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SINGAPORE \u2013 Ahead of the impending mandatory registration for psychologists<\/span><\/a> in Singapore, at least 870 of them have voluntarily registered with the Singapore Psychological Society (SPS), offering an initial indication of the total number of psychologists practising here.\u00a0<\/p>\n This number, which is up from around 700 in early 2024, is expected to grow further as SPS continues to process new applications to the register, said SPS president Adrian Toh.\u00a0<\/p>\n There is a shortage of mental health professionals, such as psychologists, as the demand for mental health services here rises, but without a mandatory registration system<\/span><\/a>, it is hard to pinpoint the exact number of qualified psychologists practising here. <\/p>\n As part of a broader national effort to strengthen the mental health infrastructure in Singapore to ensure timely support, the Government has said that it aims to increase the number of public-sector psychologists by about 40 per cent by 2030 or earlier<\/span><\/a>, as well as offer a registration framework for these practitioners to enhance standards and safety.<\/p>\n At the March 5 debate on the Ministry of Health\u2019s (MOH) budget, Senior Minister of State for Health Koh Poh Koon said the ministry will be registering psychologists in five sub-disciplines \u2013 clinical, educational, counselling, forensic psychology and clinical neuropsychology. The detailed schedule, requirements and road maps for the registration will be announced by early 2027, he added. <\/p>\n The five sub-disciplines were identified as these psychologists provide direct care involving higher-risk assessments and interventions across various sectors that warrant regulatory oversight. <\/p>\n MOH said the registration requirements, which are being developed by an inter-agency committee, will be based on international standards, local and overseas regulatory frameworks, current SPS criteria for registered psychologists, and feedback from public- and private-sector psychologists. <\/p>\n Mr Toh, who is among a group of psychologists advocating mandatory registration for more than a decade, said that without regulation, anyone can claim to be a psychologist even if they do not have the relevant qualifications or training. This may harm or affect the recovery of a patient, he said in a March 10<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/a>podcast with ST Health Check<\/span><\/a> on how patients can check if their chosen psychologist is the right one for them. <\/p>\n The 870 or so registered psychologists here are listed on SPS\u2019 Singapore Register of Psychologists (SRP), which the public can use to verify if their selected psychologist is qualified to provide psychological care, he said. <\/p>\n Only psychologists who hold a master\u2019s or doctoral degree in applied psychology, with a recognised area of specialisation such as clinical, counselling, educational, forensic, health, industrial-organisational, neuropsychology or sports psychology, are eligible for registration on the SRP.<\/p>\n The postgraduate training must also include substantial supervised practicum experience to ensure that psychologists receive formal training in providing psychological services directly to clients, he said.<\/p>\n SPS currently has 1,668 members, including not just registered psychologists but also other psychology graduates and professionals as well as students and trainees.<\/p>\n In the podcast episode, Mr Toh and Dr Cassandra Neo, an SPS council member who is trained in educational psychology, unpacked the roles of a clinical psychologist and an educational psychologist to explain what kind of help the sub-disciplines offer.<\/p>\n They also discussed why it is important to regulate psychologists and the questions patients must ask a psychologist to ensure they are getting the right help.<\/p>\n Clinical, educational and counselling psychologists are the biggest psychological sub-disciplines here, Mr Toh said.<\/p>\n Counselling psychologist Lanurse Chen, who was not involved in the podcast, said that although there is considerable overlap in practice, counselling psychologists typically focus on helping individuals cope with stress and personal challenges during life transitions, while clinical psychologists often work with those who have more severe or complex psychological conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest misconception about counselling psychologists in Singapore is that we deal only with \u2018mild\u2019 problems or provide a listening ear,\u201d said Ms Chen. <\/p>\n \u201cIn reality, counselling psychologists are trained mental health professionals who use evidence-based psychological approaches to support individuals facing a wide range of emotional, relational and psychological challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n