Counselling & Wellness

• Rapid or dramatic shifts in emotions such as stressed out, anxious, depressed feelings or difficulty managing anger
• Dramatic sleep and appetite changes or decline in personal care.
• An unusual drop in functioning, at school or social activities, such as isolating yourself, failing in school or having difficulty to focus in class.
• Low self-esteem
• Chronic fatigue, tiredness, and lack of energy
• Drinking or drug use
• Having conflicts within yourself, friends, family, boyfriend/girlfriend or grief
• Experienced trauma, sexual harassment, rape, or abuse.
   

Important Considerations
One of the most difficult steps in therapy occurs before you even see a therapist for the first time. Deciding to seek therapy is the first step in change. Once this decision is made, the mechanics for change is set in motion. In the process of changing the way you think, feel or behave, you may have to try out new ways of doing things. In the process, you may realise that things you once thought of only in a positive or negative way, may be different later on.

What you can expect from your therapist?
You can expect someone who is interested in listening to your concerns and in helping you to develop a better understanding so that you can deal with it more easily and effectively. Your therapist will take you seriously and be willing to openly discuss anything you wish. Your therapist will want to work with you, but won't do for you things you are capable of doing for yourself.

Confidentiality is a vital part of therapy so you need not worry about your information being disclosed to other parties. A therapist will only disclose information with or without client's consent under special circumstances e.g child abuse, suicide, court orders to relevant parties for the sake of the client and others.

Your responsibility in counselling
Your main responsibilities in therapy are to:

• Attend your regularly scheduled sessions.
• Talk about what is bothering you as openly and honestly as you can.
• Complete tasks or "homework" assignments you may be asked to do.
• Let your therapist know if you are unable to make it to an appointment preferably four hours before the appointment time.
• Take risks to try something new or facing a new approach.
• Give feedback to your therapist about your progress.
• According to our SOP, clients have to inform us 24 hours prior to appointment if they want to cancel.

Individual Counselling
Counselling is offered in areas such as relationship, family issues, academic challenges, stress and anxiety, emotional issues and adjustment to campus life. In the counselling session, you can expect someone who is interested in listening to your concerns and in helping you develop a better understanding so that you can deal with issues more effectively. All cases are treated with strict confidentiality. We welcome you to come to Student LIFE Centre to enquire and arrange for an appointment with our friendly counsellors.
 

Group Counselling
In group counselling, small group of 6-10 students meet face-to-face with one or more trained facilitator and talk about a particular topic. The content of the group sessions is confidential. We offer a number of theme-focused and growth enhancing groups in areas involving self-worth, personal development, relationship building, communication with family, anger, stress management, grief and bereavement, etc.
 

Workshops and Talks
To equip you and further enhance your overall well being, we offer relevant workshops and talks on youth related issues, managing challenges in  the university, stress management, cultural adaptation and personal development.
 

Counselling Awareness Programme
Counselling Awareness Programme aims to help you recognise the importance of counselling services and increase awareness on the importance of psychological and emotional needs. Programmes include talks, forum, exhibition, and other thought-provoking activities are organised.
 

Counselling Resources
Come to us and you will be able to get some self-help tips, topical reading materials, and other referral information. We will soon have our own resource corner for you. You can find helpful and useful information related to counselling, personal development and growth.
 

Mental Health Screening And Psychological Assessment
Sunway Counselling & Wellness Unit offers mental health screening and psychological assessment for students. It helps to understand the nature of the problem and findings will be used to derive appropriate intervention and support plan.

Issuance of supporting letter and assessment reports will be provided for students based on their needs with the following criteria:
-have seen counsellor/psychologist on a regular basis for 3 or more sessions.
-completed the assessment process.

Chai Pei Ling - Head, Counselling and Student Welfare
KB PA, MSSC in Counselling Psychology; BSocSc (Hons) in Psychology; Advanced Diploma in Special Education; Certified EMDR Therapist
Pei Ling obtained her Masters in Counselling Psychology and Bachelor Degree (Hons) in Psychology from National University of Malaysia (UKM). In addition, strong urge of helping the special needs group has also driven her continued to pursue a Diploma in Learning Disabilities & Child Psychology, followed by an Advanced Diploma in Special Education. She has vast experience in handling clients in the hospital and special needs centre as well as in the tertiary education setting. She believes that working in multidisciplinary setting can assist individual in a holistic way. She also has strong faith that working in the tertiary education setting could enhance students’ campus life. In her motto, university provides brighter future to the students. With her strong counselling background and experience, Pei Ling has been given an opportunity to develop Special Needs Services in one of the private universities. She believes that continue to learn and contribute is the better way of helping individual.
 
Lum Jin Sun – Senior Counsellor
KB PA, Masters in Counselling; BSocSc (Hons) in Psychology; Certified LPI Assessor
Jin Sun is a licensed and registered counsellor with the Malaysia Board of Counsellors. She works with individuals and groups from multicultural background and various ethnicities, ranging from children to adults, and from different walks of life. Prior joining the tertiary education setting, Jin Sun worked primarily with youths, corporate clients, and working adult, addressing a wide range of conditions, from personal growth to career guidance, relationships, communication, stress and coping, grief and bereavement, emotional distress, anger management, crisis management, psychological wellbeing, and more.

Her current therapeutic approach is grounded in a humanistic approach, as she believes that each and every individual and group is unique in their very own way. She places significance importance on empowering people to explore their strengths, values, and interests, enabling them to make informed decisions in different aspects of their lives. Additionally, she has learned that building genuine trust and therapeutic rapport between the therapist and client is crucial. She also understands that a suitable blend of modalities and creativity in the therapeutic process can enhance the effects of the therapeutic journey.
 
Wong Kah Yee (Chloe) – Senior Counsellor
KB PA, M.A. Counselling and Guidance; B (Hons) of Mass Communication; Certified EMDR therapist; Certified QPR Gatekeeper Instructor
Chloe is a licensed counsellor and registered with Malaysian Board of Counsellors. She received her Master Degree in Guidance and Counselling from University Putra Malaysia, her experience includes working with children and adolescents in counselling, conducting group counselling and workshop for children, adolescents, and adults. She is a warm and positive person who brings energy and humour to the counselling relationship. She is passionate in supporting students in their pursuit of academic and personal goals. Her approach is based on strength and utilises expressive art therapy. She is trained in sand tray therapy, play therapy and expressive art therapy. She is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. She aims to provide a safe, compassionate and empowering perspective that supports students in making positive changes in their lives. She also believes that encouragements will help students to find creative and effective solutions to life's challenges, and discover their capacity for living a full and authentic life.
 
Tan Ah Khim (Khim) – Senior Counsellor
KB PA, MA. Guidance and Counselling; Bac. of Technology (Hons) (Food)
“Every person has sufficient resources to grow and face the difficulties they encounter in life. Counselling is a process where the counsellor accompanies the client in their search for their resources.” This is the guide that Khim uses in her counselling practice. According to her, counselling is like a treasure hunt, where the client discovers the treasure within themselves to deal with the difficulties they encounter in life.

Khim holds a Bachelor’s Degree (Hons) in Food Technology from University of Science Malaysia (USM) and a Masters in Guidance and Counselling from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She has been working in the education sector for more than 10 years, assisting students from secondary to tertiary institutions. During her service, Khim has organised and conducted various workshops for her students.
 
Nur Ain Binti Mat Yasing (Nur Ain) – Senior Counsellor
KB PA, M Couns. Family Counselling; B (Hons) of Counselling
Nur Ain is a licensed counsellor and registered with the Malaysian Board of Counsellors. She received her master's degree in Family Counselling from the Islamic Science University of Malaysia. Her experience includes working with teenagers, adolescents, families, and couples in counselling. Besides that, she has experience working with Community Counselling Centers that focused on helping B40 families with issues ranging from financial difficulties, family conflicts, life adjustments, to marital issues.

She believes that “Emotional Wellbeing is just as important to us as breathing is”. As some people find therapy daunting, she focuses on making that journey as comfortable as possible. She hopes to play a part in helping students and young adult choose to live their lives to the fullest. Her main approach is using person centered counselling modalities. She is trained in family therapy and applies a structural family approach in her sessions. Her goal is to help you engage and enhance your ability for introspection, reflection, and self-awareness, enabling you to better understand and navigate your past, present, and future, and allowing you to feel empowered and hopeful despite hardships.

During her leisure time, she enjoys reading, cooking, spending time outdoors, volunteering and being time with her family.

Chong Cheng Yee (CY) - Counsellor
KB PA, Masters in Counselling; Bachelor of Psychology (Hons)
CY is a registered and licensed counsellor with the Malaysian Board of Counsellors. She graduated with Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) and Masters in Counselling from HELP University. She has experience working with children, young adults and parents in educational setting.

CY believes that every individual is an extension of their family and each individual is an unique storyteller. Her approach is very much about discovering family generational stories and helping clients to write authentic story of their own. Story telling can feel like solving a Rubik's cube. Together, CY walks through client's emotions and story to find their authentic voice. CY is trained in family therapy and applies systemic perspective in her sessions.

Magtum Aen ‒ Clinical Psychologist
Master of Clinical Psychology ‒ National University of Malaysia (UKM); Bachelor of Arts (Major in Psychology, Major in Sociology) ‒ University of British Columbia, Canada
Magtum is a registered member of the Malaysian Society of Clinical Psychology. He holds a Master of Clinical Psychology from the National University of Malaysia (UKM) and Bachelor of Arts (Major in Psychology, Major in Sociology) from the University of British Columbia, Canada. He had his clinical training at the Health Psychology Clinic (UKM), Child Development Centre (UKM Medical Centre), and Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health (Kuala Lumpur Hospital).

Magtum provides psychological testing, diagnosis, and intervention to people with various mental health issues and illnesses. He has experience working with people struggling with stress, meaning making in life, interpersonal relationships, sexuality, self-acceptance, and low self-esteem. He has also experience working with people living with various mental health issues and illnesses that include neurodevelopmental disorders (intellectual disability, autism, ADHD, and dyslexia), depressive disorders, bipolar and related disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and personality disorders. Magtum believes that everyone is unique and different. Therefore, he customizes his therapy based on his client’s individual needs and styles with diverse evidence-based therapy techniques.

Carrie ‒ Clinical Psychologist
Master of Clinical Psychology - University of Cyberjaya
Carrie is a clinical psychologist who believes that everyone is different in their own way. Therefore, the intervention plan should be personalised based on individualistic needs.With a Master of Clinical Psychology degree from the University of Cyberjaya, Carrie had the privileged to work in an NGO and hospital setting prior to venturing into the tertiary education setting. As such, the experience has allowed Carrie to help clients from all walks of life, ranging from refugees to the elderly, which later shaped her belief.From her experience, she learned the importance of individual differences in the journey of recovery and embraced them in curating a personalised intervention plan.

Joyce Chao Thung Yin ‒ Clinical Psychologist
Master of Clinical Psychology - University of Cyberjaya
Joyce Chao is a passionate clinical psychologist dedicated to helping individuals overcome life's challenges. With a Master's in Clinical Psychology joint programme of University Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), and a Bachelor's Degree (1st Hons) in Psychology from the University Malaysia Sabah, she brings expertise from diverse environments, including hospitals, NGOs, prisons, and private centres.

Joyce believes in the power of collaboration and fosters a safe, supportive therapeutic relationship with her clients, empowering them to heal and grow. As an unwavering mental health advocate, she emphasizes the importance of prioritizing one's mental health and aims to normalize seeking therapy, especially among the younger generation. With her guiding motto, "service to humanity is the best work in life," Joyce Chao is committed to making a positive impact, one step at a time, in the lives of those she serves. Let's embark on a journey of growth and well-being together. #MentalHealthMatters #TherapyForAll

We-CARE team is a collaboration between Counselling & Wellness and the Academic programme to reach out to students who are looking for support beyond the scope of academic

If you as a student need assistance in your academic area OR in other areas (family, friends, finances etc); please feel free to contact any one of the WE-CARE members. And of course – The counselling team is here for you as well.

For College

For University

Alternatively, you can also contact Counselling Unit by:

• Walk-in (Student LIFE Centre)
• Call 03 – 7491 8622 Ext. 3022/3023/3027
• Email: counselling@sunway.edu.my

Click here to download the Sunway University WE-CARE member poster
Click here to download the Sunway College WE-CARE member poster

Peer Counselling Volunteers is a peer support network for students on campus. As PCVs, we hope to promote a culture of people helping people as peers. We are students who are trained by counsellors to help our friends who have issues/concerns in life. We also undergo training to enhance our skills and expand our knowledge to help others better. If you’re still doing soul-searching in your life or want to learn how to help a friend, then JOIN US!

Contact Ms. Wiki Chew at Student LIFE Centre / 03-74918622 ext. 3025 sunwaypcv@imail.sunway.edu.my

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kGmKS3RGszHLEZDb8n4Bm

Click here for Counselling Resources

You can choose to reach us in many ways:

• Call us: 03-7491 8622 ext. 3022/3025
• Call our 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Hotline: +6015-48770405.
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunwayeducationcounsellingandwellness
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunway_counselling/
• Spotify: Sunway Counselling & Wellness Unit
• Email: counselling@sunway.edu.my
• Just walk in! The counsellors' office is located at the Student LIFE Centre (next to the College cafeteria). Our student helpers and staff will kindly receive you and refer you to us.

Alternatively, you can also fill up the online counselling form:

• Log in to iZone: https://izone.sunway.edu.my/login
• Click on Services->eForms->Counselling eForm
• Fill in the eForm with your particulars->Submit