My first blog post will be my introduction.

Who is Parminder Thind? What made her decide to become a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor?

Let me start by a phrase that was on my mind since childhood – “I am not intelligent.” As an adult now, I know this not to be true but it is something I dealt with from my formative years through most of my life. It shaped my resistance to academic pursuits. Until I had two major crisis in my life: the loss of a serious relationship as well as the death of a family member. A week after those events in 2017, and after a suggestion from a dear friend, I enrolled in a three-year counselling program.

My childhood was chaotic. I grew up in a home with an alcoholic father. Today, my father is twenty-five years sober for which I am grateful. But the addiction caused unpredictable events which made my early life unstable. Because of these experiences, I was extremely anxious and insecure. I also grew up in the 1970s and 80s. Our family endured overt racism living in the suburbs. As a young girl, I found it difficult to be at home and also in the outside world.

Now, back to my counselling program. The most impactful part of the program was learning about family systems – in particular MY FAMILY SYSTEM. The more I understood my family system, the more normal I felt. I started to be less hard on myself. It made sense to me now why I had resistance to further education and why I did not speak up. Also, I learned anxiety can be passed down from generation to generation. This was an eye-opener. I investigated the anxiety that was multigenerational and it was illuminating.

I know myself better now. I understand and appreciate my gifts which include listening, empathy, and intuition. I strive to be judgement-free and advocate for social justice. My counselling colleagues, who are like my family, call me “Master Connector” because of my ability to connect with people and remain in a connection. I am passionate about counselling. I recognize my gifts as a counsellor and we can work together to support your own journey.

Today, I know I was mistaken about my intelligence. I am intelligent. I am proud of Parminder Thind.