Existential Therapy in Singapore, Asia and Online
Be unapologetically you and belong.
It’s easier said than done – especially as Asian women. But you already have the answers you seek. Even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Face Life’s Biggest Questions Head-On
Encompassing Therapy supports you in creating freedom, true belonging and meaning through the different seasons of your life.
Founded by Dr. Magdalen Cheng (Dr. Mag), Encompassing Therapy is Singapore’s first independent practice specialising in Existential Therapy.
Unlike other therapy options that may focus on diagnosing symptoms or changing behaviours, Existential Therapy is grounded in, well, Existentialism. But rest assured we won’t spend sessions discussing philosophy. And no prior knowledge of the field is required.
We’ll work together to confront existential questions that may leave you feeling stuck and lost. Questions like: what is the meaning of my life?
It might sound like A LOT, but the practice is really where the magic is.
Meet The Team
Dr. Magdalen Chen
Being an Asian woman raised in a community-focused culture, I spent years feeling like a contradiction. I was taught to honour my community while I quietly longing to stay true to myself.
It might sound dramatic but the start of Mulan, where she struggled to fit in to honour her family, stayed with me in my younger days. I know the ache of performing a version of “success” that feels hollow.
I struggled with authenticity until I came across existential therapy through my clinical training in 2012. It changed how I saw my Self and the world around me. I was able to finally express myself honestly–which was incredibly freeing.
Now, as a BPS and SPS-accredited counselling psychologist based in Singapore, I sit with similar individuals who have achieved everything they were told to want, yet feel like strangers to themselves.
Whether you are navigating the heavy silence of a strained marriage or the “hitting hard” exhaustion of new parenthood, your burnout isn’t a failure—it’s your spirit asking to be seen.
My work isn’t about “fixing” you. It’s about sitting with you through life’s uncertainty and walking with you until you have the power to choose your own path.
I’m committed to sharing the transformative powers of Existential Therapy and helping others find the courage to exist—not for parents, bosses, or their past—but for themselves.
Gary Wee
Growing up in Singapore, I was often advised to “be yourself” while also constantly told what to do, who to be, and how to live. But like many young adults, I believed that one day I would live life on my own terms.
Somewhere along the way, though, that belief seemed increasingly unattainable. We can no longer avoid our existential angst: Is this all there is to it? Is life still worth living if I’m not living as myself?
Many of us deeply want to “be ourselves,” but never had the space to discover who we are. Yet, we’re expected to suddenly know ourselves simply because we’ve become adults. We’re left feeling disoriented, powerless, and unsure of our place in this world.
These experiences have shaped both my current way of being and my therapeutic philosophy, which draw from two Greek wisdoms—“Know thyself” and “The unexamined life is not worth living”—and existential therapy.
I now live with greater unapologetic authenticity, a deeper sense of meaning, and a stronger agency to direct my life’s trajectory. If this resonates with you, allow me to guide you in your journey of self-discovery—together, as fellow human beings making meaning of an often absurd life.
Encompassing Therapy Specialises In:
MARRIAGE COUNSELING & COUPLES THERAPY
PARENTING THERAPY
LIFE TRANSITIONS COUNSELING
WORK-LIFE BALANCE THERAPY
Let’s Work Together
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With each newsletter, discover insightful existential concepts, intriguing ideas and pockets of inspiration (including podcast and book recommendations).
