Prior to September 2017 my working week was mainly spent at the University of Nottingham’s Malaysia Campus which is just outside of Kuala Lumpur. You can read more about my time there if you follow this link.
I stopped teaching because I wanted to do more direct clinical work. I really enjoy working with people to try to improve their psychological well-being. If you’d like to know why I wrote another post explaining ‘why I enjoy working as a clinical psychologist’.
Since I left the University of Nottingham I no longer have a ‘boss’ so I’ve been able to choose how I spend my week at work. I’ve divided my work week into three main pieces of work:
1. Private clinical work at Prince Court Medical Centre
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I am at Prince Court Medical Centre which is a private hospital near the centre of Kuala Lumpur. I sometimes work after 5pm or on Saturday mornings but I try to limit this so I can spend time with my family. You can find out more about how I developed my private practice and the issues that I’m looking into on my blog.
2. Clinical work and consultancy at the University of Malaya’s Medical Centre
On Thursday’s I work at a local University Hospital. I supervise the clinical psychologists, teach the trainee psychiatrists and do some clinical work with people who are referred to me via the psychiatrists. The hospital has a private wing but my work is in on the local government side. I see this work as part of my attempt to Improve Access to Psychological Help in Malaysia.
3. Voluntary work at the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
Tuesday’s I spend working on projects for the UN’s refugee agency here in Malaysia. You can read more about my work with refugees here.
Hi Dr. Daniel,
You mentioned in this article that you spend some time doing clinical practice in UMMC. I am going into my final year of BSc Psychology in King’s College London, planning to spend a year preparing myself to apply for the DClinPsy programme by getting some clinical experience after my degree. Is it possible to get clinical experience as an intern/support worker in government hospitals such as UMMC? If yes, how is the job application process like and how can I prepare for it?
Thanks!
Hi, it’s very difficult to get a role at the local government hospitals because the HR systems are very complicated. You might want to look into private rehabilitation centres – although they are of varying quality. The DClinPsy programmes are usually aware that it’s difficult to get the same work experience overseas as you might do in the UK. You could try working part time as a support assistant in the UK but be careful not to jeopardise your degree. It’s only my opinion, but if you’re interested in children and adolescents there’s an organisation called Teach For Malaysia that sends graduates into local schools for two years as teachers. I think that might be something that will give you lots of experience to talk about.