The troublesome thing about the school system is that it requires instantaneous results. It's result focused. Singapore's system is result based. Sadly.
But as what my individual supervisor said, that's how we get things done so fast.
Of course, in the meantime, we neglect a lot of other things as well.
I guess in a sense, we gotta be patient to see the mental health sector continue to grow ba. I always remember how Dr Tang (or is it Dr Lynette Ng) told us that the mental health sector in Singapore is 50 years behind that of America's.
Sadly, there are still many people who do not know what counselling is and use the word loosely. To many people, including myself before I formally went through training, counselling is talking. As long as you talk to the person, you listen to the person, that's counselling.
That's not counselling.

The following is taken from the Singapore Association for Counselling
Professional Practices
Counsellor’s are professionals who have significant post-graduate training in counselling theory and skills training OR its equivalent through on-the-job experience, in order to provide safe, confidential, and relevant services to the public who approach them for such services. The professional practices and ethics of counsellors should include and is not limited to the following:
1. To do no harm.
2. Counsellors tend to be people who have a genuine interest in others and like to develop a helping relationship.
3. Respect of the other person/s, regardless of their issue/s.
4. Use listening skills and interviewing skills to understand the counsellee.
5. Adhere to ethical approaches
6. Practice confidentiality
7. Keep boundaries
8. Keep professional relationships
9. Shares training, approach and orientation.
10. Participates in Professional Membership
11. Actively upgrades with Continuing Education
12. Abide by existing laws of the land


What Counselling is not:
While a lot of counselling is a dialogue between two people or more, a Counsellor must ALWAYS maintain a professional, objective position in the counselling relationship. Therefore, it is generally discouraged for a professional counsellor to counsel a person that he is related to or has an existing relationship or is an acquaintance. If a counselor proceeds in such a situation, it is called “a dual relationship” and could affect the objective input of the counsellor. If a counsellor is approached by an acquaintance/friend/relative, he/she should consider a referral or simply assist on a personal level but not on a professional level. Generally, I advocate the following to indicate what counselling is not:

1. Telling a person what to do
2. Passing judgement
3. Moralizing
4. Encouraging dependence
5. Taking sides between couples
6. Boosting someone's ego
7. Giving advice
8. Solving other’s problems for them(People have the capacity to solve their own problems!)

Yup.
I think one of the reasons as to why people may not know what counsellors do, is due to the fact that confidentiality has to be kept within a session. The lease I can do, is to let the people I know what counselling is about :)
Of course, the best way that you can know what a counsellor does is to actually go through a counselling session yourself :) It's quite therapeutic!