I knew that I wanted to be a counsellor from a young age, after witnessing first hand the positive impact of speaking to a counsellor and how that affected my life. You see, I was first made aware of the fragility of life at the age of 10, when both of my parents were diagnosed with terminal illnesses within a few months of each other. My perfect world and happy childhood came to an abrupt end that year.

First of all, please understand that I tell you this not for sympathy but because I want to be 100% transparent about my reasons for becoming a counsellor. I consider myself today, a product of good counselling. If I wasn’t given the right guidance at that particular juncture in my life, I may have taken a different path to what I have taken now. My school counsellor made me realise that I should never lose sight of my inner strength; to know that no matter how bad things get, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, Always!

I’ve experienced a lot of loss in life. I’ve lost many family members, including a child. The utter heartbreak that you feel makes you think that moving forward with your life is impossible. I now know that this is not the case. You can not only move forward, but you can thrive and inspire other people in the process. Moving forward is not about forgetting, but finding ways to cope and to use the experience to do good for yourself and for other people. I understand the journey through to the other side of that despair and how difficult and overwhelming the grieving process is, but also how beneficial the support around you is too.