Mental Health Research

[Luci@]

Hi!

I am new on the forum. I would like to know whether Singapore government places great importance on mental health research (e.g. anxiety, depression etc.)? If so, where is this type of research conducted? I searched NUS and Nanyang University websites, but did not find what I was looking for.

Thanks!

[Strong Eagle]

I've got no idea but I know who does... SACAC... http://www.sacac.com/

They have offered counseling services for years.

[taxico]

institute of mental health.

[Luci@]

Hello!

Thanks for your responses. Your links are a good start, although I should probably try again since the mental health institute's website has some links that don't work at the moment.

I am following up with some details about my experience. It mostly entails working on federally funded grants in the domain of Psychology. There aren't my grants, but it certainly entails great experience-for example, conducting interviews with children suffering from anxiety disorders. Based on these interviews we determine whether children are eligible for treatment (cognitive-behavioral therapy). I am currently getting trained to conduct treatment and I should start doing the actual treatment starting in fall. Aside from this, I am trained in research - writing articles related to above. My internship alone will be worth 4000 hours of clinical work, although my actual experience would be much greater since the program I'm in is 5 years long. I have related experience working in different labs prior to graduate schoool, and limited experience as a social worker (which I'd rather not do).

Is my area of expertise something that is needed in Sg? I noticed that it is mostly the IT people that are most successful there, but you never know. So, it's mostly research experience (in the context of clinical trials - testing out how treatments work - can be applied to other areas not only anxiety) and clinical experience. Most students when they finish the degree go for a post-doctoral assignment or straight into academia. Any comments would be appreciate it. Thanks!

[taxico]

in singapore, if you don't have a medical degree, it's difficult to get access to patients.

board-certification in other fields may help with access, but based on what i know, not usually in research positions.

i am unsure exactly what qualifications you have, and if you're keen on finding research data OR if you're looking for a job.

"experience" alone does not cut it in singapore most of the time.

[Luci@]

Hi!

I'm glad you responded!
Right now I am in a doctoral (PhD) program in Psychology. So, at the end of my training I will have a doctoral (not medical though) degree. So, if the title is what counts, i'll have it.
My idea is to work in academic/university and conduct research there as part of a lab - whether on my own or with a senior professor. It is quite a huge deal, but tipically this is what students do, at least here in the US after graduation. Others follow the post doc route and help setting up a research project for a professor who is already established and conduct their research on the side with the data that becomes available from the project.

So, I will be looking for a job that involves research ideally in an university setting. I also like the applied/clinical aspect of Psychology, so ideally the research will be in an area of clinical interest (e.g. anxiety disorders).

If you know anything about the requirements for the above in Sg, please let me know.
Otherwise, what type of certification will I need to practice strictly clincal work (e.g. counseling/therapy) there? Here, for example, I'm currently completing my internship and work in a child clinic. Then I need to take an exam and obtain Florida licence. Are there requirements along these same lines in Sg?
How about teaching jobs at the uni level? I checked out NUS website and noticed that they have a couple of lecturers for the Psych. department, which means those people are only teaching. Will my degree qualify for teaching purposes (let's say at the undergraduate level)?

I know these are a lot of questions, but I would appreciate your answers.
Glad to know you are from Florida, as well!

[taxico]

good luck with your phd! that's one path i know i won't have the discipline to walk down...

http://singaporepsychologicalsociety.org/register.cfm

have a lookit over there, and contact them. from your second post, i think you should qualify without a problem - but getting a research job is something else altogether.

regarding university employment, you only have the choice of NUS, as i understand no other singapore universities have a psychology department ("private" schools running degree programs don't count).

you could try A-star too, as i know they maintain a pool of psychologists, although their research areas may not be what you're after... but they have plenty o' clout.

good luck with the job hunt! i think singapore needs more practicing psychologists, so people see less of psychiatrists.

[taxico]

oh, btw, if i recall correctly, there's no need to join SPS to practice in singapore (it's not required by law) - they just maintain a register and give support to its members. something like that...