Recourse to complaints against unregulated mental health practitioners

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye
MP for Radin Mas SMC

Question No. 611

To ask the Minister for Health (a) in the past five years, how many complaints have been made against mental health practitioners who provide treatment in fields not regulated under the Allied Health Professions Act; and (b) what is the recourse available for patients who experience negative mental health outcomes after seeking treatment from unregulated mental health practitioners.

Written Answer

Mental health practitioners comprise of psychiatrists registered with the Singapore Medical Council (‘SMC’) and various mental health professionals such as psychologists, psychotherapists and counselors.  The list of registered psychiatrists is available on the SMC’s website.  While other mental health professionals are not formally regulated by any legislation, they may choose to voluntarily register with their respective professional associations.  The public can refer to the websites of these associations, such as the Singapore Psychological Society (‘SPS’) and Singapore Association for Counselling (‘SAC’) for a listing of mental health professionals registered with them.

MOH did not receive any complaints against mental health professionals in unregulated fields in the past 5 years.

Licensed healthcare institutions and clinics providing mental health services have systems in place to ensure that mental health professionals providing mental health services are adequately trained.  They also need to have mechanisms to monitor the quality of services provided and address any complaints.

The public may lodge a complaint with MOH if they have concerns about the clinical services provided by mental health professionals.  Complaints may also be directed to the SMC concerning psychiatrists, or the relevant professional associations for psychologists and other mental health professionals.