SINGAPORE – A new counselling track within the national skills framework for the social service sector will map out job pathways for counsellors, and specify the skills and abilities needed for each role.

It will spell out the job roles for different tiers of counselling, from practice to management to research, for instance.

Announcing this on Thursday, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said the new track will better support counsellors in their professional development and shape training programmes to address the sector’s needs.

To help counsellors deepen their abilities, four new job-specific skills – clinical supervision, counselling assessment, counselling intervention and technology application in counselling – have been added to the framework.

Based on publicly available figures, the number of counsellors registered with the Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC) increased from 940 in 2020 to 1,240 in 2022. Other healthcare professionals and social workers also provide counselling as part of their work. 

Launched in 2019, the Skills Framework for Social Service lays out information on job roles, needed skills and training programmes for those who wish to join or progress in the sector. Other tracks under the framework include youth work and early intervention.

Mr Masagos said the four aspects were developed in response to the changing needs of Singapore’s population and the social service sector. For example, there has been higher demand for remote counselling since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many entities, like the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s Strengthening Families Programme@Family Service Centres, have since started providing counselling through live chats, e-mails and phone calls to increase accessibility for clients, he added.

Mr Masagos was speaking at a symposium on counselling and psychotherapy hosted by the SAC and attended by more than 250 mental health professionals at Concorde Hotel Singapore.

“Counsellors are key to supporting individuals and uplifting families,” he said. “This was made especially apparent during the pandemic, where many faced mental health struggles, family conflicts or stress from having their livelihoods affected.”

He added that counselling is a key aspect of the suite of social services provided – for example, family counselling, marital counselling and youth counselling – to enable individuals and families to bounce back and thrive.

Singapore has designed policies and programmes around families, said Mr Masagos. “What may appear initially to be a troubled relationship between a parent and child many a time also involves the other parent and the couple’s marital relationship.”

Social services should also “remain secular and accessible to all, regardless of factors such as their race, religion, and gender”, he said, adding that counselling professionals must be willing to understand and work with world views beyond their own.

Mr Masagos said the Government is working on a tiered approach that organises mental health services according to the severity of needs, one of the recommendations of a national task force on mental health and well-being.

This will allow more efficient use of resources and services, and avoid the “over-medicalisation of mental health issues”, he added.

Social services, including counselling practice, will also need to cater to the needs of the elderly in rapidly ageing Singapore, he said.

Ms Theresa Pong, counselling director and founder of The Relationship Room, who attended the symposium on Thursday, said the new track recognises the importance of counselling and its role in strengthening relationships and building resilience in individuals.

Family dynamics have evolved tremendously, she added, with rising trends such as more transnational, blended and single-parent families in Singapore, she added.

“As we see more and more families from diverse backgrounds and dynamics seeking help to mend relationships or get support for mental health challenges, it is crucial to have a structured pathway or framework in training so that we can work with families with high needs,” said Ms Pong.

These needs include managing highly conflicted disputes, parenting struggles and communication issues, she said.

The counselling track will also help her support her team of counsellors by encouraging discussions on how they can grow in skill sets and helping them come up with training plans.