Champions of people’s well-being

The course incorporates 504 hours of clinical placements in government agencies and private organisations, of which 192 hours would involve direct, face-to-face client contact.

Dr Tam says that the course is open to anyone with a bachelor’s degree in any field, including recent graduates or working professionals seeking to know more about counselling.

“Students need to have a passion and desire to know more about human beings and the problems they face, and be interested in helping themselves and the people around them,” says Dr Tam.

Although she graduated with a degree in mathematics, Dr Tam chose to pursue counselling to help the community by addressing the various mental illnesses and family problems she saw around her.

At Monash Malaysia, students benefit greatly from a diverse team of highly experienced and accredited academics and psychologists.

They also have access to world-class laboratories and facilities. These include group and individual counselling rooms equipped with two-way mirrors, observation side rooms and recording devices.

According to Assoc Prof Shamsul, counsellors can promote mental health both at the organisational and community levels.

“In an organisation, they can help improve relationships between co-workers, contribute to crisis management and manage work stress, thus playing a major role in reducing job dissatisfaction and improving performance,” he says.

“At the community level, counsellors can deal with relationship problems through marriage or couple counselling as well as manage personal grief, trauma and various types of mental health issues.

“At schools, they can help modify students’ academic behaviour and address peerrelation problems.”

For more information on the Master of Professional Counselling, visit www.monash.edu.my.