We have a small team comprising full-time professionals, supported by teams of trained and dedicated volunteers. The organisation is headed by an Executive Director, who reports to the Board of Directors.

Naomi Lourdesamy

Counsellor

Pronouns: they, them

Naomi is a queer counsellor at Oogachaga who works with LGBTQ+ adults and young people, many of whom are also gender-diverse, racially minoritised, third-culture, neurodivergent, etc. — minorities-within-minorities. Naomi supports clients in exploring their complex identities, as well as navigating minority stress and attachment trauma. Their clients often begin counselling feeling overwhelmed by painful emotional states, stuck in patterns like people-pleasing, avoidance, rumination, caught between parts of themselves or others’ expectations and their own desires, and unsure of their worth or place in life.

Recognising that minoritised people are taught to dismiss and distrust themselves, Naomi seeks to help clients safely reconnect with their own internal experience, notice what they have learned to tune out, and live with greater authenticity and ease. Client empowerment and collaboration guide their work. Their practice is rooted in Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), for which they have completed training and receive regular clinical supervision. They engage in ongoing learning, with a focus in trauma treatment and neurodiversity-informed care, to respond to the evolving needs of their clients.

They began their involvement in LGBTQ+ community work in 2015 as the Coordinator of Gender Collective and a Board Member of The Inter-University LGBT Network, student-run university groups supporting and advocating for LGBTQ+ students. Serving the LGBTQ+ community remains the honour of their life.

Professional Education
Master of Counselling (Flinders University, Australia)

Professional Affiliation
Provisional Clinical Member, Singapore Association for Counselling