USM PENANG, 21 May 2022 – People suffering from mental health may be struggling at odd hours especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a psychologist, being innovative and approachable in giving assistance to mental health patients is important.

At the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) 59th Convocation Ceremony, Oon Yen Min, who graduated in Master of Psychology (Clinical), shared her opinion on how the course could benefit the people who face such challenges.

Oon said that due to the pandemic situation, many of us are going through some personal adjustments, while some are really struggling to cope with the uncertainties and fear within the community.

“During my studies, I found that the quick psychological first aid that was set up at the hospital level where our staff members and students were able to call in by telephone to be particularly useful. Along with the Psychiatry Department, we have to make sure that the 24-hour service is well set up,” she said.

Oon said that if she could speak to the community or to the university community, she would assure them that our lecturers and the practitioners who are providing this service are accessible, and that whatever that would be discussed is confidential.

“If anyone is struggling, I’d like to assure that they can find the safe space and support that they need from the team at the university. One thing that I learned through this whole period and constantly remind myself, is that we don’t have to be afraid of pain and struggle. What’s important is not going through it alone,” added Oon, who previously was a Psychology Major graduate from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

USM has awarded Oon a Gold Medal award for being the best final-year student, Master in Psychology (Clinical) USM-UPSI donated by Brain and Behaviour Cluster, School of Medical Sciences USM and the family of the late Mohd Ali Md Salim, in memory of Mohd Ali Md Salim.

Mohd Ali is one of the victims of the MH17 Malaysia Airlines (MAS) airline that has perished, believed to have been shot down near the Ukraine-Russian border in 2014.

The Master of Psychology (Clinical) is one of the three programmes in the USM-UPSI Psychology Integration Programme, the first initiative where two Malaysian public universities combined to offer a joint-degree academic programme.

This programme has successfully helped to increase the number of clinical psychology practitioners that is much needed in most countries, in helping to develop a healthy mental and emotional society.

A total of 574 graduands received their respective scrolls during the Third Session of the convocation ceremony, chaired by USM Pro-Chancellor, Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Zulkefli A. Hassan.

For the ongoing USM 59th Convocation, a total of 6,706 graduands will receive degrees in their respective fields from the Second to the Twelfth sessions, from 21 May to 31 May 2022 at Dewan Tuanku Syed Putra (DTSP), USM main campus.

Text: Nur Farrah Ezlin Mohd Suhaimi/Photo: Mohd Fairus Md Isa