For alumna Qi Zhai-McCartney, James Cook University (JCU), Singapore was a good fit for her as she embarked on her second career as a psychotherapist. The investment professional-turned-psychotherapist shares about her career pivot, why she picked us, and why the JCU experience worked so well for her.

Qi Zhai-McCartney has found her calling as a psychotherapist, where she loves being able to help people and make human connections. Qi is also registered with the Singapore Association of Counselling as a professional counsellor.

When asked about her favourite part of what she does, the Master of Guidance and Counselling (MGC) graduate says, “I get to spend every day with another human being in their joy or suffering and experience the tangible reward of helping somebody in need. I feel like this is what I was meant to do with the second half of my life.”

Today, Qi specialises in couples therapy and therapy for perinatal issues, such as postpartum depression. She is also pleased to support clients from multicultural and multiracial backgrounds.

“I work with adult individuals and is one of the few therapists in Singapore who offer unique bilingual Mandarin therapy for Chinese families,” she says.

Qi’s first career before becoming a psychotherapist was quite a different life. Before transitioning into mental health, Qi worked in the financial services sector, a career that involved many global relocations. Along the way, she started pursuing graduate studies in clinical mental health and counselling– a dream she nurtured for over a decade before it came to fruition –  while she was working in the United States (US).

However, things changed when COVID hit in 2020.

“My family and I relocated to Singapore where I could continue working and where we felt safe with the Ministry of Health’s public health policies," she explains.

At that time, she was nearing the completion of her US Master’s programme and had to decide on where to complete her year-long practicum and become licensed.

“We realised that the US education would mean the whole family would have to relocate to the US just for my practicum, and it would limit my future opportunities to work in Singapore and the UK where our children were likely to pursue their education in the future,” she says.

So, she decided to remain in Singapore to continue her dreams, and did her research on universities offering Master’s of Counselling programmes. This marked the beginning of her journey towards discovering the Singapore campus of James Cook University, where she found the perfect environment to complete her education.

Vibrant campus life, and flexibility to balance life’s commitments
Why James Cook University in Singapore? For Qi, the appeal of a physical campus played a significant role in her decision.

“After working for nearly twenty years, I was craving being in a campus environment with a cohort of peers and professors I could meet with,” she recalls.

“It felt like a more meaningful education experience if I had a physical place to go to and people to interact with face to face,” she adds.

The programme also came highly recommended by her counselling mentor, who highlighted its rigorous approach, especially regarding the practicum. This endorsement reinforced Qi's decision, which she later affirmed through her firsthand experience.

She also appreciated the holistic view that the University took of her previous work and education experiences.
“Although I had to repeat a year of coursework, I got some transfer credits from my coursework done in the US," she explains.

The flexibility the course provided her as a working mother in the sandwich generation also played a huge part in Qi’s smooth transition.

“The part-time MGC programme offered me the flexibility to check all the boxes I needed to so I could go out into the real world and launch my second career,” says Qi, who was a mother of three (and subsequently four) when she started and graduated from James Cook University in Singapore.

As Qi puts it, it was a “good fit” for her!

How the JCU Experience prepared her for her career
Qi is grateful for her experience at James Cook University in Singapore, where she found a supportive and accommodating environment that met her unique needs, especially at an age where she felt like “time was running out.”

“There were times when I needed to be flexible and practical, and I really appreciate that the people who supported me at JCU understood that I wasn’t a cookie-cutter candidate who was younger and had fewer life commitments,” she shares.

She is especially thankful to her programme director and mentor Dr Frederick Low who she says provided ongoing guidance on her academic and professional pursuits.

“My practicum was invaluable in giving me the tools to start my first ever real clinical session without feeling too lost. I also felt like I was treated like an adult and people trusted me to push forward with a heavy courseload or a self-initiated internship,” she reflects.

The journey ahead
Today, Qi has bigger dreams to continue making a difference. She aspires to broaden her reach beyond one-to-one therapy so that she can help even more people. In fact, you might have seen her on social media, heard her on the radio, or watched her on television at some point – Qi has been actively sharing her insights and expertise through various media platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn.

“I’m working towards doing more public speaking at conferences and events to make mental health more accessible to people who may not necessarily consider 'therapy' per se,” she shares.

When asked about advice she would give to students considering taking on the MGC course, she emphasises the importance of doing one’s own networking and research.

“The degree, while informative, is not a job offer. Knowing what you want to pursue after JCU helps you get the most out of your experience here.”

“If you know what you want, you will find people who can work with you to get there. It’s harder for people to help you if you yourself aren’t working towards greater career clarity,” she adds.

Published in 2024