From Client To Full-time Staff
Hear the story of this extraordinary woman who is overcoming her obstacles whilst helping her clients overcome theirs.
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Written by: Nadia Rashid
Imagine being 17 and pregnant. Lost and abandoned by your significant other. No other choice but to stop your education and constantly worry about the state of your child. Always doubting yourself on your capabilities as a parent, worrying if you could ever fulfil your child’s needs all by yourself. Those were the thoughts that overwhelmed Nur Hafizah Kamarulzaman. They consumed her mind, drowning her in stress until she fell into Major Depression. This is her story.
Nur Hafizah started working at Club Heal only two years ago. A local rehabilitation centre for the mentally ill. During her time as a Programme Executive, she has counselled 15 clients, helping them on their journey to recovery. One particular client who suffers from Disassociation Disorder managed to touch the 25-year-old’s heart. She mentioned she is close to this client of hers and pays extra attention to her. She portrayed her sense of worry for her client when she explained that her client would lose orientation of her surroundings and would even forget where she lived. Nur Hafizah mentioned that “in here (referring to the centre) the staff and I can look out for her but out there… there are many potential dangers.”
Nur Hafizah said: “I will always check on her and ask her when she took her medicine and what time she woke up for work and if she woke up in the middle of the night.”
During the interview, she explains how she helps this client manage her disorder. Nur Hafizah added that her client, initially, was not aware of her problem and what she should do to cope with her disorder. She stated that she would figure out her clients’ coping methods by getting to know the signs that her client was going to disassociate. She says,” My client told me that she's aware that if she's tired and if she doesn’t have enough sleep, she will start to disassociate.” Nur Hafizah’s client has now showed progress in her recovery and has been more aware with her symptoms of disassociation.
Nur Hafizah said: “When I help my clients manage their disorders, I feel like I’ve achieved something. Even to see them progress slowly, it makes me very happy.”
ROAD TO RECOVERY: Nur Hafizah has only been working full time for Club Heal as a Programme Executive for two years and she already has helped 15 clients into recovery. She is close to her clients and even brings them out to eat to celebrate their successful journey.
Photo By: Chesea Chia
Club Heal
According to recent statistics, many Singaporeans are progressing forward to seek treatment for clinical depression. To add that to the scale, one in six people in Singapore are suffering from mental illnesses. Among these people is Nur Hafizah who was a former client seeking treatment from local rehabilitation centre, Club Heal.
Club Heal started in 2012 with Dr Radiah Salim. Dr Radiah started this company to assist those with mental illnesses. It was aimed to build their confidence and learn to manage to eventually recover from their disorders. She wanted to allow her clients to be able to recover in the comfort of their own homes and be able to reintegrate with the community at their own pace.
When Nur Hafizah started out as a client at Club Heal, she was seeking treatment for Major Depression. She found out about her illness in a survey she participated at a clinic. The first thing she asked her psychiatrist was “Am I crazy?”
The Healing Process
Her condition grew for the worse as time proceeded. She would stop taking her medication and would go to work even after her doctor recommended against it. At that time, she felt like she had to continue to work in order to provide food and shelter for her then new born son. She was a single parent and was desperate for money to support her child. Eventually, she decided to try her best to recover after an ultimatum from her doctor. Her doctor had to threatened to ward Nur Hafizah if she ever went to work without recovering from her illness first. It was only then she was introduced to Club Heal by a friend who was a client of the centre at the time.
Nur Hafizah said: “At that point of time, I was lost. I didn’t even know what I should do.”
Club Heal was her glimmer of hope and after a few months, Nur Hafizah became a volunteer. She wanted to repay the club and help the centre “like how they helped” her. She admits that working here has made her more mature and also taught her how to manage her disorder. She also added that the clients themselves are her motivation to keep pushing herself forward and become a stronger person.
