The Suicide On The World Trade Center Occurred - 1394 Words

For as long as I can remember, I have been driven to help others in stressful life situations. While I was in elementary school, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center occurred. Following the devastating event, I found myself experiencing separation anxiety from my parents since they were both working in New York City only a few blocks away from the attack. Upon the advice of my teacher, I visited the school counselor regularly for a few months. She was extremely understanding and patient. She helped me to understand my fears and to successfully overcome them. She gave me worksheets and breathing exercises to practice at home. With each session, I felt unconditional support and comfort. I benefited greatly from our sessions, and to†¦show more content†¦I knew I was most interested in my Clinical, Experimental, and Abnormal Psychology courses. Learning about the various mental disorders and working with the DSM is my passion. It was not until I was in my senior year o f college and went through some challenging events in my life that I realized I wanted to be a counselor. The life changing experience I went through was when my beloved childhood friend, Michael, died of Leukemia. He responded very well to a bone marrow transplant, but while recovering he contracted an infection and passed away within a few days. It was inconceivable that someone we loved was taken so early on in life and my family was distraught with grief. During that difficult time, I was taking Abnormal Psychology and learning about death, grieving, and coping. I was very engaged in this topic as I was searching for a way to cope with this major loss and to help my sister work through her grief. My sister and I had many heartfelt discussions on this subject which greatly helped ease our sorrow. Many people feel hopelessness and are struggling everyday with issues both big and small. My life experiences have taught me that not only do I have a strong desire to help others with t heir struggles; I am capable of making a difference in their lives. This is when I wanted to aspire to become a Mental Health Counselor. While I was helping my friends and family through these difficult times, I did not realize it at the time, but I was