When I first dreamed of becoming a psychologist at the tender age of 16, psychology was almost unheard of in my family and social circle. Social science was looked down upon in the 90s. My family and teachers were worried about my choice of study. A school counselor even tried to dissuade me from pursuing psychology! I’m glad I didn’t listen to him. 

Since my teenage years, I have worked in kindergarten and middle school as a temporary teacher. I have also worked as a case worker in special needs learning center and social services for the poor and marginalized, such as children in foster care, recovering drug addicts, HIV individuals and former convicts or sex workers. I had interned in inpatient and outpatient clinics, working with people with severe mental illnesses. I had the privilege of running group therapy for various groups of people, including a single mother’s group, a men’s group in a half-way home, groups for people with mental illness, as well as for people with developmental disabilities.

During my graduate school training in Chicago, I learned multiple perspectives about psychopathology, including psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral and systemic family therapy. These knowledge forms the pluralistic worldview that underlies my integrative approach in understanding human behaviors and relationships. I also learned systemic supervision skills, which I continue to harness through further training and practice until today. 

Since returning to Malaysia, I have worked in academic and private practice settings. In 2005, I was a Senior Lecturer in HELP University, and subsequently became the first Program Chair for the Master of Clinical Psychology program. From 2012 onwards, I practiced as a Visiting Consultant at various outpatient clinics, including Dr. John Tan’s Specialist Clinic, Columbia Asia Hospital Seremban, as well as International Medical University Healthcare Centre.

I have pioneered many initiatives, such as developing the first clinical psychology program at HELP University, and organizing a refugee teacher training program that won the Alumni Engagement Initiative Fund from the US Department of States. In 2015, I founded Growing Space Psychology Center in Seremban and Kuala Lumpur. 

I enjoy creating professional development programs for helping professionals. Between 2017-2019, I collaborated with a few prominent family therapists in the Asian region to facilitate case conferences cum psychotherapist retreats:

• Conversations with Family Therapists: The Use of Self in Therapy (Janda Baik, Pahang)
• Conversations with Family Therapists: Giving Space: Within and Between (Bario, Sarawak)
• Person-of-therapist retreat: Connecting with Silence and Unknowing. (Janda Baik, Pahang)
• Intercultural Consultation Group (Singapore)

In December 2020, my team and I in Growing Space organized the first International Family Grief Consultation (IFGC), a virtual conference held in the midst of the pandemic. No one expected a small organization like us can host an international event. But we did it anyway!

Since the beginning of 2022, I have passed the leadership baton to my associates. While I remain as a Visiting Consultant at Growing Space, I am also offering my services as an Independent Practitioner. Besides offering mental health training and consultation to local and international groups, I am actively involved in the shaping of psychology standards in Malaysia, through my work with the Allied Health Professional Act Council (Clinical Psychology Subcommittee), as well as the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA).