Ellen Fong

Keele University, UK

Cultural Perceptions and Interpretations of Childhood Trauma: A Stakeholder Consultation on Research Efficacy within a Singaporean Counselling Training Programme

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Biography

Ellen Fong is a doctoral student at Keele University, UK. She is a registered counsellor and clinical supervisor with the Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC) and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Ellen is also currently a full-time faculty member in a graduate counselling programme in Singapore, where she is involved in the education and supervision of future counselling professionals. Drawing from evidence-based approaches, she integrates research, teaching, and practice in her professional work.

Abstract

This study investigates the efficacy and appropriateness of proposed doctoral research exploring how culture influences perceptions and interpretations of childhood trauma within a Singaporean counselling training programme. The objectives were to determine stakeholders' understanding of childhood trauma in a cultural context, gather views on further research in this topic, and explore the perceived utility of the findings for teaching, supervision and curriculum development.

The scope involved a qualitative design that included a scoping review of 19 peer-reviewed articles and semi-structured interviews with three purposively selected faculty members who served as key stakeholders. Methodologically, the study was grounded in constructivism and phenomenology, utilising Reflexive Thematic Analysis to identify patterns in the data while managing the researcher’s insider position.

Results from the scoping review highlighted that Western Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) frameworks often overlook culturally specific adversities, such as "left-behind" experiences and the normalisation of abusive discipline under Confucian values in Asia. Stakeholder interviews yielded five themes: (1) cultural framing of trauma beyond diagnostic manuals; (2) the urgency of research to bridge theory-practice gaps; (3) challenges in recruitment due to "saving face" culture; (4) the necessity of robust ethical safeguards; and (5) practical design recommendations, such as using third-person hypothetical framing. Table 1 summarises the six themes from the scoping review, while Figure 1 shows the thematic findings from the stakeholder interviews.

The study concludes with stakeholders affirming a genuine gap in counselling education in Singapore. Key recommendations included trauma-informed and culturally sensitive questioning, and transparent management of the researcher’s dual lecturer–researcher role for the next phase of research with counselling students. This study confirms the feasibility and ethical soundness of further research and provides a refined foundation for its design.