Various opportunities abound in the psychology industry

The ratio of a clinical psychologist to the Malaysian population is 1:980,000, reports Dr Noor Hassline Mohamed of Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

This is a far cry from the expected ratio of 1:5000, signifying an urgent need for more clinical psychologists in the country.

Psychology graduates can approach issues from a humanistic perspective (Source: Pexels)

Enlightening current and prospective psychology students on the state of the field, the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences organised a dialogue session on 11 November entitled “What to do after a degree in Psychology?“

Hosted by Dr Lim Hooi Shan and Associate Professor Dr Anasuya Jegathevi Jegathesan, the event was a laid-back affair mainly dedicated to addressing participants’ concerns about their future career.

Dr Anasuya said that the need for psychology was not limited to just counselling or clinical psychology, but also in underdeveloped areas like neuropsychology and geriatric care.

“Carving out a niche for yourself is definitely possible. Think about your passions.”

Apart from insights into human behaviour, psychology students are familiar with research methods and data handling.

This means graduates have a versatile skill set that can be applied to many other trades involving human interaction.

Dr Lim, on the other hand, added that organisational psychology was blooming in the current endemic phase.

A Free Malaysia Today article echoes this by noting an increased demand for psychologists in areas like training and employee assistance programmes.

She said that psychology graduates can excel in these areas because they understand the factors behind motivation and leadership more than students from business backgrounds.

Besides working, psychology undergraduates have the option of enrolling into the Taylor’s Master of Clinical Psychology programme, which enables them to practice as a clinical psychologist upon graduation.

An important question answered in the Q&A session was the distinction between a counsellor and a clinical psychologist, with the former unable to give diagnoses and the latter permitted to conduct neuropsychological evaluations.

First-year Psychology student Dang Su Seine said the session cleared up her doubts and gave her insight into the current industry landscape under COVID restrictions.

Senior students, like Leen Ahmed, also remain positive about their career prospects.

“The current state of the world has forced us to acknowledge the notoriously low number of individuals who can provide psychological help. Those who study psychology are now as integral as doctors or nurses or teachers,” Leen said.

The next intake for the Master of Clinical Psychology programme is scheduled March 2022.