Dr. SOEURN Visal
I was born and grew up in the province. There was very little information about how to continue into university life when I passed Grade 12. It was a huge challenge firstly to decide to continue my education and then to decide which university and what subjects to take. My decision was made in the end based on support from my brother.
In 2010, I graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology. My overwhelming thought on graduation was that “I could be a good listener for people around me to help them share thoughts and seek emotional support from me.”
The starting point of my working journey was actually during my university life, as a student. I joined many workshops and training and did volunteer work and internship in a wide variety of workplaces in many different positions because I wanted to explore what the best fit was for me within the field of mental health.
In 2010, I was employed as a counsellor in an international organization that provided counselling to the survivors of those people who had experienced trauma as a result of slavery, trafficking, or abuse. Seeing the huge need and at the same time the limited human resources in mental health, I pursued and completed a Master of Counselling and Clinical Psychology in 2017.
Since 2018, I have worked at the University of Puthisastra. This provides me with a great opportunity to be able to share my knowledge and skills through education in leading our two-year Diploma in Health Counselling. This diploma helps contribute to the ongoing development of human resources within mental health. I am also able to provide mental health support on a large scale to students, staff, and other NGO partners. With the support of my colleagues, supervisors and the UP management team, I really enjoy working here.
