More Leonard Yap

Leonard is currently completing his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Wheaton College and is being supervised by Dr. Abby Hurley on the Clinical Therapy Team through the Centre for Values-Based Living.

About Leonard Yap

Leonard is a Doctoral Therapy Extern who primarily works with adolescents and adults. His clinical interests include anxiety, depression, personality disorders, dissociation, self-harm behaviour, trauma, LGBTQ+ issues, and religious/spiritual struggles. He is experienced in cultivating therapeutic relationships with individuals who have encountered previous setbacks in therapy and are now embracing a second chance to address concerns like managing difficult emotions, overcoming substance use, controlling impulsivity, practicing assertiveness, and reshaping self-perceptions. He has previously worked with clients from different socio-economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Leonard uses a relational and client-centered approach to create a warm and safe environment to enable honest exploration at the client’s pace. Leonard uses evidence-based approaches like Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, tailoring his approach to suit each individual's needs to facilitate healing.

His doctoral research includes borderline personality, sexual minority stressors, and the psychological mechanisms of spirituality. Leonard values a constructive therapeutic alliance built on mutual respect and collaboration, which balances his clinical and research experience with the client's expertise on their own lives.