PSY354

Specimen Examination Paper

Counselling Psychology in Singapore

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Time allowed: 2 hours
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Solutions
General advice:
To answer the examination questions, you will be required to apply theoretical concepts learnt
in the course. Holistic solutions that cut across different aspects of designs should be
considered. Do read the questions carefully to identify their requirements before attempting
them.

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Specimen Examination Paper Solutions
Answer ALL questions.

Question 1

Sandy just graduated with a degree in psychology and started work a week ago at an Non-
Governmental Organization (NGO) that specializes in empowering women who have been
abused. She wants to work with this population because her own mother was abused severely
by Sandy’s father until her mother suffered near fatal injuries for a long time until eventually
escaping to a shelter when Sandy was only 4 years old. Sandy has since then, “sworn to help
abused women in any way possible and avenge her mother’s suffering”.

Yesterday, Eva, a 21-year-old Eurasian Singaporean female came to Sandy’s organization for
help. She said she was running away from an abusive boyfriend, David, who beats her daily
and would embarrass her in public by hurling vulgarities at her in crowded places. Eva lives
with her single mother who works 2 jobs to make ends meet for both of them. As such, the
mother is hardly at home. Eva tried to enrol in a diploma course but dropped out at the
“command” of David who “doesn’t think a girl needs to study”. Eva says if she “doesn’t drop
everything and meet him” when he asks her to do so, he will come to her house and bang on
the door loudly and create a scene. The neighbours have called the police several times but Eva
would always apologize to the police and promise that ‘this is nothing serious at all, just my
fault for making him angry.”

Eva also said that David abuses drugs and has at times, made Eva to pedal drugs to make
money. When Sandy asked Eva if David is still involved in drug abuse and/or trafficking, Eva
looked away and whispered, “if I tell you, you will report to CNB (Central Narcotics Bureau)
and he will kill me. I can’t tell you, I am sorry.” Sandy promised Eva that she will keep it to
herself.

Eva said she is afraid to go back to her house in case David finds her there and her mother is
afraid of David as well because there was one instance when David had hit her mother when
her mother tried to block him from hitting Eva. Angered by such an appalling story of abuse,
Sandy tells Eva to tell David “to not to try anything funny from now on or (my) counsellor will
teach (you) a lesson”.

Fearing for Eva’s safety, Sandy gave Eva her personal mobile number and told her, “call
anytime you need me, ok? I am here for you.” Sandy also gave Eva $50 from her own wallet
when she heard that Eva had not eaten for 2 days, as David forced her to give him all her salary.

If you are Sandy’s supervisor, briefly evaluate the possible ethical issue(s) that have arisen in
this scenario and discuss how you would advise Sandy to manage them.
(20 marks)

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Specimen Examination Paper Solutions
Suggested Answer Outline:

Ethical issue How to manage it

Sandy’s premise of wanting to avenge her
mother’s abuse as a reason for wanting this
job.
There is a blurring of lines here in terms of
why Sandy may have taken this job – not to
help others but to get even with abusers. She
should get personal therapy instead and work
through her issues and not blur them in her
work with already vulnerable clients.

Eva hinting that David may be involved in Any illegal activity should potentially be
drug activities and Sandy promising to keep reported esp. if it endangers the lives of the
this a secret. client and others. Sandy should at least
consult her supervisor.

Under no circumstances should counsellors

hold secrets (other than what is required
under confidentiality rules) for their clients
as this leads to very difficult ethical
dilemmas.

Giving Eva personal mobile number and This is a possible blurring of boundaries. By
saying “call anytime you need me, ok? I am doing this, Sandy is not practicing
here for you.” professional boundaries where she also
teaches Eva to approach other agencies for
help and empowers her that way. This is seen
to be a crutch for Eva.

Sandy needs to refresh her knowledge of

ethics and discuss this with her supervisor.
What she can do after giving the number is to
tell Eva that she is only available during
office hours and to give Eva crisis advice on
who to call after office hours.

Sandy gives Eva $50 to eat. While this may be instinctive, again this may
seem to blur boundaries and make Eva think
counsellors also give monetary assistance.
And is this a loan or a gift? That can be
confusing as well.

Sandy should try to seek alternatives, eg buy

her a meal and sit with her while she eats or
give food coupons (if available at the
organization) rather than giving her cash.

Sandy telling Eva to tell David that “not to Again the concern for Eva is mismanaged.
try anything funny from now on or (my) This makes it seem as if Sandy is now
counsellor will teach (you) a lesson”. personally involved in Eva’s relationship.

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Specimen Examination Paper Solutions
 As much as there could be safety issues
present with David, what Sandy can do is
advise Eva to keep certain numbers in hand,
ie. Agencies or the police can be called if he
becomes abusive.

Counsellors should in no uncertain terms,

take matters into their own hands.

Question 2

a) Appraise the effectiveness of person-centred therapy with respect to children of “Tiger

Mums” who may come for psychotherapy. “Tiger Mum” refers to someone who is
considered to be a demanding or strict parent. You should have about two arguments
illustrated with suitable examples.
(10 marks)

b) A 15-year-old female student has been referred to you for psychotherapy. It is reported in
the referral form that she experienced intense cyber-bullying for the past two months. Her
form teacher was the one who highlighted her case for attention after seeing her hiding
behind the school building and crying by herself, a week ago.

Assuming this girl comes to you for the first session, apply your skills in completing a
Mental Status Exam (MSE) by stating two observations you might see in this girl, for each
of the five categories below:-
• Appearance & Behaviour
• Thought Processes
• Mood and Affect
• Intellectual Functioning
• Sensorium
(10 marks)

Suggested Answer Outline:

(a)
Advantage
The child might enjoy the empathy and
ability to be themselves and to share what
they feel with the therapists.
Example: a child who may feel controlled
through a very structured timetable on a
daily basis and one who is never asked by
his ‘Tiger mum’ what he feels may like the
sessions where the focus is on empathizing
with what he feels.
Disadvantage
Tiger Mums may need more structure and
something that appears to be “challenging”
and cognitive and scoff at PCT for being
“warm and fuzzy” for its focus on empathy.
They may actually try to control sessions by
telling the therapist what to say or insisting
on updates of sessions. So the client (the
child) may actually dislike the sessions and
find them stressful.
Example: client may tell counselling
psychologist that sessions are not useful in
trying to manage child’s stress and ask for
homework to be given instead

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Specimen Examination Paper Solutions
(b)
Category Typical observation for case study given
Appearance and behaviour - sitting slouched
- no eye contact
Thought Processes - coherent
- thought blocking; thoughts
interrupted with fear about social
media when she looks at any device
in the room
Mood and Affect - teary-eyed
- biting her fingernails frequently
Intellectual Functioning - have to repeat questions a few times
- able to follow conversation albeit
slowly
Sensorium - aware of time, place and person
- aware of why she is here

Question 3

Analyse any FOUR (4) challenges you foresee facing if you choose to practice counselling
psychology in Singapore.
For each challenge,
(a) please illustrate with a suitable example and ;
(b) briefly explain how you may manage the challenge.
(20 marks)

Suggested Answer Outline:

Example of a response:

Challenge: getting suitable people for supervision because there are still insufficiently
experienced counselling psychologists in SG as this is a new field.

Example: during practicum or actual work, need someone to provide regular supervision and
this may not be possible in a small organization like a family service centre.

To manage: May have to pay someone who does some form of clinical work to provide
supervision.

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Specimen Examination Paper Solutions
Question 4

According to the Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study done in 2012 by NUS’s Yong Loo Lin
School of Medicine, 1 in 5 elderly persons in Singapore aged 75 and above show signs of
depression.

a) Discuss any three different events that may cause the elderly to experience depression in
Singapore.
(15 marks)

b) Design any two strategies that the Singapore government can implement to prevent the
elderly from falling into depression.
(5 marks)

Suggested Answer Outline:

a) Ego integrity vs. despair

Example of response:

Retirement from work- this may leave them feeling empty in terms of no routine, no friends
(colleagues) whom they can interact with, and feeling useless because they no longer earn
money. The last point is esp. important in SG context where productivity is considered to
be crucial.

b) Example of response: giving more incentives for adult children to live near their parents,
eg more subsidies for medical expenses for ageing parents.

More community events for elderly to get together and share experiences and to interact
with younger generation so that they do not feel isolated as an age group.

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Specimen Examination Paper Solutions
Question 5

a) Appraise the effectiveness of group therapy with respect to clients who struggle with
addictions. You should have five arguments.
(15 marks)

b) Discuss any two strategies to educate our youth about managing academic stress and how
this can lead to serious mental illness(es) like anxiety and depression.
(5 marks)

Suggested Answer Outline:

a) Example of response-

advantages disadvantages
support system with more than one easier for any one member to influence
person – “you are not alone” the other to relapse
cheaper for the clients c/p individual
members of the group may get into
sessions intimate relationships with each other
which may destabilise recovery
members can share insights with each may not help if the members have co-
other morbid mental disorders

b) Example of responses:
• Doing more community service to inculcate a servitude culture and attitude
• Encouraging more collaborative activities amongst school students

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Specimen Examination Paper Solutions
 Generic Band Descriptors for Students
Excellent answer
• shows a clear and thorough understanding of the topic concerned by covering relevant
points accurately and comprehensively in a well-structured, focused and cohesive
manner
• provides excellent illustrations/examples/supporting evidence
• shows very strong evidence of critical thinking/analysis and in-depth understanding
• goes beyond expectation and shows original thinking
Good to Very Good answer
• shows a good to very good understanding of the topic concerned by covering relevant
points accurately in a well-structured, focused and cohesive manner
• provides good illustrations/examples/supporting evidence
• shows good evidence of critical thinking/analysis and in-depth understanding
Fair answer
• shows a fair understanding of the topic concerned by covering relevant points
adequately, but may not always be well structured, focused and cohesive
• provides adequate illustrations or examples, however, they may not always be
appropriate
• shows little evidence of critical thinking/analysis and lacks in-depth understanding
Weak answer
• shows only rudimentary understanding of the topic concerned and only manages to
cover a relevant point or two adequately, but is not well structured, focused and
cohesive
• attempts to provide illustrations or examples, however, they are generally inappropriate
or irrelevant
• shows no evidence of critical thinking
• may contain inaccuracies and omissions
Poor answer (borderline pass)
• does not show adequate understanding of the topic concerned and may not sufficiently
cover any of the relevant points
• does not provide illustrations or examples
• tends to be descriptive and may be off-point
• contains errors and misconceptions
Fail (less than 40%)
• shows very little understanding of the topic concerned and does not cover any of the
relevant points
• fails to provide illustrations or examples
• attempts to describe but is off-point
• contains serious errors and misconceptions
Bad Fail (less than 15%)
• shows no understanding of the question
• some marks may be awarded if there is evidence that some effort was made to make
sense of the question

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Specimen Examination Paper Solutions