Dr. Sulin Tan

Hello, my name is Sulin. I am a Registered Psychologist in Alberta, practicing individual therapy with adults on a range of clinical and mental health concerns. 

I work with people who feel anxious, depressed, who have experienced trauma, loss, abuse, or assault, who are dealing with life transitions, identity development, or who are looking to enhance their mental wellbeing and psychological resilience. My practice is deliberately inclusive of people with a range of identities (e.g., gender, immigrant status, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation). If it works for you, please contact me at sulin(at)claritypsychology.ca to set up a consultation to consider working together.

Approach to Counselling:

It is important to me to build a practice that is inclusive and respectful to all the ways that we are human. My therapy approach is warm, thoughtful, and collaborative. I create a space where you are invited to be curious and nonjudgmental in how your body and mind responds to stressors that help you survive. I pay attention to what makes you unique and resilient that has helped you come this far, and what needs to happen to help you live your life more in the way that you would like. A lot of my practice involves cultivating an understanding of the brain-body connection, honoring how your body has protected you, and rewiring brain connections through corrective experience, insight, and deliberate practice. The knowledge that “symptoms” “make sense” in the context of our personal stories is at the heart of my view of human functioning and informs how I facilitate healing.

Formally, I am trained in and offer the following therapies: EMDR and Cognitive Processing Therapy [for trauma and PTSD]; CBT and experiential/polyvagal-informed therapies [for depression and anxiety], DBT [for emotional regulation], and Exposure & Response Prevention [for OCD]. More commonly, I integrate these therapies to customize the work to your needs. I work collaboratively with you and will revisit our plan at selected time-points to ensure that the therapy approach and goals are still working for you.

Background / Experience:

I have a master’s degree in counselling psychology (from 2010) and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology (from 2019). I have been in this field for over 14 years. I have worked in public health for close to 10 years; I started my career as a psychologist in Singapore. Most recently, I practiced in a psychiatric unit at a hospital in Edmonton. In addition, I have experiences in private practice and community health in Vancouver, where I obtained my doctoral degree, and my doctoral residency was completed at a university counselling clinic in Edmonton. My postdoctoral training and certifications have specialized in trauma assessment and treatment.

My doctoral research and publications have been focused on LGBTQIA+ mental health. My interests are particularly in using research methods that empower and give voice to folks with intersecting minority identities in the context of race/ethnicity, migrant status, gender, and sexual orientation to illuminate the vulnerabilities and resiliencies associated with marginalization.

Education and Credentials:

• Registered Psychologist (#5369) with the College of Alberta Psychologists
• Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours in Psychology from National University of Singapore
• Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Nanyang Technological University
• Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology from Adler University

Services Offered:

• Individual Counselling (adults)

Who I Work With:

I offer individual therapy to adults with the following concerns:

I typically refer out for the following presenting concerns:

• Eating Disorders
• Anger Management
• Phobias
• Personality Disorders
• Psychosis
• Addictions
• Forensic Concerns

About Me:

I am privileged to have lived in various countries up to this point in my life, including Singapore, New Zealand, USA, and Canada. These experiences have helped me to appreciate first-hand the diverse ways that we are human. Each place that I have settled in or visited has provided me with an education in the ways that people are different, yet similar. I have lived experience as a visible and invisible minority, and I also have much privilege in my life. I work hard to recognize my blind spots and am committed to allyship in establishing a safer and socially just world.

I like discovering new sights, smells, tastes, and sounds. I enjoy food, both the old and familiar, as well as the new and “funky”. I am lucky to have a partner who enjoys pursuing new experiences as much as I do, perhaps even more so. Together, we frequently enjoy our culinary adventures as well as our physical-spiritual “expeditions” on the hiking trails around Edmonton and the mountains.

Languages Spoken:

• English

Book an appointment with Dr. Sulin Tan