To our founding members and support,

First and foremost, a hearty congratulations on the formation of this chapter and a big thank you for entrusting us, the chapter officers, to lead the newly founded chapter.

Contextual behaviour science has existed in Malaysia in fragments for almost a decade, with the number of practitioners in the single-digit range. However, through the efforts of a few dedicated practitioners, the number has increased significantly in the last few years. This was done through the concerted effort of increasing regular training opportunities within Malaysia and abroad. These activities also strengthened the network among practitioners.

The linchpin that ultimately united practitioners came in the unexpected form of a call to register all Malaysian psychotherapists in a national registry. ACT practitioners in the country opposed the idea that the practice was to be “certified and registered” in the same manner as other psychotherapies. This is not in line with the practice of ACT. This chapter was thus formed as an independent entity for local CBS practitioners, in line with the values and missions of ACBS, and to protect practitioners from being subject to the standards of non-practitioners.

A proud moment, and I say this to all of you, is that this cooperation between a multitude of mental health practitioners is rare in Malaysia. We have registered counsellors, psychologists, and psychiatrists coming together. Throughout our initial discussions, no hint of arrogance or selfishness was observed. Everyone was an equal. Everyone held strongly to the idea of forming a chapter that aims to grow CBS within Malaysia in a supportive, compassionate, and inclusive manner—a radical behaviour choice.

As we move forward, I wish to carry on that value in all our future endeavours. We aim to develop this chapter by increasing our opportunities and resources in the CBS field. This includes but is not limited to increasing training opportunities, building up more trainers, encouraging research and translational work, improving our visibility, and expanding our network locally and internationally.

I want to call on every one of you to support us in archiving our missions and goals. Reach out to us with your ideas, share resources, and grow with us. I wish us all the best as we strive on.

Kecil tapak tangan, nyiru saya tampungkan. Tak ada gunung yang tinggi yang tak dapat didaki, tak ada lurah yang dalam yang tak dapat dituruni.

Thank you.

-Eugene Koh