Professor Shian-Ling Keng

Professor Shian-Ling Keng

  • Professor
Department of Psychology
SDGs Focus

Biography

Prof. Shian-Ling Keng is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, School of Medical and Life Sciences at Sunway University. She is trained as a clinical psychologist, and her research focuses on the effects and mechanisms through which mindfulness-based interventions affect psychological and physical health. Additionally, she is interested in examining cross-cultural presentations of psychological disorders (e.g., borderline personality disorder), and adaptations of evidence-based interventions (e.g., dialectical behavior therapy [DBT]) in low resource contexts. Prof. Keng holds an adjunct associate professor appointment at Monash University Malaysia.

Prof. Keng received her B.Sc., M.A., and PhD in Clinical Psychology at Duke University in the United States, and completed her clinical residency at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada. Prior to joining Sunway University, she taught at Monash University Malaysia, and was a tenured associate professor and Head of Studies (Psychology) at Yale-NUS College, and assistant professor in Department of Psychology at the National University of Singapore.

Clinically, Prof. Keng has received intensive training in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), DBT, and mindfulness-based intervention approaches. She is the first clinician in Asia certified by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (USA), and a qualified teacher of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR). She serves as Chair of the Provisional Board of the Asia-Pacific Association for DBT, and sits on the Board of Directors of the World DBT Association. She has delivered professional DBT training locally and internationally, and her long-term vision is to help improve the quality and accessibility of mental health services in Southeast Asia through teaching, research, advocacy and community outreach.
 

Academic & Professional Qualifications

  • Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology), Duke University, USA (2013)
  • M.A. (Clinical Psychology), Duke University, USA (2010)
  • BSc. (Psychology and Biology), Duke University, USA (2007)

Research Interests

  • Mindfulness-based Interventions
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy
  • Emotion Regulation
  • Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Depression
  • Dissemination and Adaptation of Evidence-based Interventions

Teaching Areas

  • Psychological Disorders
  • Research Methods

Courses Taught

  • Psychological Disorders

Notable Publications

  1. Lee, S. S. M., Keng, S.-L., & Hong, R. Y. S. (2023). Examining intergenerational transmission of parental invalidation: Extension of the biosocial model. Development and Psychopathology, 35, 24-34.
  2. Tan, M. Y. L., Saw, Y. E., Keng, S.-L., & Lim, D. S. H. (2023). The impact of dialectical behavior therapy training on therapists in Singapore: A mixed-methods study. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 1-18.
  3.  Lee, S. S. M., Keng, S.-L., & Hong, R. Y. S. (2023). Validating the biosocial model of borderline personality disorder: Findings from a longitudinal study. Development and Psychopathology, 35, 24-34.
  4. Keng, S.-L., Stanton, M., Haskins, L., Almenara, C., Ickovics, J…. & Leander, N. P. (2022). COVID-19 stressors and health behaviors: A multilevel longitudinal study across 86 countries. Preventive Medicine Reports, 27, 101764.
  5. Keng, S.-L., Chin, J. W E., Mammadova, M., & Teo, I. (2022). Effects of mobile app-based mindfulness practice on healthcare workers: A randomized active controlled trial. Mindfulness, 13, 2691–2704.
  6. Keng, S.-L. & Hwang, E. Z. N. (2022). Self-compassion as a moderator of the association between COVID-19 stressors and psychological symptoms: A longitudinal study. Behaviour Change, 39, 263-274
  7. Keng, S.-L., Mohd Salleh Sahimi, H., Chan, L. F., Woon, L., Eu, C. L., Sim, S. H., & Wong, M. K. (2021). Implementation of a dialectical behavior therapy skills group among borderline personality disorder patients in Malaysia: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes. BMC Psychiatry, 21:486.
  8. Keng. S. -L., Looi, P. S., Tan, E. L. Y., Yim, O.-S., Lai, P. S., Chew, S. H., & Ebstein, R. (2020). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on psychological symptoms and telomere length: A randomized active-controlled trial. Behavior Therapy, 51, 984-996.
  9. Keng, S.-L. & Tan, H. H. (2018).  Effects of brief mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation inductions on emotional and behavioral responses to social rejection among individuals with high borderline personality traits. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 100, 44-53.
  10. Keng, S.-L., Smoski, M. J., & Robins, C. J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 31, 1041-1056.
     

Achievements & Accolades

  • 2023-2028: Chief Investigator, Wellcome Trust Mental Health Award (AUD$5,403,980) Project Title: Healthy Sleep Healthy Mind: An International Task Force to Create Adaptive Biopsychosocial and Environmental Models of Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and Youth Depression and Anxiety across Five Continents
  • 2024-2028: Collaborator, A*Star Human Potential - Prenatal and early childhood (HPP) Grant (SGD$4,999,998)
    Project Title:  Building Human Capacity in Singapore’s Population: A National Longitudinal Study of Child and Maternal Well-being
  • 2022-2023: Principal Investigator, Monash University Malaysia Seed Grant (RM10,385). 
    Project Title: Promoting Mental Resilience in the Sexual and Gender Minority Community using a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Approach
  • 2018-2021:  Principal Investigator, Singapore Social and Family Research Fund (SFRF) ( SGD113,353.68)
    Project Title:  The Influence of Adolescent Temperament/ Personality and Parenting on Adolescent Psychosocial Outcomes

Professional Associations

  • Certified ClinicianTM, DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (USA)
  • Qualified Instructor, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (Center for Mindfulness, University of California San Diego)
  • Board of Directors, World Dialectical Behavior Therapy Association (WDBTA)
  • Chair, Provisional Board, Asia-Pacific Association for Dialectical Behavior Therapy
  • Member, Malaysia Society of Clinical Psychology (MSCP)
  • Board-Approved Clinical Supervisor, Singapore Psychological Society