Bangkok Counselling Service

Don Knox is a member of the register of counsellors and psychotheratists approved by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care. He is also a senior accredited member of the British Association for Counselling Psychotherapy (BACP). He trained as a Humanistic Counsellor and as a Gestalt Psychotherapist. Don did his training in the UK and includes: Postgraduate Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapy from the Gestalt Center London Postgraduate Certificate in Gestalt Psychotherapy from the Gestalt Centre London. Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling from the Centre for Personal and Professional Development London UK Don developed his counselling and psychotherapy style from the Humanistic approach. This includes Client Centered and Gestalt Therapies. He works with clients, assisting them, in a safe environment, to be more accepting of themselves. By exploring current feelings and emotions each client is supported in addressing the issues that bring him/her to therapy. Don works with a wide variety of issues and specializes in relationship, identity and sexual issues. With a background in youth work he continues to offer counselling to young people especially those with complex issues. He is experienced in working with those with drug and alcohol issuesas well as sexual addictions. He is also an experienced couple’s therapist. Don moved to Thailand in 2008 and set up Bangkok Counselling Service after noticing the lack of accessible therapeutic services while visiting friends. “A friend asked me to help find them a therapist while I was in Bangkok and I thought it would be easy to find a practitioner such a big city. Through the research I did, I realized that services like Bangkok Counselling Service didn’t exist. I didn’t consider setting up a practice until a rainy afternoon six months later in London. Little did I know at the time, just how much work setting up a business in Thailand would be, every thing worked out and BCS was successfully established and was the first counselling and psychotherapy practice in Thailand registered with the department of Labor. Don, originally from Ireland moved to Bangkok from London, where he had a successful private practice, in addition to working part time for the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) the UK’s largest HIV and sexual health charity /NGO. Don joined THT in 2000 to set up their young people’s counselling service where he continued as the young people’s counsellor for 8 years. In 2002 THT received the BACP award for innovative work for the development of the young people’s counselling service. Don works to the code of ethics of the British Association for Counselling Psychotherapy.

Chawisa Chartsuwan returned to Thailand in 2010 after her studies in the United States. She was awarded the Masters of Arts degree in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioural Medicine from Boston University School of Medicine.

Chawisa joined Bangkok Counselling Service and developed the Young Peoples Wellbeing Project and the Thai Emotional Support Service.

Chawisa developed a program of psycho-educational workshops for schools and institutions working with young people to address and raise awareness of issues relevant to young people as experienced by them during their current stage of development. These workshops are also an access point for young people who want to explore further the issues raised through individual and family counselling and emotional support. Chawisa's qualifications and training include:

Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in Biology, from Clark University
Masters of Arts in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine from Boston University School of Medicine.

Chawisa is experienced working with adolescents who have self-harm, have a mood disorder, experienced a trauma as well as those diagnosed with ADHD or other emotional or behavioural problems. Chawisa is Bangkok Counselling Service Young People’s Counsellor and primarily works with those aged 11 to 18 years in English and Thai. Chawisa provides family therapy as well as individual emotional support and group work to young people in both English and Thai. She utilizes Client Centered and Family Systems theory and practice in her work. Chawisa set up the Thai Emotional Support Service providing Counselling and Psychotherapy in Thai to local people. Chawsia to our knowledge is the only bilingual therapist in Bangkok providing couples counselling to (inter-cultural) mixed cultural couples working in English and Thai in the concurrently. Chawisa is a member of the American Mental Health Counseling Association (AMHCA) and works to their Code of Ethics.

Dr. Jaruwan is a licensed clinical psychologist, registered under the division of medical registration, Ministry of Public Health Thailand and is a member of the Thai Clinical Psychologist Association. She completed her under graduate training in Clinical psychology at Kasetsart University in Thailand before moving to Australia to complete her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Tasmania.     

Jaruwan has worked with clients from different settings including public health setting, community mental health services, educational setting, pain management unit, and traumatic brain injury research centre. From the beginning of her doctoral training, Jaruwan was drawn to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). She is interested in applying CBT to supporting and empowering clients with emotional or medical problems. Her training includes

• Bachelors of Sciences in Psychology (Clinical Psychology) from Kasetsart University
• Dr.of Psychology (Clinical) from University of Tasmania                              
• Certificate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy from CBT Institute, Australia               

Dr. Jaruwan joined Bangkok Counselling Service expand the scope of the Thai Emotional Support Service to meet the increasing need for counselling and psychotherapy in Thai. She has a background in community based and short term counselling as well as in CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) skills that will be well utilized at Bangkok Counselling Service.

Jaruwan  works on our EAP (Employee Assistance Program) service and with clients that self-refer to the Thai Emotional Support Service

Chalalai is a licensed clinical psychologist, registered under the division of medical registration, Ministry of Public Health Thailand. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical psychology from Thammasat University, and Master’s Degree in Forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY.

Before joining Bangkok Counselling Service, Chalalai worked for The Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights Foundation and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. She focused on working with trauma, with both adults and children who had experienced abuse, and those with emotional and behavioural problems. Chalalai also works with family issues with a focus on relationship development and attachment between parents and child. Chalalai incorporates techniques and principles from EMDR, CBT and Psychodynamic development.

Her qualifications and training include:

• Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, New York, NY, USA 

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training from the Centre for Educational Psychology, Bangkok

• The Practice of EMDR in the Management of Psychological Trauma Training from EMDR Association, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital

Chalalai joins Bangkok Counselling Service team as part of the Thai Emotional Support Service, and the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)