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NUS Department of Social Work Providing professional social work education since 1952

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What does it mean to grieve as a professional – and how do we make space for grief that often goes unspoken? Last Wednes...
21/09/2026

What does it mean to grieve as a professional – and how do we make space for grief that often goes unspoken? Last Wednesday, the NUS Department of Social Work hosted a public seminar, titled “Professional Grief: What Are We Grieving About?”

Grief runs through the work of health and social care in many forms: the death of someone we have journeyed with, the non-death losses experienced by those we serve, the loss of health, relationships, roles and hopes, and the departure or death of a colleague. Yet the grief experienced in professional practice is not always recognised or openly discussed.

Our keynote speaker, Associate Professor Wallace Chan (Northumbria University), invited us to reflect more deeply on professional grief and the emotional, existential, and social dimensions of health and social care work.

The conversation was enriched by our discussants who brought perspectives grounded in their respective areas of practice:
• Ms Geok En-Ting, Clinical Psychologist, SHINE Children and Youth Services
• Dr Neo Han Yee, Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Palliative Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital
• Ms Ng Ai Ling, Deputy Director and Principal Counsellor, Specialist Services, Viriya Community Services

They were later joined by Dr Darryl Ang, Research Assistant Professor at the NUS Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, for a panel discussion and Q&A moderated by Dr Yong Hao Ng, Research Assistant Professor at the NUS Department of Social Work.

We also thank Associate Professor Hyekyung Choo from the NUS Department of Social Work for opening the seminar, and everyone who joined us and contributed their questions, reflections and experiences to this important conversation.

We hope the afternoon offered a meaningful space to recognise the many forms grief can take in professional practice – including the grief carried by those who spend their working lives caring for and supporting others.

📸 Scroll through for some moments from the seminar!

A new Graduate Certificate for professionals working with children! Children face unique emotional, behavioural and deve...
01/09/2026

A new Graduate Certificate for professionals working with children! Children face unique emotional, behavioural and developmental challenges – and supporting them requires specialised knowledge, skills and approaches.

The Graduate Certificate in Child Counselling and Play Therapy equips social workers, counsellors, psychologists, school counsellors, teachers and allied health professionals with knowledge and practical skills to work more effectively with children and their families.

The Graduate Certificate comprises two courses:
• Counselling Children: Advanced Foundations and Practice
• Theory and Practice of Play Therapy with Children

Through these courses, participants will deepen their understanding of child development, childhood psychopathology, trauma, family dynamics and child-centred communication, and also experience hands-on training in an evidence-based therapeutic approach known as Play Therapy, to interact, build relationships, counsel children, and facilitate meaningful intervention.

📌 Application period: 5 Oct – 15 Dec 2026
📅 Information session: 8 Oct 2026, 12pm–1pm (via Zoom)

Register your interest to be the first to receive updates when applications open, or find out more here: https://fass.nus.edu.sg/swk/gc-child-counselling-play-therapy

NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Do you know an NUS Social Work alum who has dedicated over 20 years to serving the underserved and uplifting communities...
19/08/2026

Do you know an NUS Social Work alum who has dedicated over 20 years to serving the underserved and uplifting communities?

Calling for nominations for the Ann Wee NUS Social Work Alumni Award 🏆– a tribute to the legacy of Mrs Ann Wee, the founding mother of social work in Singapore and a pioneer who championed professional recognition for social workers.

Established in 2014 by the National University of Singapore, the award recognises those who have made contributions through direct practice, policy and programme development, education and community development.

🔗 Learn more: https://fass.nus.edu.sg/swk/ann-wee-alumni-award/
📝 Submit a nomination by 17 Sep 2026: https://nus.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_25neiC2shsi9qjc

NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

[Edit: Registration is now full.] Grief is part of health and social care work – from the loss of a service user to the ...
18/08/2026

[Edit: Registration is now full.] Grief is part of health and social care work – from the loss of a service user to the many non-death losses experienced by those we support, such as the loss of health, relationships, roles, and hopes for the future. Yet professional grief is often left unspoken.

Join us for our seminar "Professional Grief: What Are We Grieving About?" where Associate Professor Wallace Chan (Northumbria University) will give a keynote presentation, followed by responses from senior local practitioners and a panel discussion with Q&A.

📅 Date: 16 Sep 2026, Wed
🕒 Time: 3.00PM – 5.30PM (Registration starts at 2.30PM)
📍 Venue: CRC Auditorium, MD11, NUS Kent Ridge Campus (10 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597)
🔗 Register here: https://fass.nus.edu.sg/swk/seminar-sep-2026/

Open to all in health and social care who are interested in recognising and responding to grief, both in those they serve and in themselves.

Planning to apply to one of our postgraduate social work programmes? Save these dates! 📅Our application timelines for th...
06/08/2026

Planning to apply to one of our postgraduate social work programmes? Save these dates! 📅

Our application timelines for the 2027 intake have been updated this year.

📌 Graduate Diploma in Social Work
Apply: 1 September – 15 December 2026
Learn more: https://fass.nus.edu.sg/swk/graduate-diploma-social-work/

📌 Master of Social Work (by Coursework)
Apply: 15 October – 15 December 2026
Learn more: https://fass.nus.edu.sg/swk/master-of-social-work-coursework/

Early offers will be made in January 2027, with subsequent offers made on a rolling basis.

Stay tuned for more information about our programmes!

31/07/2026

As Singapore considers how best to protect young people online, an expert panel convened by the Ministry of Health (MOH) is advocating for a more nuanced approach than an age-based social media ban.

On 30 July 2026, MOH released the findings and recommendations of its Expert Panel on the Mental Health Impact of Social Media Use. Co-chaired by Associate Professor Jungup Lee (NUS Department of Social Work), Co-Director of the NUS Social Service Research Centre, the panel found that young people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of social media during adolescence, and that problematic social media use is more strongly linked to poorer mental well-being than screen time alone.

As A/P Lee noted, "It is not only how long a young person is online but the nature of their relationship with social media that matters."

The panel recommends making social media safer by design through addressing features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmically-curated feeds and unsafe direct messaging, while strengthening age assurance measures and digital literacy in youths.

🔗 Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/ystj4mee

At the 20th Anniversary National Conference of the Japanese Society for the Study of School Social Work in Nagoya, Assoc...
29/07/2026

At the 20th Anniversary National Conference of the Japanese Society for the Study of School Social Work in Nagoya, Associate Professor Peace Wong delivered the keynote address, "Every Child Matters: A Systemic School Social Work Approach to Pursue the Best Interests of the Child."

The conference celebrated twenty years of dedicated scholarship, practice, and advocacy for the well-being of children, and was attended by about 350 participants from across different prefectures.

Drawing on Singapore's experience, A/P Wong shared how a systemic approach – working across children, families, schools and communities – can better support children's wellbeing and ensure that every child is seen, heard and supported. She said, "If we want to help a child, we cannot simply treat the child in isolation. We must understand, engage, and sometimes transform the systems around them."

We are honoured to contribute to the international dialogue on school social work and grateful that the keynote was warmly received by participants. In the words of Associate Professor Kenichi Okumura, President of the Japanese Society for the Study of School Social Work: “Thank you so much for your truly inspiring keynote speech today. Many of the conference participants were deeply impressed by your presentation and were grateful for the opportunity to learn about school social work in Singapore. It was a truly meaningful experience for all of us.”

🎓 Congratulations to the Class of 2026! 🎉 Last week, we celebrated the achievements of our Social Work graduates at the ...
27/07/2026

🎓 Congratulations to the Class of 2026! 🎉 Last week, we celebrated the achievements of our Social Work graduates at the Commencement. We are incredibly proud of our undergraduate, Master's and PhD graduates as they embark on the next chapter of their journeys, carrying with them the knowledge, skills and compassion to make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities.

We would also like to recognise several graduates for their outstanding accomplishments:
🌟 Dr. Yogeswari Munisamy – PhD graduate and Valedictorian
🏆 Keane Ong – Recipient of the Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW)' Medal
🏆 Edice Koh – Recipient of the Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Prize

In her valedictorian speech, Dr. Yogeswari left the graduating class with these words – "Choose to care. Choose to understand. Choose to act, even when it is easier to remain silent." – A powerful reminder of the values at the heart of the social work profession.

To all our graduates, congratulations once again on this significant milestone. We wish you every success as you continue to learn, lead and create positive social change!


National University of Singapore
NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

What a wonderful week of learning, exchange, and friendship! We wrapped up our programme, “Exploring Social Work and Mul...
23/07/2026

What a wonderful week of learning, exchange, and friendship! We wrapped up our programme, “Exploring Social Work and Multiculturalism in Singapore,” with group presentations. Students from both NUS Social Work and China came together to reflect on their learnings from lectures and agency visits, discuss how different practices could be relevant to social work in China, and share their key takeaways from the week.

The programme concluded with the presentation of certificates, celebrating not only new knowledge gained, but also the meaningful connections formed between students, faculty and practitioners.

We thank all our lecturers, agency partners, student facilitators and participants for making this programme such a rewarding experience. We hope this marks the beginning of many more opportunities for international collaboration and exchange in social work education.

NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Watch as learning comes alive when theory meets practice. As part of our programme “Exploring Social Work and Multicultu...
16/07/2026

Watch as learning comes alive when theory meets practice. As part of our programme “Exploring Social Work and Multiculturalism in Singapore”, our participants visited a range of social service agencies across Singapore, where they engaged directly with practitioners and learnt how different organisations respond to the needs of children, youth, families and older adults.

Through these visits, students explored:
• Community-based social services
• Family and child welfare
• Youth engagement
• Active ageing and eldercare

The opportunity to interact with frontline professionals sparked thoughtful discussions on similarities and differences between Singapore and China, encouraging participants to reflect on how social work can respond to changing social needs across different contexts.

Our sincere thanks to all our agency partners, South Central Community FSC, Lions Befrienders, Allkin, and SHINE Children and Youth Services, for generously sharing their expertise and experiences. We also thank Dr S Vasoo, Emeritus Professor, for dropping by to engage and share with our students!

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NUS Faculty Of Arts And Social Sciences, Blk AS3 Level 4, 3 Arts Link
Singapore
117570

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