Mental health experts have expressed concern over the rise in the number of unqualified individuals providing counselling services online, which they say have the potential for "misdiagnosis, ineffective or harmful interventions, and breaches of confidentiality".

Said James Chong, Clinical Director at The Lion Mind, a non-profit organisation: "Being a 'good listener' is mistakenly equated with having the qualifications to provide effective counselling."

This comes after instances of unaccredited individuals offering mental health services were found on the online marketplace Carousell with some offering free counselling, while others charge up to $70 per session.

Andrea Chan, Deputy Director of Touch Counselling & Psychological Services, said that these unqualified "counsellors" lack the essential knowledge and foundation to provide safe and effective counselling.

"Engaging with unqualified 'counsellors' online can result in harmful intervention, including misinterpreting symptoms, offering unsuitable advice, and worsening existing mental health issues," she said.

Individuals who need counselling are already in a vulnerable state and need professional help to guide them, she added.

Inspired by personal experience

A quick search on Carousell yielded multiple listings for counselling services from a variety of users such as "an ordinary teenager" and an "ex-Psychology undergraduate".

AsiaOne reached out to several such "counsellors" to find out their motivation to take on such a job, and what they had to say on the lack of professional training.

One of the "counsellors", a teenager, who claimed that she has "engaged with hundreds of people", mentioned "personal experience with bullying t...