Dr David Teo Choon Liang

Collaborative, Compassionate, Patient-Centered Clinical Approach

Dr Teo prioritises fostering a trusting therapeutic relationship with his patients. He is committed not only to alleviate symptoms but to support personal growth and self-discovery, helping his patients thrive, flourish, and find fulfilment in their lives.

His clinical approach involves a sensitive exploration of his patients’ values, experiences, relationships, and life circumstances to understand the person behind the symptoms. Collaborating with patients, families, and other healthcare professionals, he co-creates personalised treatment plans that holistically integrate evidence-based medications and psychotherapy to address the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of each patient’s challenges.

Education & Certifications

Dr Teo graduated from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. He is a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (UK) and an accredited psychiatrist with the Ministry of Health Singapore’s Specialist Accreditation Board. He is Chair of the Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, College of Psychiatrists, and Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Singapore.

Dr Teo completed advanced training in Psychosomatic Medicine (Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry) at Columbia University Medical Centre under the prestigious Health Manpower Development Plan Fellowship Award, gaining expertise in treating complex psychiatric and medical comorbidities. He has trained in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), Group Analysis and family therapy, enhancing his capacity to provide integrated person-centred and family systems-oriented care.

Professional Background & Experience

Prior to private practice, Dr Teo served for over 15 years in the public sector. He was Senior Consultant Psychiatrist with the Departments of Psychological Medicine and the Department of Sleep Medicine, Surgery and Science at Changi General Hospital (CGH) where he practiced for over a decade, playing leading roles in the Adolescent, General Adult, Consultation-Liaison, Sleep and Psychodynamic Psychiatry Services. There, he gained a wealth of experience in treating Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Psychosomatic Disorders, Insomnia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, Grief, Trauma and Stress-related Disorders, Burnout, and other mental health conditions.

Dr Teo has diverse clinical interests and expertise, particularly in:

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health: As a father, Dr Teo brings first-hand understanding of the challenges and uncertainties of parenting and growing up in today’s world to his clinical work. He enjoys working with children and youth with issues such as depression, anxiety, neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD and autism. He finds fulfilment in working closely with families and schools to foster a safe and supportive environment to help youth overcome their difficulties to realise their full potential in adulthood.
• Occupational Mental Health: Dr Teo can relate to the unrelenting stressors of juggling competing work and personal life responsibilities such as parenting and caregiving our rapidly changing and uncertain world. This fuels his passion in working with adults with facing different mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, burnout, and insomnia, helping them find balance and thrive in various aspects of their lives.
• Psychosomatic Medicine: With extensive experience working in general hospitals, Dr Teo understands the connection between physical and mental health. He believes biomedical treatments alone are insufficient for addressing the psychological and existential challenges of chronic or life-threatening illnesses like cancer and chronic pain. He finds satisfaction in collaborating with specialists to enhance the well-being of patients with both physical and mental health issues.
• Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Teo has a particular interest in integrating medications and psychotherapies to manage complex mood and anxiety disorders. He tailors each treatment plan to not only provide symptomatic relief but also address the diverse underlying causes of each patient’s condition, thereby promoting long-term recovery.
• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Acknowledging the complex and nuanced nature of mental health problems, Dr Teo believes that holistic care involves more than addressing the neurobiological aspects of illness with medications. He adopts a psychodynamic lens and incorporates psychotherapy interventions to address the psychosocial and relational aspects of illness.

Dr Teo is also well-versed in military psychiatry. During his full-time military service with the Singapore Armed Forces, he served as medical officer-in-charge of the Psychological Medicine Inpatient Centre caring for servicemen with mental health difficulties. He subsequently also served as a visiting psychiatrist at the Medical Classification Centre, Central Manpower Base (CMPB) and the Psychological Care Centre during his reservist cycles.

Leadership, Collaboration & Innovation

Dr Teo works collaboratively with mental health professionals and individuals from other sectors to promote quality mental healthcare and wellness in Singapore and beyond.

He is currently Chair of the Section of Child and Psychiatrists, College of Psychiatrists, Academy of Medicine Singapore. In this role, he seeks to enhance interprofessional and cross-sector collaboration in engaging children and youth through ground up initiatives to improve the mental wellbeing of future generations. He is also Secretary of the World Psychiatric Association’s Psychotherapy Section. He has also served on national mental health workgroups, lending his expertise to improve mental health policy and services.

Dr Teo headed CGH’s Health Wellness Programme (ASCAT CGH), the first community mental health collaborative care programme for youth and adults in the SingHealth cluster. He established CGH’s Fast Track Clinic to improve timely access to specialist mental health care. He also led CGH’s primary care liaison and psycho-dermatology services, partnering and supporting medical and surgical colleagues in the psychobiological care of medically ill patients.

Dr Teo believes that good clinical care involves treating the whole person. He founded CGH’s Medical Humanities Programme, drawing on the arts and humanities to promote person-centred care and address burnout among healthcare professionals. A strong advocate of occupational mental wellness, he facilitated Balint Groups for colleagues and designed workshops on self-care and addressing patients’ values in clinical decision-making.

Committed Educator & Researcher

Dr Teo is committed to sharing knowledge and expertise with fellow professionals. He actively engages in teaching and mentoring future generations of doctors and mental health professionals.

His academic roles included Clinical Assistant Professor with Duke-NUS Medical School and NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; Clinical Teacher with NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine; and faculty with the National Psychiatry and SingHealth Family Medicine Residency Programmes. He lectures on mental health topics for the College of Family Physicians and Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Health Sciences. He is also regularly invited to speak at international conferences, workshops, and symposia.

An active researcher, Dr Teo has led research studies and received competitive grant funding for a study on the relationship between social media use and depressive symptoms and deliberate self-harm in depressed adolescents.

He has published extensively in international textbooks and journals such as The Lancet. He co-authored Singapore’s Guide to Psychiatry in Primary Care and was section editor of Tasman’s Psychiatry, 5^th edition, where he contributed a chapter on combining psychotherapy and somatic treatments. He also serves on the international advisory board of Psychodynamic Psychiatry and reviewer for the Singapore Medical Journal.

Community Engagement & Volunteer Work

Dr Teo uses his professional expertise to contribute to society through community engagements. He serves on the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s Committee on Fostering and volunteers with various community and social service agencies. Additionally, he has volunteered with the Singapore International Foundation in Cambodia to provide training to local mental health practitioners.

He regularly speaks at community forums, media engagements, corporate events, government agencies, schools, and religious organisations to promote mental health awareness and wellness. He has also engaged in cross-sector initiatives with the Singapore Judicial College and Public Service Division to promote organizational and occupational mental wellness.

Recognition & Awards

Dr Teo has been recognised with several awards for contributions to mental healthcare, leadership, and education. He received the Singapore Health Quality Gold Award for his dedication to compassionate care and service excellence. Under his leadership, the interprofessional team at CGH’s Health Wellness Programme won the SingHealth Excellence (Distinguished Team) Award for its instrumental role in enhancing mental health services in the community. In recognition of his dedication to educating future doctors and healthcare professionals, he was honoured with the SingHealth Duke-NUS Medicine Academic Clinical Programme Senior Educator Award.

In private practice, Dr Teo continues his mission of providing collaborative, compassionate, and holistic care. Fluent both in English and Mandarin, he provides culturally sensitive care to help patients achieve self-understanding and co-create positive changes for lasting recovery and meaningful personal growth.

Media Articles and Engagements

• The Mindless Scrolling Trap, Mediacorp Channel 8: https://www.8world.com/in-depth/hello-singapore/straight-talk-dommscrolling-and-emotional-spending-2667351
• ‘They look like zombies’ – Teens here using ‘Kpods’ drug vaporisers; The dangers of Kpods: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/they-look-like-zombies-teens-here-using-kpods-drug-vaporisers-cnb-hsa-monitoring-situation
• 医学人文以人为本, Lianhe Zaobao: https://www.zaobao.com.sg/lifestyle/health/story20210706-1165272
• 助医疗工作者 走出职业倦怠, Lianhe Zaobao: https://www.zaobao.com.sg/zlifestyle/beauty-health/story20181016-899389
• On Movies and Medicine, Singapore Medical Association: https://www.sma.org.sg/news/2021/March/on-movies-and-medicine
• Money 89.3 FM Health Suite: Burnout And The Importance of Self-Care

Professional Experience and Committee Memberships

• Chair, Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, Academy of Medicine, Singapore
• Fellow, College of Psychiatrists, Academy of Medicine, Singapore
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Singapore
• Secretary, World Psychiatric Association Psychotherapy Section
• Co-Chair, World Psychiatric Association Psychotherapy Section, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry SIG
• Clinical Teacher, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University-Imperial College London
• Clinical Core Faculty, NHG Psychiatry Residency Programme
• Physician Faculty, SingHealth Family Medicine Residency Programme
• Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, Nanyang Polytechnic
• Lecturer, College of Physicians Singapore, Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine
• Faculty, SingHealth Duke-NUS, Institute of Patient Safety and Quality
• CGH Lead and EXCO Member, Office of Medical Humanities, SingHealth Duke-NUS Medicine Academic Clinical Programme
• Member, International Advisory Board, Psychodynamic Psychiatry
• Member, Singapore Medical Association
• Member, National Community Mental Health Resource Network Workgroup, Ministry of Health, Singapore
• Member, SingHealth Population Mental Health Committee for Youth
• Member, Implementation Committee for the Tiered Care Model for Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Singapore
• Member, Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being, Ministry of Health, Singapore