"Can I be a psychologist after my bachelor's degree?" You may ask...
Ok. Rather than telling the story of the requirements of psychologists in Singapore, let's first start with those in Australia and UK. Why? Because they are more advanced countries in terms of psychological areas and hence would be good examples to follow.
In the UK, to be a Chartered (aka Registered) Psychologist, BPS says "Postgraduate study and training is a requirement to become a Chartered Psychologist and to register as a practitioner psychologist with the Health Professionals Council (HPC). " So you need to have at least a Masters degree or some postgraduate degree (at least!) and it has to be accredited by BPS.
In Australia, APS says "Becoming a psychologist requires at least four years of full-time university study. Common courses are a four-year Bachelor of Psychology or a three-year degree followed by an Honours program in psychology. Graduates must then complete two years of either study in a specialist area or supervised practice. Completing this six-year sequence is a requirement for registering to work as a psychologist in Australia." SO you still need an accredited Masters program too. Accreditation from where? See the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council.
So enough said. Ok back to Singapore. Why is there no regulation again? Can someone (like SPS or the Government) do something?
I rest my case.
Ans: "No!"
"Can I be a psychologist with my Honours degree?" You may ask...
Ans: "In US, DEFINITELY NOO!! In Australia and UK, NO! In Singapore, maybe yes.."
"Why the difference?"
Ans: Because there is no FIXED regulation (or law) in Singapore that you need to have at least postgraduate training to call yourself a psychologist. Worst still, it is not compulsory for a person to be registered with the Register of Psychologist in SPS to be able to work as a psychologist in Singapore.
The only statutory control of any psychologists in Singapore is only the Allied Health Professions Act 2011, which controls over the clinical psychologists but not the others. Too bad for you clinical guys..But in my opinion, there should be an act to have control over all psychologists.
In the UK, to be a Chartered (aka Registered) Psychologist, BPS says "Postgraduate study and training is a requirement to become a Chartered Psychologist and to register as a practitioner psychologist with the Health Professionals Council (HPC). " So you need to have at least a Masters degree or some postgraduate degree (at least!) and it has to be accredited by BPS.
In Australia, APS says "Becoming a psychologist requires at least four years of full-time university study. Common courses are a four-year Bachelor of Psychology or a three-year degree followed by an Honours program in psychology. Graduates must then complete two years of either study in a specialist area or supervised practice. Completing this six-year sequence is a requirement for registering to work as a psychologist in Australia." SO you still need an accredited Masters program too. Accreditation from where? See the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council.
So enough said. Ok back to Singapore. Why is there no regulation again? Can someone (like SPS or the Government) do something?
I rest my case.
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