Malar Palaiyan

Malar has a strong interest in the social, emotional and mental wellbeng of children and youth. She started her career in education as a school teacher in June 1990. She joined the Psychological and Guidance Branch in the Ministry of Education in 2002 as a Guidance Officer and rose to become a Senlor and Lead Specialist, Guidance till May 2022. She joined Nanyang Technological University as the Head of the University Counselling Centre in June 2022. She started her own practice, Being and Becoming, in 2024. She is a Singapore Registered Psychologist (SRP), who has worked with clients with anxiety, depression, trauma and youth sexuality for more than 25 years. She has also used personality and career interest tools (.e.g. 16PF, 15FQ+, Myer-Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory) to provide academic advising and career counselling to young and working adults. She is trained in crisis management and intervention, and has supported various crises both at MOE and national level. She is competent in providing online counselling, having completed cyber counselling training.
 

 

Malar has also developed training resources and conducted workshops for teachers, counsellors and middle and senior managers in schools. She has also trained volunteers in basic counselling skills. As a senior professional in the field, she has developed policies and protocols for counselling and recruitment of staff. She is an approved supervisor by Singapore Psychological Society and has supervised counselling psychologists and counsellors for the past 15 years. She chairs the SUSS Counselling Programme Advisory Board and is an active volunteer trainer with the Singapore Red Cross Volunteer Management team.