Mr SB Viknesan
Mr SB Viknesan is a Principal Counsellor at NAMS in IMH. With over 22
years of experience specifically in addiction-related counselling experience,
he provides both individual and group counselling to patients dealing with
addictions, and is skilled in training programmes, particularly in Motivational
Interviewing Addiction related content, Groupwork and Group Facilitation
and Clinical Supervision.
Additionally, Viknesan has been an adjunct faculty member at the Singapore
University of Social Sciences for over 17 years, teaching addictions and
group counselling. He supervises students from multiple universities and
holds several leadership roles, including being a Council Member for the
National Council Against Drug Abuse and Board Member of the Singapore Anti-Narcotics
Association.
He holds a Master’s in Social Sciences in Counselling, a graduate diploma
in Educational Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He is
certified as a Clinical Supervisor and in various addiction counselling
specialities by the Association of Professionals Specialising in Addictions
Counselling, a certification Board of IC& RC (USA).
Track Title: The Silent Dependency: Counselling Techniques / Psychological
Intervention for Gaming Disorder
Date: 16 July 2025, Wednesday
Time: 5.00 PM
Breakout Session: Track 2 – Emerging Trends & Insights
Synopsis
Gaming Disorder (GD) is an official diagnosis in the International Classification
of Diseases, 11th Revision, and with its recognition, the need to offer
psychological or counselling treatment is important to regulate the behaviour
rather than taking extreme measures and pulling the plug or access to gaming
related devices. A gaming disorder is generally characterised by an individual’s
reduced control over their gaming activities, resulting in moderate to
severe impacts on daily functioning, including personal, social, educational,
and occupational responsibilities in their life. When working with Individuals
who have a Gaming disorder, there are some useful psychological interventions
and techniques that can be helpful in the overall wellbeing plan. This
Includes Incorporating Motivational Interviewing techniques to engage and
work with problem gamers building a therapeutic alliance especially with
youth who are pre-contemplative or Contemplative about their excessive
or problematic gaming activities. Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques
through a structured harm reduction plan which is goal orientated. Some
of these structured harm reduction plans include alternative activities
to gaming, a daily structure helping individuals to create a clear and
sustainable daily routine, important basic needs which include nutrition,
exercise and sleep, dealing with impulse control like identifying triggers
for excessive gaming, learning to delay acting on those impulses and distracting
oneself by finding other healthy activities, providing psychoeducation
on emotional regulation, dealing with conflicts and problem solving skills.
Adjunct to individual intervention, Group Therapy in which a group of individuals
with a gaming disorder meet to describe and discuss their problems together
under the supervision and guidance of a clinician, therapist or psychologist
can be helpful and shown to be effective in combination.
The talk will examine ADHD care starting with essential statistics from a local specialist ADHD service to highlight significant trends including the profiles, functioning, and parenting stressors among young persons with ADHD and their families, and treatment outcomes. We will further review the assessment and intervention available to adults with ADHD in Singapore. The talk will round off with a discussion on the emerging best practices shaping ADHD care in young persons and adults.