The next step would be to find a therapist that would make a good fit for you.  There is never a perfect therapist, only a good enough therapist, and one size does not fit all.  Here are some useful articles to help you get started in finding the right therapist for you:

How to find the right therapist for you
Some interesting articles and personal experiences on finding a therapist, including what to look for in a therapist and when to run from a therapist!

How do I find a good therapist – A few practical suggestions
An article about finding the therapist whom you can form a strong therapeutic alliance with.

How to choose a counselor or a therapist
Founder of goodtherapy.com provides a list of questions you should ask yourself to determine whether you have found a good therapist!  This article has generated a long reader commentary who are eager to contribute their own questions for determination!

I came across ur website ans went through your Q andA section for the information.

I am very much interested in Psychology, and I’m looking for short courses or maybe a collaboration with a psychologist that would somehow teach me on understanding what is psychology all about and basically understanding the human nature and their minds.  I admit i have no idea what so ever on psychology but I do have a burning interest to put my time and effort into this line.  I do not intend to make this my career line, its just like an extra for me. What would u suggest? Take up a short course ( but where) or turn to a psychologist to pratice or intern with? (if so, anyone u could recommend? or perhaps yourself?)

Thanks for taking the time to review this, hope to hear from you soon! =)

Bhaggawent

Dear Bhaggawent,

Everyone can benefit in their lives and relationships with people by learning some basic psychology!

The Linguistic Council offers an Advanced Diploma in Psychology, but you either need to have completed their Diploma in Learning Disorders Management and Child Psychology or have equivalent condition.  You can visit their website here: http://www.linguistic-council.com/my/lecturers.php.  Alternatively, TAR college has a Diploma in Counseling, where you will be learn basic psychology as well.  Both of these programs will not qualify for you to be a recognized psychologist or a Registered and Licensed Counselor in Malaysia, but they will give you a good introduction to psychology.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that any psychologist would be willing to offer an internship to a non-psychology student. Most psychologists will only consider a graduate student intern in psychology.

All the best!

charis

Leng

Dear Leng,

It all really depends on your career and vocational goals.

I had been reading ur blog for quite sometime now and I really find it interesting as it provide a lot of useful information that needed especially by psychologist student.

I had recently finish my Bachelor degree of psychology in Malaysia and now planning to do my master in UK. I had applied Master of applied psychologist and had received the offer letter as well. What bothering me now is that I love to practice as a counselor in Malaysia but as far as I read, it seems that only student with master in counseling only could practice as counselor and this course that I’m going to take is approved by British psychology society but could not register as charted psychologist in UK itself.

What should I do? I really need to reply to the University soon but I am scared that I cant practice as counselor in either country.

Pajan

Dear Pajan,

Congratulations for completing you Bachelor in Psychology!

Here’s a few things for you to consider/research to help you make your decision:

1) Research on the difference between a counselor and a psychologist.  There are many fields of psychologists and different psychologist do different things.  Not all psychologist are trained to do therapy/counseling.  If you want to be a psychologist that is trained to do therapy, then you should study in a Clinical Psychology or Counseling Psychology program.

2) Applied Psychology is a very vague description of what the program content is about.  Read the courses in program carefully.  Is it more research oriented or clinical/practitioner oriented?  Does this program provide sufficient training in therapy?  Is an practicum/internship and a minimum no. of direct client hours required?  Having a master in psychology may qualify you to work as a psychologist in Malaysia (for now, at least, since psychology is not regulated), but what type of psychologist would you be?  What would be your field of specialization?

3) There is very limited places for non-UK residents in programs that qualify one to be registered as a Chartered Psychologist with the BPS.

4) A Master in Psychology may not meet academic requirements for licensure and registration as a Counselor in Malaysia.  It all depends on the course content in your program.  For the required course content by the Malaysian Board of Counselors, contact them.  It is also likely that your course may not meet requirements to be registered as a counselor in UK.  You need to do more research on this.

If your main interest is to do counseling and nothing else (i.e. no psychological assessments, scientific research, etc), then you may want to consider taking a Master in Counseling degree instead of psychology.  Your Bachelor degree in Psychology will give you an excellent foundation for your studies in counseling.  Do ensure that you apply to a reputable university, though.

All the best!

charis

I have just moved to Malaysia and I am a registered psychologist in Australia.  From what I have read from your website and ANU, you do not have to be registered as a psychologist here. is this  correct? I understand there is registration if you are a counsellor but if you call yourself a psychologist which I am, I do not need to reregister as a psychologist in malaysia. i have brought with me the Wisc4 and Wiat tests which I am qualified to use.

Regards Jane

Hi Jane,

Welcome to Malaysia!
Yes, you are right.  If you are a psychologist practicing in Malaysia, there is currently no legal requirement for you to be registered.  You should, however, have at least a Master degree in psychology to gain peer recognition.

Just to let you know, our first language and language used in government schools is Malay, so using the WAIS-4, and especially the WIAT with Malaysians may have some limitations.
charis

I am a 35 year old adult student who has just started my first semester in getting my Bachelors Degree in Psychology. It will take me about five years to complete the course. I am really interested in becoming a counselor or a psychologist. So in the mean time I want to do something related to my studies. Right now my job scope is way out of touch with anything related to psychology, except dealing with humans and their behaviour. So it will be a great help if you can suggest some place where I can start a job which has something to do with psychologists or counselors. It can even be a voluntary one. I have tried to get in touch with The Befrienders but they are not taking in any volunters this year.

Thank You

November 6, 2009

Congratulations on the commencement of your new studies!

You can volunteer at the Women’s Aid Organization or the All Women’s Action Society of Malaysia as a para-counselor, but you must first attend their training.  I’m not sure of any other place that take in 1st yr psychology interns. However, CareerSense at HELP University College may be able to provide you with some resources.

All the best!

charis

November 6, 2009

I have been following your blogsite and appreciate your time/effort. I am hoping you can help me with my question below.

I am interested in educational counseling. Is it mandatory for me to be registered and have a license to practice?

1. What if I join an educational institution as a student counselor without being registered/having license? Will I be in trouble?
2. By the way, what is the different between being registered and having a license? Which body oversees this?
3. What is the minimum qualification needed in order for me to get registered/have a license?
4. Presuming the issues licenses is a Government body, which institutions are recognized in order for me get registered/obtain license?

Thanks for your time!

Regards,

Aruna

Dear Aruna,

You can study counseling in several types of programs. There is the Masters in Guidance & Counseling, which is usually housed in the Dept. of Education.  This is the most common type of counseling program offered in Malaysian public universities as well as at HELP University College. Then, there is a Masters in Counseling Psychology program, which is housed in the Department of Psychology at University Kebangsaan Malaysia. You will need undergraduate credits in Psychology to enter the Counseling Psychology program. in US, the Counseling Psychology programs includes not only courses in counseling, but also additional training in psychology courses, such as psychological assessment, testing, clinical diagnosis and research. The Counseling Education programs tend to be shorter and focus more on the counseling aspect with minimal psychology courses.

Looking at the syllabus of the Masters of Arts (Counseling Psychology) at UKM, the program is not very intensive, and appears more like the usual Masters in Guidance and Counseling.  The clinical aspect of psychology appears to be lacking in this program.

The best person who can answer your questions is the Lembaga Kaunselor.  Here is the link to their website www.lkm.gov.my. During my time as a secondary school student (i.e. some 15 years ago), a school counselor was a teacher who has had some training in counselor, formal or informal, but who was not a registered counselor.  At that time, the Malaysian Counselors’ Act had not been enacted.  I think one teacher from each school will be appointed as a school counselor.  Several years ago, I spoke to a school counselor, a former school teacher, who said that she works full time as a school counselor (meaning that she is relieved from her teaching duties).  However, she was not a registered counselor.  I think that it is difficult to have a school counselor who is a registered counselor because in most cases, you need to have a Masters in Counseling in order to meet the academic requirements of the Board.  Once a person becomes a registered counselor, the probability of him or her wanting to take office as a school counselor in a government school is very low.

As for institutions of higher learning, some but not all of the in-house counselors are registered counselors or at least a Masters level Psychologist.  Some universities/colleges are hiring graduate students in counselor/psychology as their in-house counselors.

Put simply, not all higher institutions have an in-house counselor, and those that do, may not be able to find a registered counselor.  However, I think that most of the larger universities/colleges are trying to hire someone who is a registered counselor or a Masters-level Psychologist to fill in their in-house counselor position.

I may not be right, but I am deducing that as long as you call yourself a “school counselor”, you may not get into trouble with the Board.  You need to check with them though.  Right now, we are still waiting for the Minister (who is taking forever!) to appoint the new Board.   Do let us know what the Board has to say!

In Malaysia, counselors have to registered under the Counselors’ Act and have a practising certificate to practice as a Registered Counselor. The names and addresses of Registered Counselors will be published in the Gazette.  So the Act really doesn’t use the word, “license”.  In other countries, though, the word, “license” denotes a accreditation by state or national law.  The word, “registered” refers to accreditation confered by a proffesional body.

The Counselors Act recognizes UPM’s and USM’s Bachelors in Education (Counseling) programs as meeting the academic requirements for a person to be a Registered Counselor.  However, I’ve heard that in practice, the Board does require most applicants to have a Masters degree in Counseling.  The exception is UKM’s (post) graduate diploma in Counseling.

Finally, if you do want to work with JPA (in a public school/university as a registered counselor), you have to ensure that not only your Masters Degree in Counseling is accredited by the MQA, but also your undergraduate degree.

Let us know if you do find out more information from the Board!

charis

I came across your website by chance while trying to google on companies/centers where I can work after completing my Advanced Diploma in Counseling Psychology course.

I have been working for near 20 years and is currently taking an Advanced Diploma in Counseling Psychology course in Linguistic Council. This is a part time course on every Sat. The course is actually equivalent to first year of Bachelor Degree in Counseling Psychology from Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP). As my passion is always to help and make a difference in people lives, I have always wanted to be a qualified counselor. That is what prompted me to take on this course after being out of school for so long and in my late 30s now.

As time is an essence to me now, I intend to work in a company or center which will allow me to have hands on experience and / or training while I complete my Advanced Dip and maybe to continue till my degree, as to complete my Master and before I can be a licensed counselor will take me many more years. Can you advise me where or which company/center will hire people like me ? I can’t go on voluntary service as I still have my commitments at home.

FYI, I’m now a recruitment consultant which I also tend to counsel my candidates who are having career change anxiety or stagnation. I find joy in seeing these people succeed, be it in terms of career advancement or merely to know what they want at the end of the day. However, my Management is pushing me for results (close more jobs), rather than spending too much time counseling candidates which to them doesn’t bring any $$$ to the company. That is why I am very dreadful in where I am now. I just want to be in a place where I am employed to help others in need without having a $$$ target tied to my KPIs.

Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks

regards & hopeful

Pat

Dear Pat,

Your journey sounds quite interesting. May I ask about your educational background? Do you have prior diplomas and degrees? If you have, maybe you can proceed from there.

You can look up this page for places that offer counseling services. Try calling them up or walking in to ask if they could find use for hiring someone with your experience and background.

The best learning experience would really come from volunteering. You may volunteer during weekends or whenever you have time off work. Places that offer counseling services for the public are often run by charities so they can really use your voluntary assistance. On the other hand, places that pay might have high requirements for those they recruit and may not be the best places to learn.

I hope this opinion of mine is helpful to you.

Please write again.

Yvonne

Hi Pat,

Are you doing your advance diploma in counseling or advance diploma in psychology?  From the Linguistic Council’s website, they do not appear to offer an advance diploma in Counseling Psychology (which is different from counseling).

If you join a company where your main job profile is to help bring in employees/students/recruiters, then yes, it is not surprising that the company will not want you to spend your time helping people discover their vocational interests.  If you want to work in a place where you can help people without having to worry about bringing the money, then unfortunately, Yvonne is right.  You need to go to a non-corporate organization.  Having said that, a lot of these organizations do have job vacancies and do pay if you work full time with them.  Its just that they cannot afford to pay much.  These jobs include being a youth worker, trainer, camp organizer, social worker…etc.  These are the jobs where you will be able to use the wonderful helping skills that you’ve learned at your diploma program.

If you have financial obligations and need to keep your corporate job (most of us do!), then do consider Yvonne’s advice about volunteering during off working hours to help you get more practical experience with your helping skills.  You may want to consider dropping by at CareerSense at HELP University College where they can provide you with a list of places for potential employment/volunteer hours.  Also, you may want to enquire about job opportunities (full-time/part time) from this company: http://www.leaderonomics.com.  Of course, job offers would also depend on your work experience and educational background, i.e. whether you already have a degree or working experience in this field.

Its really good to hear that you are considering pursuing your education and eventually becoming a licensed counselor, Patricia!  It may take time, but if you do enjoy your studies, that I think that it is a worthwhile investment.  One thing, however, is that you may want to do is to check whether your program has been accredited by the Malaysia Qualifications Register (MQA).

All the best!

charis

I have a son who is turning to 3 years by 25/11/2009. He is an active boy and with superb memory. He recognizes a-z, 1-20 when he was at age 11/2 and now he can read simple story books like Peter and Jane etc and write simple word on whiteboard. He went to kindergarten when he was in age 1 1/2 till now. When he was about 6 months in kindergarten, the teacher informed me that she found my son is quite weak in socialization, daily living skills, analyzing skills etc. Moreover, I notice his hand is shaking when he is focusing and concentrating in doing something.

He is a strong-willed child, he would go for what he wanted to do/have and never give up, no matter how i persuade him or threaten to spank him.  For example, if he wishes to walk alone himself or run around in public, and I tell him to hold my hand or to stop running around, he would just ignore my command and do his own way.  Even if he is in an unfamiliar place or with unfamiliar people, he is not afraid walking alone by himself.

I wish to bring him to seek for professional advise and assessment. But would it be too young for his age to do such test? should i wait till he is at the age of 4 or 5?

Thanks and regards,

Tina

November 6, 2009
Dear Tina,

I’m glad to hear that your son’s teacher has taken time to observe your son and to provide you with you feedback on his behavior in school.  Also, you have seriously considered what his teacher has said and compared this with how your son behaves when he is with you, as well as with strange people.

Age 3 is usually the stage when a child is experiencing an increasing awareness of his environment and is venturing out more from the safety of his primary caregiver and learning to respond to his or her environment.  So it is not surprising that you are learning more about your son social, cognitive and physical development.

Different disorders are usually evident at different developmental ages.  For example, mental retardation and pervasive developmental disorders are usually evident in the first years of life.  For attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, most children are diagnosed only after the symptoms have been present for a number of years, although some hyperactive-impulsive or inattention symptoms that cause impairment must have been present before age 7 years.

In your son’s situation, I do not think that it is too early for you to bring your child in for a psychological assessment.  The clinician may not want to make a determining diagnosis, since your son is still young, but a provisional diagnosis can be made, with a follow-up assessment to monitor your son’s progress.  A provisional diagnosis essentially means that this disorder may be a possibility, but it is still early to be conclusive, or we need more time to monitor and see if symptoms persist.  A psychological assessment at this stage would at least give you a better idea about your son’s situation and enable you to discuss about treatment interventions with the clinician.

Before seeing a psychologist for testing, I would strongly recommend that you take your son to a pediatrician for a full medical check up.  You may also want to discuss with the pediatrician about referring your son to a neurologist who has experience with assessing children.  Do bring these medical reports from these medical specialists to the psychologist, if possible.

The type of assessment tools and tests used in the psychological assessment will vary depending on who you go to.  However, the psychological assessment should include a detailed biopsychosocial interview, a cognitive assessment, behavior/symptom checklist, neuropsychological testing (if this has not been conducted by the neurologist) and any other assessment materials.  Your son’s teacher is an important source of knowledge as well, so the psychologist should include the teacher’s input in the psychological assessment.

I do not know where you are residing.  If you live in the KL/PJ area, there are many places where you can bring your son to for a psychological assessment.  Please visit our “Where to find services” page on our “For the public” section.  Penang also has some psychologists who may be able to assist you.

I hope that this helps, Tina.  Do keep us updated.

charis