Principal Psychologist from 2015 to 2018.

Her clinical practice focuses on early intervention and caregiver collaboration, particularly for children with neurodevelopmental, behavioural, and socio-emotional challenges. She uses a parental skills-enhancement approach to build caregiver confidence and capacity. Her work is grounded in a developmental and family-systems perspective, with an emphasis on practical, empowering strategies. She embraces the view that “parenting isn’t a practice; it’s a daily learning experience.”

Through her experience supporting families, Karen has seen how small, consistent, evidence-based steps taken by caregivers can lead to meaningful and lasting change over time. The following quote reflects what she often encounters in such interactions:

“It’s a missed opportunity to do nothing just because you can only do a little. A little progress each day adds up to big results.”

(Paraphrased and adapted from Sydney Smith & Satya Nani)

Services Offered

  • Psychological Assessment & / or Evaluation
  • Psychotherapy for Clinical Disorders
  • Socio-emotional Learning & Regulation
  • Positive Behaviour Management
  • Enhance Parenting Capacity

For the following concerns

  • Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Anger / Emotions Management
  • Anxiety-based disorders (eg., OCD, Phobias, Selective Mutism,
  • Separation Anxiety, etc.)
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
  • Intellectual Disability
  • Learning difficulties (LD)