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019-380 0902 // 018-667 0902 enquiries@kinandkids.com

Ann Gunapalan

Licensed and Registered Counselor (Malaysia)

I have always been drawn to the study of people. There is no area more diverse, more fascinating, more inspiring, more textured and more nuanced. I had to shelve plans to study psychology as a first degree and went on to do something “practical” that would land me a job in banking. I enjoyed a few decades in banking, finance, financial services software, IT project management and business consulting until I had my fill of that and decided to go back to this first interest, in the form of counseling.

The many years in the corporate world taught me many practical skills, i.e. the meaning of professionalism and the importance of effective influencing and mentoring to encourage the best work out of teams. In addition, it provided a wealth of work and life experiences with many different people from many different countries. 

I have done counselling with students and adults, individuals and groups and couples and families at a few different sites.

These included the Center for Psychological and Counseling Services and CareerSense, two units at HELP University that offered counseling services to their clients. I also saw clients at my local church and at a centre for teenage girls, as well as provided support to the caregivers at this centre. 

I have worked with clients from diverse backgrounds both Malaysian and foreign to help them deal with issues in a range of areas: marital, family and other relationships, career decision-making, depressive symptoms, anger, grief and loss.

My decision to venture into counseling was motivated by my desire to equip myself to understand and help people to live empowered and full lives in the midst of life’s often inevitable challenges. I have learnt that to do this, they need to be in a safe, unbiased relationship that encourages them to evaluate and change the way they view themselves, others and their environment. This is what I believe good therapy offers, the time and the space to accomplish this. It is what I seek to provide to my clients with an ongoing commitment to learn and grow myself.

My training has provided me with the skills to help clients use their time in therapy to come to a realization of what is good and strong within themselves and their lives, resources that often get obscured by the stresses and busyness of our lives. I am mainly guided by the existential-humanistic therapeutic approach which believes that people have the capacity to arrive at their own solutions to the problems they face if they are in a therapeutic relationship that engenders a sense of freedom in the midst of their difficulties. It is what I seek to provide to my clients with an ongoing commitment to learn and grow myself. 

I speak fluent English, basic Malay and basic Tamil.

Education and Professional Licenses/ Accreditation

Licensed and Registered Counselor, Malaysia
Masters in Counseling (HELP University, Malaysia) 
Bachelor of Science, Resource Economics (Universiti Putra Malaysia)

Other qualifications/trainings

Certified NLP Practitioner
Certified PREPARE-ENRICH facilitator
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (Basic Externship and Core Skills I & 2)

Professional Affiliations

Member, National Association of Christian Counselors, Malaysia.

Member, The Malaysian Marriage and Family Therapy Association.

Email

ann@kinandkids.com

Other Therapists in Our Team

  • Lee Shealin
    Licensed and Registered Counselor
  • Jean Ong
    Clinical Psychologist (Malaysia)
  • Raynette Soon
    Licensed and Registered Counselor (Malaysia)