Unqualified people, including 'ordinary teen', offer mental health services on Carousell

An ex-psychology undergraduate and a self-professed "ordinary teenager" are among unqualified individuals drawing upon their life experiences to offer counselling services on online marketplace Carousell.

Some of them offer their services for free, others charge between $1 and $70.

These offers of counselling services by the unqualified alarm mental health professionals, who say such individuals may cause more harm than good in people seeking help for their mental well-being.

In addition to concerns over the ethics and risks of improper treatment, the issue is complicated by the fact that the counselling sector is currently unregulated.

While there is a wide range of mental health professionals in Singapore, only psychiatrists, who are medically trained doctors, are regulated by the Singapore Medical Council now.

Qualified practitioners said they have seen a rise in untrained individuals offering such therapy services on social media and messaging platforms.

The Straits Times referred at least 16 listings of counselling services on Carousell to the Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC), which said it was concerned about the listings.

The listings either do not give clear assurances of proper qualifications, or have misrepresented their services as adequate counselling and mental health interventions and support to potential clients, said the association.

SAC provides guidance on the professional and ethical conduct for its over 2,000 members. It has reached out to Carousell to engage the platform on possible safeguards to protect consumers.

Suggestions by SAC include creating a special category for services like counselling, where there would be mandatory fields like qualifications acquired that would need to be filled in before listing.

This is important as Carousell users include "a wide demographic group where awareness and information may not always be readily available to them", said SAC president Andy Lam.

In response to queries from ST, a Carousell spokesperson said that the company takes a serious view on the sale of prohibited items on the platform, but it is currently not aware of any local regulations regarding counselling services.

The spokesperson added that the company is in touch with SAC on how to better moderate such listings.

As of Feb 25, 15 of the 16 listings ST referred to SAC were still active.

What the listings say

About a third of the counselling service listings on Carousell emphasised their empathetic and non-judgmental personalities.

They also pointed out that their friends and family often turn to them for a listening ear. Some also said they are good at giving advice.

Three listings were upfront that they are not professionals, but most of the others provided few details about their credentials and experience.

When ST, in the role of a potential client, contacted the people behind the listings, some of them offered relationship, marriage or child counselling services even when they said that they had not undergone professional training for these purposes.

Some of the services were offered for free, while others charged between $1 and $70. At social service agencies and in the private sector, counselling sessions range from around $100 to $300 an hour.

Potential damage

Dr Jonathan Kuek, adjunct lecturer at James Cook University, said it is a common misconception that people with plenty of life experience and empathy would make competent mental health professionals.

"Providing a formal service is more complicated than just knowing how to relate to people or provide advice. Most mental health professionals do not actively offer advice but seek to help people derive their own solutions or, in some cases, teach skills to help them manage various challenges they may be facing," said Dr Kuek.

SAC's Mr Lam also pointed out that counsellors build ethical awareness and professional discipline to separate their personal feelings and agenda from the work they do.

"This ensures that all therapeutic engagements are conducted within clear ethical guidelines and through professional conduct," said Mr Lam.

He added that professional training involves undergoing a wide range of rigorous academic studies to gain theoretical foundation, and receiving clinical supervision to translate that into practice.

Ms Wong Wun Chee, assistant senior counsellor at Care Corner Counseling Centre said that unqualified help can do more harm than good.

"For example, in marital counselling, an untrained individual may fail to recognise signs of family violence, unintentionally validate toxic and dysfunctional dynamics, or give advice that worsens conflicts. In child counselling, they may misinterpret behavioural issues, fail to create a safe space for the child, or even risk breaching confidentiality," said Ms Wong.

She added: "These mistakes can have long-term emotional and psychological consequences for individuals and families."

ST also spotted one listing by a master's student offering free counselling sessions to fulfil her practicum hours.

Postgraduate programmes in counselling that are recognised by SAC require students to fulfil at least 100 practicum hours.

Mr Lam said that fulfilling practicum hours on such online platforms are not allowed, regardless of the assessment and supervision structure.

This is because the Counsellors' Education Board, which oversees the course recognition scheme at SAC, stipulates that practicum sites should be visited by the trainer at least once during the internship.

Mr Lam also said that trainee counsellors do not usually find their own clients but through the institutions that provide the training.

"SAC will take a strong stance against any institutions running a recognised programme that engage in such a practice," said Mr Lam, adding that it had sent a reminder about this to programmes recognised by SAC on this matter in May 2024.

When approached by ST, the master's student said that she did not know such a practice was not allowed and took down her listing.

What to look out for in a counsellor

Those looking for a counsellor to help them should check if the practitioner has postgraduate qualifications such as master's degrees conferred by nationally recognised universities.

Practitioners should also provide information on their depth of experience in years or hours, and with the areas of their specialisation clearly listed and substantiated, said Mr Lam.

The public should also check if the provider is registered with SAC, he added.

Beware of purported counsellors who promise quick fixes.

Care Corner's Ms Wong said red flags include assurances like "I can fix your trauma in one session", and vague or misleading credentials.

For some years now, SAC has been calling for regulation for the sector, pointing out that it is a necessary step in enhancing mental healthcare for Singapore.

The association said there has been no formal response from government ministries so far.

With the Government making mental health and well-being a key priority on the national agenda, more people are encouraged to seek help. Mr Lam said it is important that help is rendered by qualified counselling professionals.

"In the absence of regulation, the risk of engaging unqualified counsellors remains pronounced, which might result in more harm than good in the mental health recovery process," said Mr Lam.

Dr Kuek concurred, saying: "My argument has always been, if you won't see a doctor without a proper licence, why would you see a mental health professional without one?"