Unlock a Calmer Mind: The Blueprint is in Your DNA

 

Two years ago, I had a client who was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. She found it challenging to comply with medications that were prescribed by her psychiatrist; stating that she suffers from side effects of the medications including feeling emotionally numb. Being a practitioner that uses the bio psycho social approach, I was determined to help her overcome this challenge. I talked to her at length about taking Pharmacogenomics (PGx) DNA test. The report she received helped guide her psychiatrist to the best option medication for her. The rest is history.

That was when I started working actively in collaborating with several DNA labs. All in the name of protecting my clients from all forms of harm!

Many have and are still facing the same challenges as the case above. And after a while, they will feel hopeless and think nothing works for them. Most of what is prescribed by doctors are based on past patient’s feedbacks. And many often think that DNA tests are only about ancestry or screening for fatal illnesses. The truth is whether it’s finding the right medication or the perfect supplement, your body already has the answers. Personalised Mental Health DNA Screening goes beyond general advice. It looks deep into your genetic makeup to provide a roadmap tailored exclusively to you.

What’s Inside Your Report?

Pharmacogenomics (PGx):

Guessing with prescriptions stops here. Analysis of how your genes metabolise antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and mood stabilisers. Find the medication that works for you - at the right dose - while minimising side effects.

Nutrient DNA Insight:

Your brain needs specific fuel. The DNA test screens for genetic markers that affect how you absorb B vitamins, Vitamin D, Omega-3s and Magnesium - all critical players in mood regulation and focus.

Specialised Counseling:

Data is only powerful if you know how to use it. I have been trained to sit down with you to translate your results into a clear actionable plan for your lifestyle and wellbeing. 

When you choose DNA-Informed Care, you get:

1. Faster Results: Skip months of medication adjustments.

2. Precision Wellness: targeted nutrient support for your unique deficiencies.

3. Empowerment: Understand why your body reacts the way it does.

Stop guessing. Start knowing.

Book your DNA test screening today by contacting Ms Johana at +60189136688

"I'm NOT Ok": The Importance of Mental Health Checkups

Its common for people to go for physical checkups where they are put to a few types of stress tests to see how healthy they are physically. Its also common for them to go for medical checkups where blood is drawn to see how healthy their internal organs are functioning. However, very rarely do we hear of someone going for mental health checkups. Why is that?

We often associate mental health with counselling or mental illness. And despite us living in 2020s, there still exists a sense of suspiciousness surrounding this aspect of our lives. This may be due to the fact that the brain is still seen as something of a huge mystery. I mean, even the psychiatrists who treat mental illness does not manhandle the brain unlike other specialists. Dentists examine teeth through direct contact. Same goes for heart surgeons, ENT and orthopaedics, to name a few.

Its a given that many suffer from trust issues and this may be due to many factors. Its all the more daunting to choose a counsellor who you would deem worthy enough for your trust just so you are able to work on issues and challenges which are very close to your heart. But what if you are not ready to trust someone with the skeletons in your closet and yet you are worrying about your mental wellbeing? 

Counselling is an hour long for each session and it involves you discussing difficult topics that are troubling you and your loved ones. However, mental health checkups is just 30 minutes in length and theres no need for you to trust the mental health service provider. Its no different from you going to a general practitioner doctor in your residential area when you are feeling sickly.

According to the WHO, mental health is a state wherein a person understands their potential and has the ability to deal with regular stressors in life. Additionally, the person who has the ability to work in a productive manner and can make a meaningful contribution to his community.

So, if you are wondering why is mental health important, you now know that you need to be mentally healthy to achieve your potential and be productive in the society you live and work in. Without sound mental health, you will find it extra challenging to cope with daily life stresses and this will ultimately affect your ability to remain productive.

If you display any of these five signs, its time for you to seriously consider coming in for a mental health checkup:

Grumpiness: 
If you notice that from a pleasant and happy person, you have turned into snarky person who gets angry over the smallest of things, it is a sign of emotional or mental chaos.

Sleeplessness:
Most people do not get adequate sleep because of demanding work and lifestyle. If you find you are unable to sleep at night, get a doctor to make sure its not a medical condition. If it isn't, then do submit yourself to a mental health checkup where you may figure out the reasons for your sleep disorder.

Avoiding People:
One of the first signs of depression is shunning people. You stop interacting with people and avoid physical and digital contact with them.

Binge Eating:
Long-term stress causes an increase in a hormone called cortisol and this affects your appetite, causing you to eat more. This means you will be craving for high fat and high sugar food which is associated with emotional eating.

Inability to Relax:
Are you always wound up and have a constantly active mind? This is a sign of anxiety, which is often overlooked because it is constantly present. You can live with anxiety for years without realising you are having a mental issue.

Mental health issues can wreak havoc with your life and turn it upside down. Don't let this happen. Instead, get an annual mental checkup done to catch any problem early, before it blows up and turns serious.

Contact MY Confidential at +60172979158 to book an appointment.

A Note From Founder

“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”

—Steve Jobs

This quote continuously inspires me. And the very reason I first started out being a pioneer in private practice in Malaysia. Back when the only places anyone can get any counselling services were either in churches or religious governmental department, I saw the gaping void in the need for regular individuals could go to for therapy with the confidence in privacy and confidentiality. The very core to the effectiveness of counselling is none other than TRUST. And with the stigma surrounding mental illness, many were too afraid to even admit they needed help, what more to be seen walking into a public counselling centre. 

Having witnessed how publicly ugly my parents's divorce was back in 1978, I wished there was somewhere they could've gone for some form of help for their marital challenges that was also private and confidential. This spurred me to venture into private practice, although the income was very unstable, at best. Needless to say that I wouldn't have been able to do this without the rock solid support from my husband and the understanding from my daughters.

The challenges that came with the private practice were countless. Aside from the general public phobia of being seen as 'crazy' by their loved ones, finding a private location for an office that was also affordable based on unstable income seemed humungous. 

Fast forward two decades and now I have successfully taught and trained an excellent team of counsellors who have joined me in MY Confidential. I have also established a centre that provides licensed counsellors a place for them to see their clients with flexible hours and very reasonable room rates. All this is a part of the cause that I have been championing: to encourage more and more counsellors to venture into private practice without having to cough out a huge amount of investment to set up an office.

Apart from the private practice, MY Confidential members get to volunteer on crisis missions. Our current focus is on the rescuers and first responders of SMART Malaysia. My personal mission is to have MY Confidential as an NGO that is self-funded by the use of the counselling centre.

My promise to the general public is making your privacy our priority.

My promise to licensed counselors who choose to join us is the affordable room rate for a professional and private setting.

Finally, my promise to Malaysia: MY Confidential is making a dent in the universe; one person at a time. 

Welcome to MY Confidential!

Sincerely,

Johana Dato' Johari

Association of Private Counselors (MY Confidential)

In March 2014, Malaysia's MH370 went missing. And that was when I received my true calling. Doctors tend to be at their best when their patients are at their worst. Same goes for counselors. The irony of the pinnacle of my career happening at Malaysia's worst. Malaysia was unprepared for this. Caregivers were not trained for a commercial carrier to vanish into thin air.

MH370. Everly Hotel Emergency Operations Center. 2014.

A few months later, MH17 was shot down. Still reeling with dwindling hope of ever finding our missing aeroplane, I volunteered my time and expertise again. Again, I was at my best. Although caregivers had some experience in dealing with MH370's next of kins, most of the passengers were foreigners and therefore the green zone was in all the countries affected by the event.

These two extraordinary mishaps had shaped and formed me as a counselor. I saw what was lacking and what needed to get done. And I was no longer the same. That is what is often said for those who had survived a storm.

Fast forward to 2019. In the past 5 years, I had expanded my expertise from mere counseling to teaching and to training. Teaching future counselors. Training them to be caregivers. Caregivers. Often, this term is associated with palliative care. But without caregivers, the next of kins of both airplanes would have not had anyone to tend to their sorrow and grief. The caregivers provided support to those who needed them most.

Apart from the caregivers, the first responders such as rescuers were also the unsung heroes. The public only complained and criticised about shortcomings of any missions but little do they realize how important the rescuers are to our wellbeing as a whole. Hence, I begun my most important mission of all: to give care and support to the rescuers.

More often than not, they return from traumatizing missions with no one to tend to their PTSD. Many scored very highly on the PTSD Checklist. Yet, they remain silent for fear of losing their jobs. While the mental health of our common people should be prioritized, we should also have someone championing the mental health of our first responders and rescuers.

MY Confidential (Association of Private Counselors) was established as an NGO on February 22nd, 2019. Our mission is to provide psychological support to our frontliners. We aim to have our members and volunteers to be trained as caregivers as well as being a support system to those whose jobs are to save lives.

Our members consist of registered and licensed counselors in private practice, counseling interns, counseling students, and those who are trained in Crisis Intervention, First Aid and CPR. Our members have attended extensive Air Emergency Exercises organized by Malaysia Airports.

AEREX. KLIA. 2018

AEREX. KLIA. 2018

Members learning First Aid and CPR

We welcome all registered and licensed private counselors to join our squad. We welcome volunteers who are creative in raising funds for our cause. We welcome financial support and funding from individuals and corporations who share our vision for making mental health affordable to everyone. 

For further details, do contact our President Ms Johana Dato' Johari at 018-9136688 or email at johana.myconfidential@gmail.com

Join us in our noble humanitarian mission and may we all be blessed with purposeful lives. Ameen.