Clinical psychology is one of the most popular sub-fields within the discipline of psychology. It involves the application of psychological theories, principles and methods to the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders and other forms of abnormal behaviour. Traditionally, clinical psychologists worked in the department of psychiatry in hospitals. Their role was to utilise their skills of administering and interpreting standardised psychological tests to help psychiatrists with their diagnoses as well as in treatment and psychotherapy. Today, the field of clinical psychology has branched into a number of sub-specialisations.

1. The Status of Clinical Psychology in Malaysia
Dr Noor Hassline Mohamed
Senior Lecturer & SPADA Coordinator
Clinical Psychologist
Faculty of Psychology & Education
University Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

2. To identify the factors contribute to the
shortage of clinical psychologists in
Malaysia
To suggest the better ways how to
solve the problems of shortage in the
discipline of clinical psychology

3. Malaysian Teens Are Suffering from Mental
Health Problems
• 16 year old girl killed herself
after her instagram followers
voted for her death’
• ‘Student found dead on day of
PT3 exam’
• ‘Private university reels from two
student suicides in space of a
week’
• ‘Depressed student allegedly
commits suicide’
Students amongst the highest to suffer from poor
mental health
A previous study also showed that 56% of medical
students were stressed due to lack of awareness
of mental health
57,570 women had sought treatment for mental
illness at government hospitals between 2010 and
2017.
4.2mil Malaysians Living with Mental Health
Issues

4. 13yo Penang Teenager Hangs Himself Because He
Was Unable to Finish Homework
• We’ve all been there before, stressing about something
that we needed to do. It’s very sad to see people hurting
themselves over these things, physically or mentally.
• A 13-year-old boy in George Town made the decision to
take his own life after he couldn’t finish his homework.

5. Retrieved from the National Health and Morbidity
Survey 2015
• The overall prevalence of mental health problem among children
was 12.1% (children = 5 to 15 years old).
• Risk factors (children): boys, younger age group and from rural
areas.
• Prevalence of mental health problems in children: peer problem
(32.5%), conduct problems (16.7%), emotional problems (e.g.
anxiety, depression, 15.7%), pro-social skill (11.2%) and
hyperactivity (4.6%).
• http://www.iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/nhmsrepo
rt2015vol2.pdf

6. Malaysia's Mental Health Advisory Council,
there is currently a severe shortage of clinical
psychologist where the ratio of a clinical
psychologist is only 1:980,000.
Lack of clinical psychologists means long wait
for patients (Dr Nur, 2019)
NATION
Friday, 17 May 2019
12:00 AM MYT
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/05/17/lack-of-
clinical-psychologists-means-long-wait-for-patients

7. The government must address the
shortage of competent experts, especially
clinical psychologists, to deal with mental
health problems (Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye,
2016)
National Health and Morbidity Survey (2015),
29.2% of Malaysians above the age of 16
suffered from mental illness
11.2 per cent increase from 2006

8. 4.2mil Malaysians
1 in 3 have mental health issues but
lack access to clinical psychologists
(Datuk Dr Zulkifli, 2017).
FREE MALAYSIAN TODAY
December 12, 2017 7:00 AM

9. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
• Clinical psychology is one of the most popular subfields
within the discipline of psychology.
• It involves the application of psychological theories,
principles and methods to the assessment, diagnosis and
treatment of mental disorders and other forms of
abnormal behaviour.

10. Understanding
Psychological Testing and
Assessment
• Tests and assessments are two separate
but related components of a
psychological evaluation.
• Clinical psychologists use both types of
tools to help them arrive at a diagnosis
and a treatment plan.

11. PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING
• Involves the administration of
psychological tests, such as
questionnaires or checklists.
• For example,
– An intelligence test
– Personality test
– Mental health test
• Occurs as part of the process of
psychological assessment.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
• Involves numerous techniques
and tools used to understand the
patients:
– Interview
– Demographic information
– Medical information
– Personal history
– Psychological tests
– Observational data

12. DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT PLAN
DIAGNOSIS
• The process of identifying and
determining the nature of a disease
or disorder by its signs and
symptoms, through the use of
assessment techniques (e.g., tests
and observation).
• Psychological diagnoses have been
codified for professional use,
notably in the DSM–5.
TREATMENT PLAN
• A detailed plan tailored to the
individual patient and is a powerful
tool for engaging the patient in their
treatment, which include:
– Patient’s personal information
– Diagnosis of the disorder
– Outline of the treatment
prescribed (psychotherapies)
– A space to measure outcomes as
the client progresses through
treatment

13. ISSUES
1. What's all the fuss about the need for
more clinical psychologists?
2. Can’t the psychiatrists and counsellors
do the clinical psychologists work?
3. What do clinical psychologists do?

14. Work of Clinical
Psychologists

15. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST TASKS
• Traditionally, clinical psychologists worked in the department
of psychiatry in hospitals.
• Their role was to utilise their skills of administering and
interpreting standardised psychological tests to help
psychiatrists with their diagnoses as well as in treatment and
psychotherapy.
• Today, the field of clinical psychology has branched into a
number of sub-specialisations.

16. SUB-SPECIALISATIONS
• Identify and diagnosis psychological, emotional or behavioural issues
• Administering and interpretation of standardised psychological tests
• Involve in treatment of psychological disorders
• Provide counselling, psychotherapy, and intervention
• Involve in health promotion, neuropsychological assessment and
forensic
• Conduct lectures in the colleges, university or teaching hospitals
• Conduct research
• Publish research findings in industry journals

17. Malaysia is lacking in
clinical psychologists to deal
with the mental health
problem of the people and
maintain their psychological
wellbeing.

18. Malaysian Teens Are Suffering from Mental
Health Problems

20. Why do we
need clinical
psychologists
???

21. Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and counsellors
work with people to resolve mental, emotional and
behavioural issues, they each approach
methodology and practice in different ways.
Clinical psychologists tend to spend more time than
psychiatrists in counselling clients.
Clinical psychologists focuses on individuals with
more serious mental health issues than counsellors.

22. Clinical psychologist is a mental health
professional with highly specialised training in the
diagnosis and psychological treatment of mental,
behavioural and emotional illnesses.

23. Difference between
Clinical Psychologist and
Counsellor

24. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST VS COUNSELLOR
• Since clinical psychologists also use counselling techniques in
their therapy, their role is sometimes confused with that of
counsellors who assist people with problems that are not
very serious.
• In Malaysia, this confusion has been further compounded by
the fact that in government hospitals, instead of creating
more positions for clinical psychologists, positions of
counsellors are increased.

25. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST VS COUNSELLOR
COUNSELLOR
• Has a stronger focus on healthy
individuals, who have fewer
pathological mental problems.
• Including relationship issues,
substance abuse, career advice,
or difficulty adapting to life
changes.
• Involved mainly with vocational
and career assessment
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
• Has a stronger focus on
individuals with a psychosis or
mental disorders.
• Including bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia, and major
depressive disorders.
• Involved mainly in mental and
behavioural disorder assessment

27. Overlapping between
Clinical Psychologist and
Psychiatrist

28. CLINICAL
PSYCHOLOGIST
VS
PSYCHIATRIST
The work of a
clinical
psychologist
often overlaps
with a
psychiatrist

29. The Similarities Between Psychologists and
Psychiatrists
• Both clinical psychologists and psychiatrists diagnose
and treat patients for mental disorders; their work
concerns the health of the brain, as well as the thoughts,
feeling and emotions of their patients.
• Both interview and assess their patients, and use the
criteria from the DSM-5 to diagnose mental illnesses
such as anxiety, depression, dissociative identity
disorder and more.

30. The Treatment Differences (Clinical Psychologist)
• Clinical psychologists treat their patients using therapy.
• This variety includes:
– Cognitive therapy
– Cognitive-behavioral therapy
– Humanistic therapy
– Psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapies
• Psychotherapy is also a key element in the diagnosis and
treatment of a psychiatrist’s patients.

31. The Treatment Differences (Psychiatrist)
• The ability to prescribe medication has often been the
distinguishing element between a psychiatrist and a psychologist.
• A psychiatrist can prescribe medication for the treatment of
mental disorders, while a psychologist cannot.
• In the last 15 years, this distinction has started changing, albeit
at a slow pace.
• Since 2002, three states – New Mexico, Louisiana and most
recently Illinois – have begun allowing psychologists to prescribe
medications in the treatment of mental health disorders. But not
in Malaysia.

32. Lack of Clinical
Psychologists Means Long
Wait for Patients

33. There are not enough clinical
psychologists to go around in Malaysia.
If someone needs to see a mental health
professional, the waiting period can be
between eight months and a year.
(Dr Nur Anuar Abdul Muthalib, 2017)
Vice President of Yayasan Hasanah

34. Based on the 1996 and 2015 National
Health and Morbidity Surveys, in 2015,
4.2 million ( 1 in 3 Malaysians) were
affected by mental health problems. Yet,
the country severely lacks clinical
psychologists to treat such patients.
(Lim Su Lin, 2015)
Penang Institute Policy

35. Clinical psychologists in Malaysia,
although few in numbers, have great
potential in providing significant services
in the treatment of psychologically-
related disorders in almost every level of
sub-specialities of medicine.
(Rahmatullah Khan, 2008)
Professor of Clinical Psychology

36. Reasons for the Shortage
of Clinical Psychologists

37. REASONS
1. Shortage of qualified lecturers to conduct courses.
2. Specialised course, only offered
– at the post graduate level
– in a few institutions of higher learning
3. The registry under Allied Health Professions Act in 2016 is still
pending
4. The position is limited at the public hospitals or services (only 1
full time clinical psychologist onboard.
– instrumental in psychiatric departments
– cannot prescribe medicine

38. Number of Clinical Psychologists

39. Instrumental in Psychiatric Departments
• Both complement each other in stabilising a patient’s
condition.
• Psychiatrists diagnose mental disorders and offer
biomedical treatment, often with medication, but
popping pills alone cannot cure underlying issues that
lead to a disorder.

40. Cannot Prescribe Medicine
• Clinical psychologists cannot prescribe medicine, but they
are trained to do psychological assessments, crucial for
accurate diagnosis of some disorders.
• However, they also administer clinical interventions to
assist in emotional and mental recovery, as well as long-
term behavioural change.

41. Limited Position Offered
• In 2008, the Public Service Department created 105
positions for psychology officers, however, these
positions are to be taken up also by counsellors,
psychologists and clinical psychologists.
• In 2017, there were 188 counsellors, who deal with
less severe emotional distress compared with 14
clinical psychologists within a non-psychiatric setting
and 114 psychiatrists.

42. Suggestions to Solve the
Problems of Shortage in
the Discipline of Clinical
Psychologists

43. DEMAND
• The demand is great in medical faculties that incorporate
clinical psychology programme in the psychiatry department
for teaching undergraduates pursuing medical doctor degree.
• Presently only 2 public universities in Malaysia that run post
graduate programme of clinical psychology:
– Universiti Kebangssan Malaysia (UKM)
– Universiti Sains Malaysia (UPSI-USM)

44. Increase Qualified Lecturers
• The Ministry of Education should meet the demands for more clinical
psychologists.
• Students invited to do psychology locally/overseas and later
subspecialise in clinical psychology such as:
– clinical neuropsychology (needed by the neuro-sciences department)
– forensic psychology (needed by the police force and the prisons
department)
– health psychology (needed by the medical personnel)
• When these students return, they should be held responsible to run the
post graduate programme locally.

45. Increase Clinical Psychologists at Public
Facilities
• Many public facilities have only one full-time clinical
psychologist onboard.
• This makes the waiting list even longer for other patients.
• Because the treatment duration for each case is long, by
increasing the number of clinical psychologists can reduce the
issues.

46. Improve Recruitment System
• The recruitment system could be part of the problem.
• These specialisations (clinical psychology, counselling and IO
psychology) have different entry requirements.
• Under the civil service, should distinguish the scheme for
clinical psychologists, counsellors and general psychologists.
• This will give better opportunity for clinical psychologists to
be placed in the public services.

47. How to Become a Clinical
Psychologist in Malaysia

48. REQUIREMENT (ACADEMIC)
• To become a Clinical Psychologist in Malaysia you need to:
– Obtain a good grade in a Psychology undergraduate
degree
– Complete a Masters in Clinical Psychology
– Become a full member of the Malaysian Society of Clinical
Psychology (MSCP)
– This gives ‘Professional Accreditation’ in Malaysia.
• If you study in UK you may need to study a doctorate rather
than a Masters degree.

49. Do I need to be registered
to become a Clinical
Psychologist in Malaysia?

50. ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSION ACT 2016
• Allied Health Professions Act (2016)
made it illegal for someone to call
themselves a ‘Clinical Psychologist’
unless they are registered.
• The law has not yet been enforced
because the register needs to cover
many different professions.
• The list of 23 professions ranges from
Speech and Language Therapists to
Nutritionists.

51. ALLIED HEALTH
PROFESSION
ACT 2016
• Crucially, an Act will provide for a
registry of clinical psychologists.
• Under such an Act, all clinical
psychology practitioners will have to
be registered and meet the standards
stipulated.
• This will protect the public from
being deceived by organisations or
individuals who claim to posses
expertise in the field.

52. Who Accredits Clinical
Psychologists in
Malaysia?

53. ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSION ACT 2016
• The Malaysian Society of Clinical
Psychology (MSCP) is a professional
society that accredits Clinical
Psychology courses and Clinical
Psychologists.
• Becoming a full member of the
MSCP helps show that you are fully
qualified.