In Heart of God Church, we believe that spiritual and holistic growth can go hand-in-hand! Here’s what we learnt when clinical psychologist Dr. Robi Sonderegger ran sessions to help us grow stronger as people
By: Alan L.
Earlier this year, we dedicated a month to helping our members strengthen themselves spiritually and holistically. Along with diving deep into God’s Word during Bible Studies Weekend, we also ran life skills modules covering topics like personal development, mental and emotional health, and parenting. To equip our members with tools for flourishing in the world at large, we invited our favourite clinical psychologist, Dr. Robi Sonderegger, to run sessions tailored to a range of life stages and age groups. These included trainings on mental and emotional resilience, communication strategies for the workplace, and a two-part workshop for young parents.
Here’s a snippet of some of the most thought-provoking things we learnt over the weekend!
Communication isn’t just about what you say, but what you convey
In a session preparing young adults for the challenges of the working world, Dr. Robi armed us with some practical communication strategies for people navigating the ins and outs of adulthood. Tip #1: Communication is mostly non-verbal. Through the “Art of Interpersonal Influence”, our pre-university students and young adults learnt how to convey genuine care and concern, especially when giving constructive feedback.
Speaking of difficult conversations, what is the healthiest way to manage pain and disappointment?
Life has a knack for throwing unexpected curveballs sometimes and being armed with knowledge on how to deal with it never hurts. As Dr. Robi shared that weekend, “Resilience is not just about how tough we are, but how flexible we are.”
In a session tailored for university students, Dr. Robi showed us how harbouring unresolved hurt and bitterness can eventually lead to reckless behaviour. The key to letting go is to forgive daily!
Consistency is key when it comes to parenting
A proud father himself, Dr. Robi also ran sessions for our young parents and eager parents-to-be. And you can breathe easy, parents: there isn’t just one “right” method for raising a child!
While there may be many different parenting styles, 29-year-old Nicholas Lim learnt from Dr. Robi that “one just has to be consistent.” This ensures that the child knows their parents mean what they say, and say what they mean.
In a two-part session consisting of practical guidance and hypothetical problem-solving, Dr. Robi showed us that it’s also crucial to build an emotional bond with the child so that they develop a secure attachment to mum and dad. This will give the child a positive self-image and make it easier for them to find success in their endeavours.
Thea, a mother of a toddler, shared: “I found the Q&A session where we were presented with a hypothetical situation and the audience could volunteer answers to be particularly helpful. It was good to have some sort of idea of how others respond and to mentally prepare yourself to handle similar situations in the future.”
“We (my husband and I) both could relate to the sessions and found ourselves cross-checking with each other to assess where we felt we stood on some of the principles and points. It was a great time to align ourselves as parents.”
Heart of God Church believes in holistic development, and the whole weekend with Dr. Robi felt exactly like an upgrade to our internal operating system. Now we’re ready to tackle what life has in store more effectively. We can’t wait to see what he’ll bring on his next visit!
