The Looking Glass – Finding the Light at the End of the Tunnel: A Journey of Healing, Purpose, and Hope
Abirami Kankatharan is in her second year of the Master of Relational Family Therapy program at the Maplewoods Centre at the University of Guelph. Growing up in the Tamil community, Abirami became aware of the lingering stigma surrounding mental health, which inspired her to foster acceptance and support within her community. Her experiences supporting friends, family, and community members motivated her to pursue a career in psychotherapy and counselling. Through her work, Abi strives to increase mental health representation, empower BIPOC individuals and families, and shift cultural perceptions to build a more inclusive and supportive community where seeking mental health care is embraced rather than feared.
Finding the Light at the End of the Tunnel: A Journey of Healing, Purpose, and Hope
By Abirami Kankatharan, Master of Relational Family Therapy Program
Breaking the Silence: Pursuing My Passion for Mental Health
Growing up in the Tamil community, mental health is not always at the forefront of conversations. While there has been recent, growing acceptance and awareness towards mental health, the stigma still lingers. In my time supporting the Tamil community through various organizations, I have always felt that there was something more that needed to be done to support the growing generations. Seeing younger generations and older Tamil parent immigrants struggling was heartbreaking for me. It takes a lot of courage for an individual to be vulnerable with oneself and share personal experiences, especially in a community that holds onto this stigma. I wanted to be a person who honours that vulnerability. As someone who has wanted to work in the field of mental health, I was not always met with the understanding and support I had hoped for from my community. One of my hopes in pursuing this career is to foster acceptance and encourage my community to seek the mental health support they need.
Turning Hope Into Action Through My Professional Journey
I wanted to come to the Maplewoods Centre for Family Therapy and Child Psychology to pursue my passion and become a Registered Psychotherapist in the Master of Relational and Family Therapy program. My interest in mental health was solidified when I discovered that the Maplewoods Centre provides therapy services to Guelph and the surrounding areas. This showed the level of dedication that the centre and program have towards fostering mental health care in the community, and I wanted to be a part of that.
Being a student and while providing therapy services as a therapist intern has been invaluable to my training as a psychotherapist as well as my future career trajectory. I have always wanted to pursue a helping profession, particularly in psychotherapy and counselling work. My personal experiences with supporting friends and family members through depression, suicide ideation, and grief have been strong motivating factors for me. Witnessing loved ones experience loneliness and sadness inspired me to support others in similar situations, which has led me to engage in various volunteering initiatives, including facilitating support groups at local organizations such as Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).
Illuminating the Path Forward
During my time here at the Maplewoods Centre, I have come to recognize the importance of wanting to instill hope in others—a value that comes from my own desire to bring hope and care to the Tamil community. Therapy is beautiful and meaningful work because it gives the opportunity to hold hope for others. Something that I cherish about being a therapist intern and a student in the program is being able to see how my learning translates into my work, and then seeing the impact it has on others. Supporting and helping individuals find the guiding light at the end of a dark tunnel and being a witness to this type of transformative change continuously reminds me why I wanted to do this work.
I aim to use my experiences and skills to shift how the Tamil community and broader society view mental health. I want to help those who are struggling to see hope. By increasing representation in the field, I hope to empower BIPOC individuals and families to access the care and support they deserve.
Blue Monday: Finding Support During the Winter Months
The third Monday of January is often referred to as “Blue Monday.” Sometimes called the Monday blues, it reflects feelings that many people experience at this time of year due to factors such as unmet New Year’s resolutions, Seasonal Affective Disorder, shorter daylight hours, and colder weather. While the winter months can naturally slow us down and affect motivation, they can also make everyday activities feel more difficult than usual.
It’s important to remember that you’re not alone during this time, and support is available if you need it. If you or someone you know could benefit from additional support, therapy services are available at the Maplewoods Centre.