Psychology

Explore roles in Clinical, Counselling, and Educational Psychology in the social service sector.

Last updated 3 January 2025

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Overview

Clinical Psychologist

Counselling Psychologist

Educational Psychologist

Career progression

Possible workplaces

A female staff observes and takes notes while a client stacks colourful blocks. NCSS psychology roles in social service.

Overview

Empower the vulnerable to build psychological resilience, abilities and overall well-being to improve their abilities to cope with daily life.

In the social service sector, the path of psychology includes roles in Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology and Educational Psychology.

Clinical Psychologist

As a Clinical Psychologist, you will assess the needs, abilities and behaviour of clients using a variety of methods. Through therapy and treatment, you can help individuals living with mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, addiction, eating disorders, social and interpersonal problems, as well as challenging behaviours.

Key responsibilities

A Clinical Psychologist assesses the clients’ clinical functioning needs, abilities and behaviour using a variety of methods, such as psychometric tests, interviews and direct observation of behaviour. This includes:

Interpreting psychological assessment results and making recommendations for intervention.
Developing and executing group psycho-educational and psychotherapy programmes.
Providing consultation and advice to clients, families and staff.

Education requirements

Education requirements for Clinical Psychologist

To be a/an	Minimum requirements	Recommended programmes	More information
Clinical Psychologist	An accredited Master’s in Applied Psychology	NUS’s Master of Psychology (Clinical) JCU’s Master of Psychology (Clinical)	To qualify for the Masters programme At least 2 years of working experience At least Bachelor degree (2nd Upper honors) Honors thesis Require to take up statistics as a core subject in Masters programme • Overseas qualifications accredited by a recognized accreditation body. Please refer to professional council for the list of other Degree from a foreign accredited university. Fulfil 1,000 hours of supervised practice on the job and graduate with a Masters degree before registering to be a registered Psychologist with Singapore Psychological Society
Information as of February 2018. Job titles may vary across agencies.

Counselling Psychologist

As a Counselling Psychologist, you can help people improve their sense of well-being by alleviating their distress. With your help, clients can improve their abilities to solve problems and make decisions independently.

A female counseling psychologist smiles while using a picture book to engage with a client.

Key responsibilities

A Counselling Psychologist assesses the needs of clients using a variety of methods, such as psychometric tests, interviews and direct observation of behaviour. This includes:

Developing appropriate treatment programmes, such as therapy, counselling or advice for clients.
Developing and executing group psycho-educational and psychotherapy programmes.
Providing consultation and advice to clients, families and staff.

Education requirements

Education requirements for Counselling Psychologist

To be a/an	Minimum requirements	Recommended programmes	More information
Counselling Psychologist	An accredited Master’s in Applied Psychology	NIE Master of Arts (Applied Psychology), specialization in Counseling Psychology	To qualify for the Masters programme At least 2 years of working experience At least Bachelor degree (2nd Upper honors) Honors thesis Require to take up statistics as a core subject in Masters programme Overseas qualifications accredited by a recognized accreditation body. Please refer to professional council for the list of other Degree from a foreign accredited university. Fulfil 1,000 hours of supervised practice on the job and graduate with a Masters degree before registering to be a registered Psychologist with Singapore Psychological Society
Information as of January 2019. Job titles may vary across agencies.

Educational Psychologist

As an Educational Psychologist, you will help young people tackle issues in education, often involving learning difficulties, special needs, and social or emotional problems. You will provide guidance to students, and work closely with schools and families on issues on educational support.

Key responsibilities

An Educational Psychologist coordinates and conducts psychological assessments of students. This includes:

Providing intervention strategies to students to support their learning and development.
Implementing strategies to ensure quality psycho-educational services for students with special needs.
Providing guidance and advice to teachers, teaching staff, parents and caregivers on educational support for students with special needs.

Education requirements

Education requirements for Educational Psychologist

To be a/an	Minimum requirements	Recommended programmes	More information
Educational Psychologist	An accredited Master’s in Applied Psychology	NIE’s Master of Arts (Applied Psychology), specialization in Educational Psychology or Counselling Psychology	To qualify for the Masters programme At least 2 years of working experience At least Bachelor degree (2nd Upper honors) Honors thesis Require to take up statistics as a core subject in Masters programme Overseas qualifications accredited by a recognized accreditation body. Please refer to professional council for the list of other Degree from a foreign accredited university. Fulfil 1,000 hours of supervised practice on the job and graduate with a Masters degree before registering to be a registered Psychologist with Singapore Psychological Society
Information as of January 2019. Job titles may vary across agencies.

Career progression

Possible workplaces

A female psychologist takes notes while observing a group session.

Assessment and Educational Services in Social Service Agencies
Clinics
Community Health Centres
Day Activity Centres
Day Care Centres
Early Intervention Centres
Family Service Centres
Halfway Houses
Nursing Homes
Retirement Homes
Senior Community Centres
Special Student Care Centres
Special Education Schools
Voluntary Children’s Homes