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About Me
— The long way here.

I'm Stephanie Tan — a psychodynamic psychotherapist, neurodivergent person, and the founder of Still Ground.

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For most of my life, I didn't have the language for how my brain worked. I just knew that school was harder than it should have been, that I had to work twice as long for half the result, and that every exam felt like being asked to run a race in shoes that didn't fit. My scores said one thing. I knew something different was true — I just couldn't prove it yet.

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I grew up wanting to work in medicine. That path closed early — not because I lacked the intelligence, but because the system only measured one kind of it, and mine didn't show up that way. So I found design. No exams. No essays. Project-based, visual, structured. It turned out to fit my brain in ways I couldn't have planned — I just didn't know that's what I was doing yet.​​

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I spent over a decade in fast-paced creative roles. From the outside, I was capable, reliable, always fine. From the inside, I was masking constantly — performing competence in every meeting and collapsing quietly at home. The gap between those two versions of me was exhausting in a way I couldn't name.

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Then I came across art psychotherapy. Something about it felt important in a way I couldn't fully explain. I applied for a Master's programme and failed the interview. I waited a year. I took a short course. I applied again. I got in.

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Halfway through that training — while learning how to help others understand themselves — my own art therapist reflected something to me: my anxiety was very high. I went to see a psychiatrist. What followed was a sequence of recognitions, each one shifting something I'd carried without knowing its name. Depression. Anxiety. ADHD. Dyslexia confirmed.

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I was becoming a therapist and a client at the same time. And the practice I was building — without fully realising it — was the space I had always needed and never had.

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Still Ground exists because I understand from the inside what it means to look completely fine while something underneath is quietly running at full capacity. I understand the specific exhaustion of masking, the grief of an educational system that told you the wrong story about your intelligence, and the strange relief of finally having a language for how you've always been.

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The practice is digital and structured by design — not as a preference, but because I know from the inside what it costs to function in spaces that were never built for your nervous system. I built this one around what works for mine — and for many of the people I work with.

 

Clean, contained, low-clutter. No physical mess. Artistic ability is never the point. Just the kind of ground that holds you steady while you finally look honestly at what's been running underneath.​​

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––This is Still Ground.

How I work

In therapy, my approach is calm, attuned, honest, respectful and collaborative. I don’t expect you to be “put together” here. This is a space where you can bring what actually feels real – both the polished parts and the messy, unsure, contradictory parts. I pay attention to what you say and don’t say, how you describe things, and how your tone of voice and body seem to respond as you speak. When it’s helpful, I gently name patterns or ask questions that invite you to look a little deeper, without pushing you faster than your nervous system can handle.

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Sessions are collaborative. I think of therapy as a kind of personal project we work on together – something we slowly co-create over time. You bring your experiences, questions and a willingness to be curious about what is happening inside you; I bring a clear therapeutic framework, a contained, non-judgemental space, and psychological thinking and tools to help us make sense of what emerges, at a pace that feels manageable for you.​​

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I will not only say, “That must have been hard for you,” and leave it there. Your feelings are taken seriously, and we also look at the patterns, histories and nervous-system responses underneath them. When it is useful, I offer clear reflections, language and small, manageable experiments to try between sessions, so that what we notice together can slowly translate into real shifts in how you live, relate and care for yourself – rather than staying only as insight. The aim is more than just short-term relief; over time, we are working towards deeper understanding and sustainable change.

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As a neurodivergent therapist, I’m naturally attuned to nuance – small shifts in tone, pacing, and how things land on screen. My design background adds another layer of attention to visual detail and atmosphere. I work digitally and online by choice, not as a compromise. Digital art-making offers a contained, adjustable way of working with images, colour and composition, so we can explore what sits under the surface without overwhelming your system. You do not need to be “good at art” or tech to work with me. We use whatever level of digital tools feels manageable for you—or we can work entirely through conversation.

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My practice is fully online and is best suited to adults who seem to be managing on the outside, while carrying a lot on the inside, particularly high-performing, often sensitive or neurodivergent adults whose lives are full, but who sense that something inside needs attention. Many of my clients are used to being the reliable one, the problem-solver, the person others lean on. They may appear capable and composed on the outside while feeling exhausted, stuck, anxious or quietly disconnected on the inside. Therapy with me offers a contained, private space that fits demanding schedules and reduces the friction of getting support, without sacrificing depth.

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I work best with clients who value depth over quick fixes, are willing to show up consistently, and are open to a collaborative, clear and respectful working relationship. I will be warm with you, but I will also be honest. Sometimes that means sitting with uncertainty together; sometimes it means gently challenging a story that has kept you small or over-responsible for a long time. Over time, our work is about helping you move towards more clarity, alignment and sustainable ways of living, not just coping.

Credentials & Registration

Registered Art Psychotherapist

Master of Arts in Art Therapy

I have completed my Master's in Art Therapy with LASALLE College of the Arts, which is one of the ANZACATA-approved Master's programmes.

Bachelor of Arts in Design Communication

I have completed my Bachelor of Arts in Design Communication with LASALLE College of the Arts.

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