The (licensed) psychologist will see you now

[SINGAPORE] The Republic is set to introduce a national registration framework to regulate psychologists – a move that could mark a turning point for Singapore’s mental health landscape.

Practitioners say this will protect patients while giving greater legitimacy to mental health issues, even as they await further details. Some have expressed concerns that excessively stringent requirements could exacerbate existing practitioner shortages.

Currently, psychologists do not have to be licensed in order to practise in Singapore. They may seek professional recognition through the Singapore Psychological Society’s (SPS) register, but this remains optional.

Plans to introduce the new registration scheme were announced in March by the Ministry of Health (MOH) during its Committee of Supply debate. Then-minister of state Janil Puthucheary said the move will “raise professional standards, safeguard patient safety and increase public confidence in psychological services”.

A committee – comprising government agencies, psychologists, academia and service providers in both the public and private sector – has been set up to look into the framework.

The framework will target specific psychology specialisations rather than the entire profession. Given the broad strokes of the intended system, MOH says it will focus on practitioners who “provide direct patient care, perform higher-risk assessments and interventions, and whose practices may span across various sectors”.

Clinical psychologists are one group affected by these regulations, says the ministry, in response to queries by The Business Times, without specifying the other specialisations that may fall under the framework’s purview.

Jeremy Ang from the Singapore University of Social Sciences notes that direct care of clients can happen in various settings such as private clinics, hospitals, community and correctional settings. The training of psychologists to work in these areas involve training in clinical, educational, neuropsychology or forensic psychology.

The committee’s work is expected to complete in 2026, with more details to be shared from the first half of next year.

Protecting patients

The introduction of a formalised registration system comes after other moves by MOH to strengthen Singapore’s mental health system, in response to a greater demand for services.

In 2023, the ministry introduced its national mental health and well-being strategy, which is designed to improve mental health support across the country.

The strategy introduces a tiered care model that organises mental health services according to the level of need, with services ranging from community to specialist interventions.

But this growing focus on mental health has also created opportunities for exploitation. Unqualified individuals have attempted to exploit the rising demand for psychological services by falsely advertising themselves as licensed psychologists on platforms like online marketplace Carousell.

Yet, without mandatory registration requirements, there exist “limited mechanisms to prevent such misrepresentation”, says SPS president Adrian Toh in an interview with BT. This regulatory gap exposes vulnerable individuals to inappropriate or potentially damaging psychological interventions.

Psychologists tell BT that they have encountered patients who had previously consulted unqualified practitioners, discovered the treatments were illegitimate, and subsequently sought care from credentialled professionals.

Adding to the concern, some unqualified individuals make bold marketing claims on their websites, promoting themselves as Singapore’s “best clinic” despite lacking proper credentials.

This would run afoul of regulations in more mature systems, such as in Australia, clinical psychologist Dr Annabelle Chow notes. Under Australian law, psychologists are not allowed to advertise or solicit clients through testimonials.

A formalised registration system would primarily serve to protect patients from such abuse, say psychologists.

In response to queries, MOH says psychologists who wish to practise in Singapore will be required by law to meet requisite standards.

“Similar to existing frameworks for doctors and lawyers, there will be enforcement mechanisms to take action against both errant psychologists and those who falsely claim to be registered psychologists.”

Such a disciplinary process will send a signal to practitioners that professional ethics and standards within the profession need to be taken seriously, says Dr Chow.

Beyond protecting against malpractice and unethical conduct, establishing a licensing body will boost public confidence and reinforce the legitimacy of psychology as a regulated health profession, says Dr Lohsnah Jeevanandam from the National University of Singapore.

What else to expect

Other aspects of the framework have yet to be revealed, but SPS’ Toh says it is likely to take in best practices from existing professional regulatory models in other countries. The organisation is being consulted in the development of the framework.

For instance, in other jurisdictions, practitioners must meet specific academic and training standards to be licensed. These requirements typically include a postgraduate degree combined with a designated number of supervised clinical practice hours.

This is in line with SPS’ existing requirements to be recognised in its register, notes Toh, meaning most registered psychologists will qualify.

Other established frameworks also include background checks and having a “good standing in the community”, said SUSS’ Ang.

Still, there remains a group of practitioners who provide legitimate services, and have years of clinical experience, despite not meeting these formal requirements. This group includes psychologists who obtained their degrees from unaccredited overseas programmes.

One psychologist, who did not want to be named, raised concerns that this will worsen the existing shortage of mental health professionals in the public sector, which already relies on foreign practitioners to fill gaps in services.

NUS’ Dr Jeevanandam echoes these concerns, noting that licensing requirements could further aggravate the shortage by creating additional barriers for aspiring psychologists entering the field.

To help veteran practitioners who lack the formal qualifications, clinical and educational psychologist Dr Cynthia Yeo suggested that MOH establish an appeal process.

She proposes that these professionals would be permitted to practise only after demonstrating at least five years of relevant field experience and successfully completing an evaluation by a qualified clinical supervisor.

Dr Chow suggests implementing a tiered licensing framework with multiple qualification pathways for psychologists. This approach mirrors Australia’s system, where individuals can pursue either a Master’s degree or complete a structured internship programme after their Bachelor’s degree to obtain their licence.

“The idea is not meant to be punitive, right? The idea is meant to be protective,” she says.

Still, for psychologists who may have overseas credentials, Dr Ang says the authorities would need to carefully consider what would be assessed as eligible for registration.

Specialisation matters?

One contentious issue is the framework’s scope and which categories of psychologists will fall under its jurisdiction.

Based on MOH’s description that the framework will target practitioners who “provide direct care” and conduct “higher-risk assessments and interventions”, psychology educator Carlin Lee interprets this as referring to professionals working within “Tier 4” of Singapore’s national mental health and well-being strategy.

Tier 4 encompasses high-intensity hospital services for individuals with complex mental health needs, delivered by psychiatrists, psychologists and other specialised professionals. These include psychiatric assessments, psychological and medical interventions, and emergency care.

Lee worries this approach would create a hierarchy within the profession, where psychologists not covered by the registration framework are perceived as less important or prestigious since they cannot call themselves licensed psychologists.

“If they don’t belong to (the group being licensed), would they receive fewer clients? Would they be of less prestige?”

And if the specialisations excluded from the framework – such as sports or occupational psychology – are not regarded as equally prestigious since they are not regulated, Lee is concerned that this would discourage aspiring psychologists to consider these fields.

The best approach, he believes, would be to license all psychologists: “I hope that there is no differentiation of psychologists. That means, if you’re registered as a psychologist, then everybody’s the same.”

Dr Geraldine Tan from The Therapy Room believes, though, that once the gears of the framework start running, it can eventually be expanded to govern all psychologists.

“Now we need to start from somewhere. I’m sure that when we start anything, there will be teething problems, but the earlier we start, the earlier we can start troubleshooting all these issues,” she says.

Agreeing, Dr Chow said it makes sense for MOH to start with clinical psychologists, given that they make up the bulk of psychologists in Singapore.

What about other service providers?

Since psychologists are not the only professionals providing therapeutic services to those seeking mental health support, some have questioned whether counsellors should face the same regulatory scrutiny.

Like psychologists, counsellors also contend with unqualified individuals posing as legitimate practitioners.

Still, psychologists agreed that it made sense to start with their profession, given that they diagnose patients.

“Realistically, I think they have to start with psychologists as well, because psychologists have been trained to also diagnose as well… that’s the huge difference between a psychologist as well as a counsellor,” said Dr Yeo.

Andy Lam, president of the Singapore Association for Counselling, says a similar registration framework for counsellors will be appreciated, but acknowledged that regulating these practitioners presents unique challenges.

Unlike other allied health professions such as psychology and social work, counsellors work across more diverse practice areas and sectors, making it difficult to place them under a single governing ministry.

Nevertheless, counsellors are ready if they are regulated next. The psychology licensing rollout will serve as a useful blueprint for counsellors to anticipate and prepare for any future regulatory framework, says Theresa Pong, counselling director at The Relationship Room.

Taking mental health seriously

A formal registration framework could eventually open the doors to addressing broader issues within Singapore’s mental health sector, beyond just professional standards.

Dr Yeo hopes that formalising the practice will eventually prompt authorities to establish guidelines for service fees, which are currently unregulated.

The framework could also facilitate insurance coverage for patients seeking treatment. While some insurance companies already recognise SPS-registered psychologists, Dr Yeo noted that formal licensing would advance this recognition further.

Dr Tan from The Therapy Room hopes the framework will clarify different levels of specialisation within psychology, similar to how the medical profession has tiered credentials ranging from houseman to resident to registrar.

In all, psychologists are hopeful that the registration framework will help bring greater awareness to the public about psychological services and how to seek help from legitimate service providers.

“I think the licensing will also help the public understand who is actually qualified to provide a diagnosis or therapy,” says Dr Tan.

“Right now, there’s a lot of confusion because anyone can call themselves a psychologist, so the framework will help people know who they can trust and what the different titles mean.”