I have already completed my Bachelor's and am currently pursuing a PG diploma in Counseling, so I thought I'd share the story of what made me realise I wanted to pursue Counseling Psychology.

Before the pandemic hit, I was considering a shift in my career pursuits. I had decided to take a gap year and venture into internships that were related to psychology, but not counseling. I wanted to explore my options before landing on a specialisation. I suppose plans change. Once the pandemic hit, I stopped thinking about the future too much because the uncertainty of it all was stress inducing. My immediate goal was to just graduate. My final exams were over by May and I had no plan for what to do next. The news and social media told me stories of lay-offs and pay cuts and I was sure nobody would hire freshers like myself so I decided to just take a few months off. I signed up for online courses, attended webinars and read the news almost daily. I contacted friends and family on a weekly basis, to see how they were doing. All my information-seeking pointed me to the same conclusion, along with a physical pandemic, we had another crisis at hand. One that many people refuse to accept, i.e. mental health. Physical distancing coupled with the numerous adversities that the pandemic have brought upon individuals have led to unprecedented impacts on their psychological and social well-being. I have observed it in myself and those near and dear to me. 

Although the majority of Indians were previously and still continue to be reluctant about seeking-help, there is no denying that many do need help. I knew I wanted to fill the gap that exists between the number of people that need help and the number of services providers there are. I did not expect that a pandemic would rekindle my passion for the field of counseling. Considering that this realisation came fairly late, I was unable to apply for the suitable master’s programs. Hence, I enrolled into a diploma programme. I believe the diploma will provide me with the preliminary experience and boost I need, in order to apply for master’s programs in the following year.