Image of career: Counsellor

Counsellor

Overview

Counsellors are trained professionals who provide guidance on personal or psychological problems.

Description

  • Provide professional counselling.
  • Set up counselling contracts with detailed goals.
  • Assess clients’ situations and help them develop plans and strategies.
  • Plan and implement interventions and developmental programmes.
  • Connect clients with resources and make referrals for other support services.

Entry requirements

  • To become a registered counsellor with Singapore Association for Counselling, you'll need a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and 600 clinical hours.
  • Being bilingual or speaking basic dialects would be helpful.

Salary

$3,800 – 5,300

/mo

Salary ranges are estimated based on public information found on Singaporean job portals, including MyCareersFuture, MySkillsFuture. Updated as of 2026.

Trivia

Counsellors don’t instruct their clients what to do. Instead, they guide clients to explore their options and make their own decisions.

What to expect

You'll help people struggling with mental health, healing from trauma, relationship issues and more. Be prepared to offer evening or weekend sessions based on your clients' needs.

Soft
skills

Communication

Able to convey empathy and understanding.

Relationship Building

Able to build rapport and trust with diverse clients.

Empathy

Able to show understanding and compassion for others’ feelings.

Counselling

Trained to help clients with emotional, psychological, and behavioural changes.

Case Management

Trained to coordinate care and advocate for services that help clients.

Note-taking

Able to document sessions and track client progress.

Hard
skills

Frequently asked questions

Psychologists require higher formal education, and specialise in specific fields like education or mental health. Overall, they’re better equipped to help people with more severe mental health diagnoses.

It's a common myth that only people with severe mental health issues need counselling. In reality, many clients are just individuals seeking solutions to everyday issues like stress and relationship problems.

Counsellors face the challenge of dealing with clients' emotional distress. However, they feel rewarded when they help clients overcome struggles and make a positive impact on their lives.

They must protect clients’ privacy, ensuring information shared in sessions remains confidential, except in legal or ethical situations that require disclosure.

They may work in mental health clinics, hospitals, community organisations, rehabilitation centres, and others.