Finding my passion...

Monday, October 26th, 2020 - Sunday, November 1st, 2020

This week, I had the amazing opportunity to speak with psychiatrist Dr. Zia Uddin and got my first glimpse into the life of a professional in my field of interest. Going into this interview, I was nervous because I did not know what to expect, but Dr. Uddin was very kind and gave me insightful information. One very interesting thing about my conversation with Dr. Uddin was that he shared the same reasoning for going into the field of psychiatry as me. Both of us share the same cultural background as Indians and agreed that the negligence of mental health in our culture needs to be fixed. Being able to talk to someone who connected with me on this was inspirational, as I know now that I can make a difference in the lives of others, just as Dr. Uddin has. Along with this, I learned more about how psychiatrists can treat athletes who are experiencing problems with self-confidence, anxiety, etc. and has opened up another area of psychiatry for me to delve deeper in.

Along with Dr. Uddin, I also had the pleasure to interview psychologist Dr. Sanaz Adibian of New Horizons Center for Healing. The theme of my conversation with her was the internal journey, as she stressed the importance of learning more about myself to help others learn about themselves. I also took away an idea from Dr. Adibian about how nothing is permanent, and any problem that you may have can be solved. This is a crucial concept for approaching therapy, as many patients may walk in with the notion that the problems they are facing will never go away. However, reassuring them that they will be healed through therapy can help strengthen the therapist-patient relationship and ensure that the patient sees progress through their therapy.