Adequacy of Numbers of Professional Counsellors to Cater for Increased Attention on Mental Health Issues

20 Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Health with regard to the increased attention on mental health issues and the need for counsellors (a) whether Singapore is prepared in terms of the number of professional counsellors; and (b) how does this number compare against the benchmark for best practices in other advanced economies.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: Based on publicly available data from the Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC), the number of counsellors registered with SAC increased from 940 in 2020 to 1,240 in 2022. Besides professional counsellors, other healthcare professionals and social workers provide counselling as part of their work. There is no international benchmark on the ratio of counsellors to population.

The tiered care model for mental healthcare delivery currently being developed by the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being will serve as the basis for agencies to plan and develop counselling services and manpower across different sectors. More details will be released in due course.