Founder & 

Executive Director

Maureen Huang

Maureen believes that animals have a special ability to reach out to people and add a different dimension to the therapeutic experience.

Maureen Huang returned from the United States to introduce Animal Assisted Therapy to the field of counselling in Singapore. She obtained her Master's Degree in this field of specialization at the world's leading University recognized for its research and applied work in Animal Assisted Therapy. Having graduated with a MSW from the University of Denver, Maureen specialises in clinical work with families, with a focus on animal-assisted interventions. While in graduate school, she received the PJ/Hart Loving Bond Award in recognition of her accomplishments in the study of human-animal interactions. She was also trained at the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy.

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Maureen's approachable demeanor puts clients at ease, and many of her clients find it much easier to share openly. The encouraging feedback she receives from both children and adults is testimony to her expertise. Many that had previously found it difficult to speak to other Counsellors or Psychologists would often be surprised at how they could naturally open up to her.

Maureen’s plethora of experience in the field includes therapeutic horse-riding, equine-assisted learning, and canine assisted interventions. She has also worked extensively with individuals, families, and groups in the United States and Singapore. 

Psychotherapist

Cathy Livingston

Cathy is from the United States and has lived in Singapore since 2000. She enjoys working with both the local and expatriate communities.

She has extensive clinical experience in trauma and abuse, attachment injuries, depression and anxiety, personal identity, relationship and family issues. Her clinical modalities include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR Level 1 & 2), Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT), and Choice Theory/Reality Therapy (CTRT). She is a Registered Counsellor with the Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC) and a Registered Clinical Supervisor.

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Cathy was a Clinical Director and Founding member of DaySpring Residential Treatment Centre in Singapore, the first of its kind in South-east Asia, specializing in treatment for teenage girls with trauma and abuse. Her pioneering work with adolescents was duly recognized by the American Women’s Association in 2012, where she was awarded the Singapore International Woman of the Year.

Educational Psychologist

Poh Foong Ngau

Poh Foong has extensive experience as a School Psychologist in the United States and has worked with both special needs and mainstream students from Pre-school to High School. Her expertise in Special Education, Classroom Management and Educational Leadership has received recognition and endorsement by peers in the same field of specialization. 

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She has more than 20 years of experience administering various cognitive assessments and processing tests. In addition, she is also credentialed to assess educational disabilities, and conduct psycho-educational evaluations.

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She holds a Master's Degree in Child Development and Education from the University of California, Davis. 

Chief Cuddly Officer

Hope

From the land Down Under comes Hope, a sweet Golden Retriever from Australia who loves nothing more than to snuggle up for a pat or a scratch behind the ears. Although sturdily-built, Hope likes to assume the mantle of a lap dog, conquering laps with her paws or head.

With Telly as her mentor, Hope has learned everything she needs to know to be a good assistant in the clinic, taking her role as Chief Cuddly Officer very seriously.

Hope likes to think that her greatest talent as a retriever is the ability to carry as many as 4 soft toys in her mouth.

Principal Psychologist

Evania Tan

Evania graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Social Sciences in Organisational Psychology, completing her post-graduate research at the Brain and Behavior Laboratory. In the course of her work, she also pursued training in the Psychology of Change at Harvard University and Political Psychology at Stanford University. 

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A Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, she was duly elected Associate of the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology. She is also certified by the British Psychological Society as a Level 1 and Level 2 Occupational Test User.

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Evania practices applied psychology on both individual and organisational levels. She previously held lecturing positions at the Singapore Institute of Management University at the Department of Psychology. With over 14 years of consulting experience in both public and private sectors, she is well-equipped to apply animal facilitated learning beyond the realm of therapy.

Clinical Psychologist

Dr Ameerah Mattar 

Ameerah has always believed in the powerful presence that animals can have in people’s lives. She is passionate about contributing to the field of Animal Assisted Therapy in Singapore, and helping people discover the power of the human-animal connection. She also has experience with providing equine assisted interventions to individuals with special needs, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and psychological issues. 

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Ameerah has a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Queensland. She has worked in Singapore and overseas in both public and private practice settings, providing support to individuals dealing with issues such as depression, anxiety, stress management, life transition/adjustment difficulties, self-esteem issues, and eating disorders/body image disturbances. 

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Ameerah values every opportunity to support people in navigating the challenges in their lives. She loves working collaboratively with people of all backgrounds, and highly regards the role of the therapist-client relationship in the therapeutic process. She also strives to adopt a holistic and client-centred approach to support people in working on their treatment goals and achieving their fullest potential. 

Ameerah is a Full Member of the Singapore Psychological Society (SPS). 

Chief Therapy Dog

Telly

Hailing from Colorado, USA, Telly is a friendly Labrador Retriever who greets everyone she meets with a happily wagging tail. She’s extremely intuitive, with an uncanny knack of recognising unspoken emotional states and understanding how best to approach each and every person.

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Telly prides herself on being a well-educated canine and an excellent Chief Therapy Dog. She  received extensive training in  the University of Denver and Freedom Service Dogs. Telly is well versed in the art of Human Animal Connection, and has worked with children and adult both in the United States and in Singapore, bringing smiles to everyone she meets.

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Telly's all time favourite activity is a game of fetch.