CHALLENGES FACING ASPIRING PSYCHOLOGISTS
Psychology undergraduate Jerein Sandrasageran knows firsthand how daunting the journey to becoming a qualified psychologist can be.
For a decade, the sports coach watched his athletes struggle with confidence issues, intense pressure and fear of failure. Wanting to better support them, the 34-year-old decided to pursue a psychology degree from Murdoch University at Kaplan.
“It’s a long path to truly becoming a private psychologist or professional psychologist in whatever field we decide,” he said.
“We know that we need postgraduate studies to be accepted or to really do the job, and we need experience as well.
“So we’re kind of caught in the middle where we don’t really have the experience, we don’t really have the further education to do it. And if we don’t have opportunities to gain the experience effectively, then we’ll just be stuck.”
It typically takes about seven years to become a qualified psychologist, starting with an undergraduate degree.
Graduates must then complete clinical placements to gain supervised experience before applying for a postgraduate programme.
Costs can also be a hurdle, especially if candidates have to pursue overseas options due to limited local programmes.
Dr Pearlene Ng, vice-president of the Singapore Psychological Society, said the decision to become a qualified psychologist “takes a lot of sacrifice, not just for themselves but for their family as well”.
She also highlighted placement constraints. Placements are often limited, and there is a shortage of qualified supervisors, leaving many aspiring psychologists struggling to progress.
Even when students secure placements, they still need to see clients who are willing to work with them in order to clock the required training hours, said Dr Ng, who is herself a clinical psychologist.
But she pointed out that members of the public are often reluctant to consult interns or psychologists-in-training, reducing opportunities for trainees to gain practical experience.
The society is now exploring partnerships with institutes of higher learning to expand placement sites and better prepare students for the industry.
