Ask me Anything on World Mental Health Day! 10th October 2016, 8pm – 10pm (MYT) on Reddit.
I am a clinical psychologist working in Malaysia. I started an organization called RELATE that aims to promote the importance of mental health, decrease the stigma of mental illness and normalize psychotherapy as mental health treatment. Other noteworthy information is that there’s a fruit fly named after me (Carpophthorella sookae – thanks dad!) and I made it to wikipedia when my paper was posted on self-determination theory’s wiki page (Chua & Koestner, 2008).
I’ve always been fascinated by human behaviour and the mind. As a child, I peppered my mom with questions about what people are doing and why they did what they did. I realized the great need for mental health professionals in my teens when I found out that a relative was suffering from a mental illness. Information was scant and help was lacking. This experience led me to pursue a career in Psychology. At university, my mentor, Richard Koestner, instilled in me a love for research and ideas. His support and guidance spurred me on to complete my MA in Social Psychology at University of Waterloo and my PhD in Clinical Psychology at McGill University.
I conduct research primarily in the areas of relationships, self-regulation and motivation. I never forgot what first inspired me to study Psychology – the lack of resources and the great need for help. Today, 1 in 3 Malaysians suffer from a mental health illness and there is only 1 psychologist per 100 000 people in Malaysia!
Ask me anything! I will be here from 8 to 10pm (MYT) on the 10th of October (World Mental Health Day!) and I’ll do my best to answer everything I can!
