ACT Kuala Lumpur Closure and Professional Clarification
Important clarification
ACT Kuala Lumpur was founded, financced and developed by me, Farah Gulamoydeen.
While Wan Kah Mun was associated with the initiative, she registered the ACT Kuala Lumpur name and logos as trademarks in her own name without informing me. I discovered this only after receiving legal correspondence from her that identified her as the business owner and sole director of ACT Kuala Lumpur and alleged that my own use of the name and logos was unauthorised.
I consider these actions a serious breach of professional trust, transparency and integrity. I have ended all professional association with Wan Kah Mun and do not endorse, support or have any involvement in psychological, training or other professional services currently offered by her.
I am sharing this information so that members of the public and the wider ACT community can understand why ACT Kuala Lumpur closed and make their own informed decisions about whom they choose to trust and engage professionally.
How ACT Kuala Lumpur began
In 2021, after years of training professionals in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy across Malaysia, I founded ACT Kuala Lumpur, also known as ACTKL, as an Australian-registered business name.
The initiative was created to serve as a central hub for growing the ACT community in Malaysia. It was founded by me, fully funded, developed through my professional work, and supported from the beginning by Forepsych Pty Ltd, an Australian company that I also founded.
ACTKL grew out of my value of contribution. Its purpose was to support ACT learning, practice and community-building in Malaysia in a way that reflected openness, generosity, integrity and collaboration.
Wan Kah Mun was invited to be associated with ACTKL during its development.
What happened
While we were still working together, Wan Kah Mun applied to register the ACT Kuala Lumpur name and logos as trademarks in her own name.
I was not informed of these applications before they were filed, while they were being processed or after they were approved.
I became aware of the registrations only after legal correspondence was issued to me. That correspondence named Wan Kah Mun as the business owner and sole director of ACT Kuala Lumpur and alleged that my own use of the ACTKL name and logos was unauthorised.
This prompted me to search Malaysia’s public trademark records, where I discovered that the ACT Kuala Lumpur name and logos had been registered as trademarks by Wan Kah Mun.
ACT Kuala Lumpur had not been registered as a Malaysian business under her ownership. I had not transferred ownership, authorship or stewardship of the initiative to her.
Why this was not simply a trademark disagreement
This was not merely a disagreement about a logo, branding or a technical legal process.
ACT Kuala Lumpur was an existing initiative that I had founded, built and supported through my professional work and through Forepsych Pty Ltd. Wan Kah Mun had been invited to participate in that initiative.
The concern is not simply that a trademark was registered. The concern is that the name and identity of an existing initiative were registered privately by a collaborator, without the founder’s knowledge, and were then used to assert sole ownership against the person who created and developed that initiative.
I regard this as a serious breach of professional trust, transparency and integrity.
Why this is inconsistent with the spirit of ACT
This also matters because the conduct is difficult to reconcile with the values that have traditionally shaped the international Acceptance and Commitment Therapy community.
ACT has grown through collaboration, shared learning, openness and a relatively non-hierarchical professional culture. Its ideas and resources have generally been developed in a spirit of contribution rather than control, with practitioners encouraged to support one another’s work rather than claim exclusive ownership over a shared professional movement.
There is no universal rule that ACT practitioners may never register a trademark, and trademarks may sometimes be used for legitimate practical reasons. The concern here is not the existence of a trademark by itself.
The concern is the private registration of an established ACT initiative’s identity by a collaborator, without the founder’s knowledge, followed by an assertion of sole ownership against the founder.
In my view, this was not consistent with the openness, collaboration, transparency and non-hierarchical spirit that ACT practitioners are encouraged to embody.
ACT is not only a set of techniques used with clients. It also concerns how we behave in our professional relationships, particularly when power, ownership, trust and personal interests are involved.
Professional values matter not only inside the therapy room, but also in how practitioners treat colleagues, collaborators and the communities they serve.
Why ACT Kuala Lumpur closed
As of 26 April 2025, ACT Kuala Lumpur is no longer an active initiative.
Its original training and development work has formally ceased. The platform is no longer operational, and any current use of the ACTKL name, logos or materials is not connected to me and does not reflect the intentions or values that guided its founding and development.
While the trademark registrations have no bearing on my previous or future professional work, I chose to cease ACTKL operations because I no longer wished for my work, name or professional values to remain associated with Wan Kah Mun.
This decision allowed me to draw a clear professional boundary and continue my ACT-related work under Forepsych.
My current position
I continue to maintain legal ownership of the Australian business name ACT Kuala Lumpur.
However, I have chosen not to pursue legal action over the Malaysian trademark registrations.
I stand by the record of my work, the history of ACT Kuala Lumpur and the values under which it was founded.
I name Wan Kah Mun in this statement because, to my knowledge, the ACT Kuala Lumpur name and logos continue to be used in connection with her work. I want to prevent confusion about my current involvement, endorsement or professional association.
For the avoidance of doubt:
- I am no longer professionally associated with Wan Kah Mun.
- I do not endorse or support services currently offered by her.
- I do not manage her appointments, enquiries, fees or professional communications.
- Current use of the ACT Kuala Lumpur name or logos should not be interpreted as representing me, Forepsych or the original ACTKL initiative.
Members of the public are encouraged to consider the information available and form their own view when deciding whom they wish to engage for therapy, training or other professional services.
A note about previous ACT Kuala Lumpur communications
If you previously emailed contact@actkualalumpur.com or interacted with ACT Kuala Lumpur and did not receive a reply, please note that this email account is now fully managed by me, Farah Gulamoydeen.
If you contacted ACTKL through its former social media platforms, please note that those accounts are no longer in operation.
Any responses you may previously have received should not be assumed to have been sent by me unless I clearly identified myself by name. They should also not be assumed to represent my views, involvement or endorsement.
If you have any confusion or concerns about past communication, you are welcome to contact me.
Your voice matters.
Moving forward
ACT Kuala Lumpur may have closed, but the values that led me to create it remain central to my work.
My ACT-related work will continue through Forepsych, with the same commitment to openness, contribution, integrity, collaboration and psychological flexibility.
Thank you to everyone who supported ACT Kuala Lumpur over the years and shared in its original vision.
I hope that those who were once part of the ACTKL community will continue to carry forward the values of generosity, ethical responsibility and professional courage.
Warmly,
Farah Gulamoydeen
Founder, ACT Kuala Lumpur
Director, Forepsych Pty Ltd
Disclaimer
This statement reflects my personal perspective and direct experience as the founder of ACT Kuala Lumpur.
It is published to clarify the closure of the original ACTKL initiative, my non-involvement in any ongoing use of the ACT Kuala Lumpur name, and the historical context relating to the ACTKL name, logos, trademark registrations and subsequent legal correspondence.
References to trademark registrations are based on records available through MyIPO. References to legal correspondence are based on documents received by me.
No court, regulatory body or professional disciplinary body has made a formal finding regarding the conduct described in this statement.
My assessment that the conduct represented a breach of professional trust, transparency and integrity is my own professional and personal view, based on the circumstances described above.
This statement is intended to prevent confusion, preserve an accurate public record and allow members of the public to make informed decisions. It is not intended to harass, defame, intimidate or invite action against any individual.