My counselling journey
For my first post, I thought I would start by detailing the long and winding road that led me to taking up counselling as a second career.
Having worked in the education sphere my entire career, I had always thought that I had found my calling. Working in learning and development for children, and later on, adults, was a deeply meaningful and enjoyable experience for me. I was also very fortunate to have worked in a wide range of organisations, from start-ups to non-profits, global tech companies and regional professional services firms. I even co-founded a literacy start-up called MYReaders in Malaysia that has since reached over 30,000 children!
Then, COVID happened.
I found myself feeling more and more challenged each day of being cooped up at home, staring at my different screens as each morning, it began to become harder and harder to wake up excited about the day. I began to struggle in ways I had not since my school days, forgetting simple tasks, getting extremely distracted and feeling very disengaged from my work.
I realised I needed help, and reached out to a psychologist who helped me realise that the pattern I was experiencing was due to having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This diagnosis really helped me understand many of my struggles in my adolescent years and was the beginning of helping me thrive, instead of just masking my challenges or working through them. Being neurodiverse is now something I am really proud of, and I hope to bring that perspective to my counselling work to help others embrace their differences.
During COVID, I took ‘The Science of Wellbeing’, an incredible course on positive psychology by Dr Laurie Santos, which opened my eyes to a different way of thinking about mental health and wellbeing. The course got me started on thinking about purpose and happiness, and the different traps that we often fall into as we play this game of life. It also helped me make some adjustments in my own life, such as investing more heavily in my community and beginning a gratitude practice.
During this period, I felt quite lost as I began to discover a deep desire to lead a meaningful, purposeful life but unsure about how to get there. While I enjoyed helping adults to develop professionally, I began to realise that I also wanted to help them develop personally as well. A group of friends and I formed a book club to read Design Your Life, a wonderfully practical book that helps you reassess your priorities and explore alternate paths. Through this process, I prototyped multiple 5 year plans - and the one which most excited me was the one where I became a counsellor!
It was a slow process of research and to test the waters, I took on The School of Positive Psychology’s Graduate Diplomate in Counselling and Psychotherapy, which further reaffirmed for me that I had made the right call (although studying while working is no mean feat, I’ll be honest!). After the programme, I decided I wanted to dive in fully and enrolled in Monash University for my Masters in Counselling. I have loved studying the theories of what makes us who we are, how we get in our own way and what we need to thrive. But even more, I have loved the practical aspects of counselling, and the endless ways that one can walk with another person towards finding peace, balance and joy.
If you’re feeling lost, or that you haven’t been able to find alignment in your life, rest assured that you’re not alone. And if you would like an affirming, supportive presence as you figure it out, do reach out to me!
