I envision applying my counseling degree to work closely with individuals, families, and groups in community and educational settings to work in the mental health sector. My primary goal is to serve as a professional counselor and a professor of counseling. I want to ensure that my clients get the support required for their mental health and emotional well-being by providing a safe space of relationship where clients feel heard, seen, accepted, understood, and empowered. In that space, clients will be equipped with emotional support, coping strategies, insight, and recognize their strengths.

The safe space of a counseling relationship will enable them to manage their life’s stresses as well as to create a lifestyle that resonates with their authentic self. I believe my ethnic background, inclination to spirituality, upbringing in a collectivistic society, my professional experiences from Nepal, and my continuing education and training in the U.S. will also enhance my counseling practice and teaching as it allows me to see mental health and healing from a holistic perspective—emphasizing the connection between physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Several factors contributed to my professional goal of becoming a counselor. Firstly, my deep interest in human behavior and the biopsychosocial factors that influence the development of an individual sparked my desire to enter the counseling field. I have always been an observant and sensitive person who has a strong passion for helping others and an ability to listen and empathize with people. Secondly, my growing interest in trauma and my constant queries about ‘Why are we the way we are, and how can we be better versions of ourselves?’ led me to realize that clinical psychology was not my field. I could not accept the idea that diagnosing people based on their symptoms and working to manage their symptoms would be a major part of what I wanted to do in my life. I believed the counseling was a good fit as I saw people as more than their symptoms and strongly believed in their innate ability to expand and grow. I somehow intuitively knew that symptoms were just some fruits we could see with our naked eyes; our answer lay on the roots. I was more interested in getting into the roots and understanding the whole tree to decrease the suffering created by the quality of fruits presented in the trees. Then I learned that the whole field of Counseling existed, I knew I had found my calling.

The prospect of being a professional counselor is deeply meaningful to me. The privilege of being in a profession that continuously requires me to be mindful, aware, self-reflective, compassionate, nonjudgemental, and accepting feels more like a spiritual journey. I have first-hand experience of how counseling can make a significant difference in the lives of people and how rewarding the satisfaction that is derived from the work we do with our clients can be. The experience of witnessing optimum resilience, growth, healing, transformation, strength, and raw humanness among all of us brings the reward in the form of contentment.

Overall, I look forward to walking with my clients and students on their transformation and well-being journey and contributing subtly to creating a more compassionate world.