SMa School of Management

IT STARTED out as a work stint at the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (Minds).

Hema Thenarassu didn't expect to discover her passion for counselling and psychology there and to further her education in the field.

The 20-year-old is currently pursuing a Specialist Diploma in Psychology (Counselling Psychology) at the SMa School of Management.

After her O levels, the former Chua Chu Kang Secondary School student wanted to gain some work experience before deciding what to further her studies in.

In 2006, she gave tuition and did customer service and administrative jobs while retaking a few of her O-level subjects as a private candidate.

From December that year, Hema started working as a training officer at Minds.

She interacted with clients as young as 19 as part of her job and become interested in the different ways that people react. She decided that she wanted to learn how to interact with and manage people.

Desire to learn

Her desire to understand how and why people react in certain ways was also fuelled by the stories she had heard from friends who came from violent homes.

"I wanted to do something to help others in similar positions,"Hema said.

She enrolled in SMa in November 2007 and is expecting to finish the 10-month long programme in April.

The official training arm of the Singapore Manufacturer's Federation, the SMa School of Management offers courses in areas, like science, commerce and mass communications.

Hema said she decided to enrol in the school after speaking to one of its consultants.

She said: "The modules seemed interesting so I gave it a go. I'm glad to say I've no regrets."

Now a full-time training officer with Minds, Hema spends her day at work helping clients with their recuperative efforts.

This sees Hema helping clients with simple activities which teach them basic life skills. She also has to manage their behaviour.

After noting down the activities she took the clients through at the end of each session, it is off to class for Hema. She attends evening lessons twice a week at SMa's Spring Campus in Bukit Merah.

She said: "The programme has helped me better understand the emotional aspects and rationale behind behavioural reactions.

"It's practical and useful as I can apply what I've learnt directly. It's helped me a good deal."

Besides lecturers who go the extra mile to explain a concept, Hema said the informal tone of the lessons also helps her.

"We do share our experiences often, and it's useful to hear and learn from what others did.We also do a lot of our own research," said Hema. She cited the example of a module she did, "Disorders of Early Childhood".

She said: "At work, I didn't realise why things were happening in a certain way until I related them to what was shared in class.

"I was then able to apply what I learnt to help the clients. It takes a lot of patience, but it is worth it."

Her supervisors at work have commented that the clients under Hema's care have shown improvement.

She said: "There's this great sense of satisfaction when you realise that you did a good job, and that you did your bit to help an individual."

After obtaining the Specialist Diploma, Hema will qualify for direct entry into the second year of either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Psychology programmes at Australia's Edith Cowan University.

The Bachelor of Arts option allows students who are interested in psychology to pursue it from an arts and humanities perspective while the Bachelor of Science course is provided for students with a science and technology background.

Said the aspiring counsellor: "I want to further my studies in the area.

"It gives me the chance to meet different people. And it is a challenging and unique experience each time I encounter a new person."