AP Dr Haniza Rais

Dr. Haniza Rais is an Associate Professor at the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling (DEPC), Kulliyyah of Education (KOED) IIUM. She was the former of Deputy Dean for Student Development and Community Engagement at the Kulliyyah. Over the years, she held several administrative posts: She was appointed the first Head of Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling (DEPC), an Associate Director at the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL), the Deputy Director of Alumni Career Services Division, the Academic Advisor and the Coordinator of Counseling program at IIUM. When she first joined IIUM in 1993, she was involved in the planning and conducting teacher’s training (Dip of Education/TESL) and the planning of B Ed TESL. Later, she pursued her studies in Counseling Education as a part of the University’s strategic plan to meet the demands for trained counselors in the country. Upon completion of her studies, she was assigned to develop the Dip Ed program (School Counseling) to meet the immediate needs for school counselors. She was also responsible for the development and accreditation of the curriculum structure/courses outlines for the B ED Guidance and Counseling and M Ed Counseling at KOED. She has taught and currently teaches various courses including Intro to Counseling; Counseling Theories, Group Counseling, Grief Counseling, Marriage and family counseling, career counseling, Psycho-educational & Consultation, Individual Appraisal, counseling lab, counseling adolescent, counseling children & play therapy, Seminar in Counseling, Practicum/Internship Supervision. Others: Educational Psychology (Human development; Stress Mgt) TESL (Teaching Literature/ESL Teaching Methodology & Micro Teaching, General Methodology, Parenting, Pre-school Education; Teaching Practice Supervision; Counseling practicum internship supervision and Master’s/doctoral thesis Supervision (Counseling/Educ Psychology). Her doctoral thesis on “Death of Family Member: Grief Experiences Shared in Bereavement Support Group” has made an impact on the recognition of the needs for better understanding of grief and loss among the counseling community. Her module on “Living with Loss: New Shared Experiences in Grief Support Group” was awarded the Bronze Medal at the IIUM Research, Invention & Innovation Exhibition 2013 (IRIE). Dr Haniza is appointed as the resource person (pakar rujuk) to KPM and responsible to train school counselors the skills of managing self-harm cases. She was also appointed external examiners/assessors for audit and LKM/MQA accreditation by UUM (Phd, Masters & UG), USIM (Master’s), UNITAR (master’s) and Taylors University (master’s), She has been invited to train counselors and staff at the government agencies/Ministries & Corporate (MOE, MOH, MOF, MMC, KDN, KKLW, JPA, JPW, JKM, BAKA/maktab PDRM, KWSP, MIROS, IIM, ISM, MAINS, LPPKN, USIM, UiTM, Maybank, etc) and called upon to assist people affected by sudden unexpected crisis and loss including high profile cases like the MH370 and MH17 crises, flood disaster, Malaysia’s Couple in Sweden, fire at tahfiz, Suicide & suicidal in schools, Sabah terrorism etc. She was invited as a keynote/Plenary Speakers and forum panelist locally and abroad, presented papers and conducted workshops at international conferences in Brunei, Philiphine, Cairo, Singapore, Korea, Philipines and Indonesia (Bali, Bandung, Acheh, Yogjakarta) on the topic related to Mental Health, Self Harm & Suicidal Prevention, Grief and Loss, Crisis clients ans Islamic Counseling. During and after the pandemic Covid 19, she was consistently invited to conduct on-line workshops and talk to counselors at different settings (schools, medical etc) and to the parents, adolescents, college and university students and the general public. In 2014, she was invited to be the International forum panelist at the American Counseling Association (ACA) in Hawaii, and as Malaysian Play therapy spokesperson at the biennieal Play Therapy ASIA Summit in Korea and Singapore. She has completed a few major grants: The FRGS – Adolecents - exploring the struggles of the young to cope through their developmental stages of growth (physical, mental, social-emotional and moral-spitirual) and the Finishing School Program (FSP) for final year students of IIUM. She is currently working on her 2nd FRGS grant on Self-harming Behaviors among the Youth. She has been a research team member with another FRGS led by UM (Ethics in Counseling), LRGS, UKM on (Kesan Intevensi Modul Psiko-pendidikan Pesakit Cancer), and KKM -Health promotion Grant with PERKAMA on Nutrition among school chidren and a sponsored research project with Yayasan Hasanah, amounted to RM143,050.00 on The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Students’ Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-being and currently on Hasan Langgulung research grant (HLRG). On publication, she was invited to contribute a chapter on Muslim beliefs and tradition in the Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience by SAGE, and chapters in several books (1) Loss of loved ones: Coping responses of bereaved Malays shared in grief support group, (2) Maintaining healthy lifestyle. Family Managemnt & Parenting. (3) An ecological perspectives on the challenges, needs and coping strategies of single mothers. She was also involved with the Ministry of Health/WHO in producing (1) Manual on Mental Health and Psychosocial Response to Disaster in Community (2) Psychological First Aid: Pocket Guide. (3) National Guidelines for Mental Health and Psychological Response to Disaster. She wrote a chapter on Manual Intervensi Kaunseling dalam Membantu Klien Hadapi Isu-isu Berkaitan Kehilangan yang Tersayang (Persatuan Kaunseling KPM), a proceeding on Conducting grief support group in Malaysia counselor’s profesional preparation (ProCoun 16) and recently co-authored a book on Crisis Intervention with PERKAMA International. She is/was an editorial board an a reviewer of a few local journals published by KPM, UM, PERKAMA. She is currently working on a few books including the Manual of Counseling Practicum and Internship Supervision, Conducting Group Counseling for Bereaved Clients, Psycho-educational modules for Group Guidance, Stress Across Ages, Case Conceptualization on Counseling Clients with Self-harming behaviors and Counseling Skills for educators. She was also the university for Nominee Best Teacher Award (Murabbi) and IUM Nominee for the national award for academician, Anugerah Akademik Negara (AAN) She is keen to assist schools and the community. Bringing her counseling students along, she has conducted support groups on Stress management and Test Anxiety for UPSR, PMR, SPM and career explorations for students at schools in Gombak and Shah Alam and selected B40 communities (co-organised with PERKAMA international). Her counseling students were challenged to help from various academic capabilities ranging from the most academically challenged to those are at the SBP level (Sekolah Berasrama Penuh). One of the most significant counseling activities conducted was the visit to the Marang Prison in 2018. 20 counseling students led support groups with about 40 young prisoners at Sekolah integriti to explore their struggles to change,and try to help them in preparing for life after their release. She led an event and her module was used by her students and counselors (from government ministries & agencies) who volunteerted to conduct Support groups for 400 Sabahan PLKNers whose families were affected by the Lahad Datu incidence organized by PERKAMA. She was also appointed by MOH as the Ahli Jawatankuasa Teknikal Pasca Bencana in 2013 and 2012, as the coordinator as CRT oordinator/liason for crisis volunteer activities. Recently, in 2024, she was appointed as a member of Sexual Harassment Tribunal by the Minister of Women, Families and community Development. She is an executive committee member of Persatuan Kaunseling Malaysia (PERKAMA INTERNATIONAL) for six (6) terms, holding different portfolios including CPD, Community Counseling & Young Counseling Scholars (YCS) and currently the Head editorial for PERKAMA journal. In 2012 With PERKAMA MOU with MAS, she appointed PERKAMA liason to MAS to assist and train Malaysia Airline caregivers Family Support for Flight disaster and other national crisis volunteers counseling activities. She was invited by the principal to conduct crisis intervention and grief counseling to affected family members and students after an event of suicide at one school in Selangor. She still kept her connections to assist with IIUM alumni counselors who came for help in managing high profile cases crisis and suicidal related cases. She is also an active member of Salam Relief, an NGO that carries out humanitarian activities. Salam Relief conducts community engagements with the poor, the homeless, the elderly and those at risks communities in need in both urban and rural areas, and immense herself for a few days with the Orang Asal in isolated areas in Kuala Lipis, Lojing, Ulu Tembeling, Royal Belum & Sg Siput. . Her TESL team normally engage with the young using play therapy activities to learn simple English and with medic team doing psycho-social home visit to the elderly and the sick. During COVID-19 she produced several articles (Columnists and Letters ) which were published by the New Straits Times (NST), sharing her thoughts and views mainly on Mental Health and Wellness during the Covid-19 crisis. She was actively involved as panel speaker for webinars and public forums mainly to help people to cope better during this crisis. During MCO, she volunteered her time with Talian Kaseh and facilitated several online support groups with students at IIUM (who live on campus) and KKM counselors. She was also appointed to be in the consultant team to discuss and validate the Minda Sihat program Norma Baru for all schools in Malaysia (KPM), SOP for Self-harm & suicidal (KKM) and module for group counseling (KPM). She is currently a resource person for the development of psycho-educational Module for the national MYSejahtera Apps under the National of Excellence for Mental Health (NCEMH) KKM. She received awards for innovations at several different innovation competitions. Bronze Medal “Living with Loss: New Shared Experiences in Grief Support Group at the IIUM Research, Invention & Innovation Exhibition 2013 (IRIE) 19th -20th 2013. She was also awarded two Medals Gold Medals (Academician) & Best Invention for the invention of IIUM Sejahtera Profiling (ISP) Web-Based App: A Screening Tool for Early Detection of Mental Health Issues at i-Counnovas 2.0 Konvensyen Kaunseling Kebangsaan ke 22. 2024: Bronze Medal I-Counnovas 4.0, PERKAMA, RISE24 Regional Counseling Convention. 7th -9th 2024, The Use of Client Stories to Conceptualize Counseling Cases. Bronze Medal /silver meda3rd International Competition on Sustainable Education(SUSED 2024) KOED, ‘Novice Counselors’ Anxiety Experiences During the Covid Pandemic’ Silver Medal and silver award from (SUSED 2023) KOED, entitled Using Drawing Activities to prepare students for a counselling case presentation’.