SOP Sample for MS Psychology in UK - Counselling Focus

Statement of Purpose

My fascination with psychology started at a very young age because of my parents, both of whom are mental health professionals. One might term my intrigue in the subject as environmentally conditioned, as I had exposure to the mental health field from an early age. It all began as a childhood curiosity regarding erratic behaviours I had observed in some of the people visiting my parents' workplace seeking help.

Years later, while working as a clinical intern at the outpatient department of a hospital, the distress levels and struggle I had witnessed in patients and families alike showed me exactly how debilitating mental illness can be, possibly even more so than a physical one. My internship experiences, combined with the numerous field trips made during the course of my master's degree to rehabilitation centres, halfway homes, special schools, and vocational centres reaffirmed my vision to give back to the community by training to be a qualified mental health professional.

I hail from a small town in Northeast India. At 18, I moved to a city far from home in search of better educational opportunities, exposure, and newer perspectives. A year later, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder—Lupus. From struggling to swallow food and requiring assistance in feeding and dressing myself to finally deciding to become a medium of help to other people experiencing distress through counselling, life has been nothing short of a roller-coaster learning experience. Now that my health condition has stabilized, I am slowly getting back into seeking out new life experiences. I am aware of the fact that I might have missed out on several opportunities in the past few years owing to my precarious health condition. Nevertheless, I have always been one to make meaningful use of any opportunity that came my way.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed my Master's degree in Psychology by a year. Due to health concerns, I took the tough decision to not appear for the final examination being held offline in the college premises during the peak of COVID infections in India in October 2020. I appeared for it a year later in 2021 and I am currently awaiting my final results. (As a record of the courses and credits undertaken during the Master's program, I have attached a transcript of the unattempted final semester examination.) Meanwhile, I utilized the year gap to hone my writing and research skills by working as a content developer for a mental health tele-consultation company in India. For the past year, I have been curating mental health content ranging from general awareness topics regarding therapy setting, therapist-client confidentiality to preparing informed consent forms for clients. A narrative therapy workshop instructor had once taught me the importance of the narratives one uses to tell stories. I attempt to apply this in my work every day by generating content that uses label-free language to raise awareness regarding the stigma surrounding mental health.

A lot of my experience in counselling has been derived from role-playing exercises carried out during counselling skills class or dyadic/triadic counselling exercises. However, it is my association (and I choose to call it an association, not a battle) with a chronic health condition that has taught me the most important lesson—an individual's subjective experiences hold infinite value, more than any textbook ever could describe. It has taught me resilience and instilled in me a deep faith in human potential and grit. It has taught me that every individual brings to the scene a unique set of life experiences that factor into understanding and therefore helping them. This is precisely what the humanistic school of thought in psychology encapsulates. I believe I am capable of applying these life lessons to the therapy setting and the M.Sc. Counselling and Psychotherapy program offered at [UNIVERSITY] would provide the ideal culmination ground to develop applicable skills that align with my life philosophy. The program further incorporates a practicum placement component and accreditation by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which could provide great opportunities for international students like myself to engage in experiential learning while fulfilling the minimum criteria required by professional bodies.

Apart from academics, I am a trained Indian classical dancer. Dance training from a young age has brought balance to my life, and has disciplined and grounded me as a person. It has opened me to alternate forms of creative expression and interpretation. Since psychology and dance have been the two biggest influences in my life, I also harbour a keen research interest in the intersection of psychology and movement. I have published a research article titled "Flow—Through the Eyes of Indian Classical Dancers" at [JOURNAL], studying the concept of flow from positive psychology in the context of Indian classical dancers. I have also written my master's dissertation on the socio-cultural influences on body image perception in Indian classical dancers.

I belong to a small community of tribesmen in Northeast India. To date, there is only a handful amongst us who have managed to shine through the myriad of obstacles we face as a community. Because of my parents, I have had the opportunity to pursue my higher education from some quality educational institutions in India. And now, I want to do my part by representing the community at an international level. I hope to exemplify that no obstacle is too big and no matter how obscure a town one hails from, one's dreams are valid and attainable. I seek to explore international boundaries to reach out far and wide, availing the best that academia has to offer.

A Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy from [UNIVERSITY] will stand me in good stead to pursue a career in a helping profession while allowing me to interact with a diverse student population and contribute towards the development of multi-cultural competency through a mutual learning process.