President's Message

Firstly, I feel truly honoured and humbled by each one of our members for your loyalty to stay the course with us in our shared mission. I have no words to say but thank you again for your unwavering support. The past year has been a year of unprecedented changes and future-focused decision-making for our organisation. And it helps me to reflect on what our committee had achieved.

At this juncture, I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to all our member-volunteers who have been called upon (sometimes with short notice) for your time and dedication to the success of APACS and especially in helping people.  The need for support from us in recent times, brought forth the true Samaritans, we can all be proud of. It showed the difference we make as an organisation, and as a profession to the lives of many.  Together we shall carry on the APACS’s mission.

The Committee continues to focus on lifting its skills with a requirement that all Board Members will do so too. To this, I wish to appeal to any member who wish to join us in our Exco Committee, we so welcome your support and dedication.

The Committee also put a lot of planning and thought into the future direction of APACS through the development of a new strategic Plan for 2026 – 2028, laying out a roadmap for APACS through the organisation’s Strategic priorities, sooner than later. The Board works hard to ensure that we are doing everything possible to provide value and the best possible service to all members.  Therefore, I urge you to check in on us every now and again to see any new updates.

Presently, we have 215 members and we hope to grow this number. With the ever-changing landscape to the Mental Health issues in the Community; more than ever, our skill set is needed, and our Association will need to multiply in numbers to meet Singapore’s needs.

In my recent Google search, I found this “Mental health in Singapore is a critical priority, with 17% of residents reporting mental health issues in 2022, rising to 25.3% among young adults alone. Key issues include high stress, depression and anxiety driven by academic pressure, social media, and stigma.”

And as the government is enhancing community care, expanding professional resources, and promoting national awareness campaigns to foster support, so must we, stand up to be counted in this support. I like the words used by MOH, “a whole-of-society” effort to support, and yes to tackle the multi-faceted issues of mental health.

 “More Singapore residents are willing to seek help, about 56.6%, (versus 47.8% in 2019) from health professionals (based on a press release by MOH/HPB in 2022). This increase reflects continued public awareness of mental health and reduced “stigma around mental health conditions.”

In every human situation, whether physical or mental health, we are all in dire need of other people to be our support, encourager and council so that we can navigate our individual crisis or challenges better.  In similar circumstances, we at APACS and our members will need to be prepared for the times ahead to meet the increasing and changing mental health needs of the community.

Therefore, having the necessary updated skillset and professionalism in mental health will be crucial in our endeavours to meet those needs. Hence, my wish is that in the coming year this will be our Management Committee’s focus in helping all of us. And together we will be an efficient support to our community’s welfare.

Thank you,

Dr Carol Balhetchet, Clinical Psychologist

APACS President (2026 – 2028)