I was bullied in high school and it took a toll on my mental well-being (in this case, my self-esteem and depressive mood). Thankfully, I was able to bounce back through the support of my family and a few very close friends. I was disappointed with how the school dealt with the issue; despite informing my parents and the school about the bullying, no proper action was taken. This made me aware of the significant lack of mental health awareness in schools, and if left alone, could elicit significant problems. This realisation sparked my interest in Clinical Psychology, and my wanting to help people who face similar difficulties in life.

My desire led me to my undergraduate studies in the University of Queensland. Upon completion, I worked as a Behaviour Therapist for three and a half years, using Applied Behaviour Analysis to help children with Autism make progressive changes in their behaviour. In my time there, I worked with my supervisors to tailor make programs to fit the children’s ability and also provided training to parents to support their child’s learning in the home setting. Although I enjoyed working with these children, I wanted to broaden my scope and hopefully, touch more lives, so I decided to enrol into HELP University’s Masters of Clinical Psychology program to better equip myself.

During my time working as a trainee therapist at the Centre for Psychological and Counselling Services (HELP’s training facility), the Mind Psychological Services and Training, Dignity for Children Foundation, and SOLS Health, I had the opportunity to work with children, adolescents, adults with depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, relationship problems, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and suicidal ideation. I have also been trained in managing crisis situations/ calls, as well as conducting comprehensive psychological assessments with adults and children. I mainly use Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to help clients to challenge and reframe unhelpful thought patterns; by doing so, it would help clients to perceive their situation in a more rational way and to improve the way they feel. I also use techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help clients deal with painful thoughts and feelings effectively. I have also conducted various workshops, which covers topics such as Stress Management, Anger Management, Bullying-prevention, and Coping with Suicide. Therapy is a process; it requires both therapist and client working hand in hand to achieve a common goal. It can be challenging and scary at the same time but I believe by working together as a team, we can achieve the goals that you have set out to achieve. Thank you for allowing me to come along with you on this journey.