For years, I have enjoyed being the one my friends know they can come to if they need to vent. On my sports teams, most of the girls were younger than me, so I often acted as the mother or older sister of the team, which included helping the girls with problems concerning boys, family, school, or any number of things. Even if I couldn't give helpful advice, I could still listen as they worked out their thoughts.

In high school, I became aware that several of those close to me suffered from depression or anxiety, so I began to devote many of my school projects to research on the illnesses. Mental illnesses and how they affect the brain fascinates me; many facts that I discovered in my research were staggering. The amount of people affected by mental illnesses is extreme; one in four college students suffer from one or several such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia (which comes in various forms other than hallucinations and hearing voices). Every forty seconds, someone dies from suicide, which often results from untreated depression. Though mental illnesses are widespread, they are very treatable through methods such as medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes (diet, exercise). My desire is to help treat as many of those affected as I can through counseling, specifically with high school and college age students.

I am a strong believer in talking out your problems. Letting an issue fester inside your heart is painful, and that pain can translate into anger and then hurt other people. My first instinct is to either journal about my thoughts, or talk with my best friends, searching for advice or even just a place to express my feelings. Others may feel uncomfortable talking to people they know about how they are feeling. This hesitation can result from a desire for privacy, fear of judgment, fear of being a burden, or other factors. In these cases, talking to a stranger about your problems can be easier than talking to an acquaintance.

At this point, personal counselors, psychiatrists, and therapists come into the picture. This stranger does not have a pre-existing opinion of you so they can look at the situation with no judgment or bias. In addition, a licensed counselor has gone through schooling and testing to achieve her title. She is, therefore, qualified to give learned advice, speak encouragement into a very dark place or -- in the case of a psychiatrist -- prescribe medication to help adjust chemical imbalances in the brain. Patient/doctor confidentiality protects the patient's desire for privacy. Even if she does nothing else for her patient, the counselor is there to listen if the patient simply needs someone to vent to.

One of the biggest subjects that my friends vent to me about is not feeling loved, or feeling inferior to the people around them. My response is always to show them as much love as I can and assure them of their worth. Each person desires to be loved and to see that love taking root and flourishing in their lives. When someone is struggling with feeling acceptance and affection, they only see where love has withered in contrast to where it is blooming. A girl who has gone through a recent breakup may fail to see the care that her friends are trying to bestow on her because the only thing she can see is the lack of affection where her boyfriend once was. Despite her struggling, she is still loved. She is always loved. She has strength inside her to move past the hurt she feels. I desire to show love and support to anyone who is struggling to see it in their lives.

I cannot wait to be in a profession that allows me to do something I am passionate about.