As the semester slowly comes to end, students are beginning to prepare for the Spring semester. One student in particular is counting down the days until the first day back.

Graduate student Akshatha Mohan is studying to get her master’s degree in counseling psychology to become a therapist.

“I applied to Texas universities, and they asked me what courses I was looking for and I listed counseling psychology,” Mohan said. “In India, counseling psychology is very popular. [In the end, Angelo State] was the college that was offering what I wanted to study.”

Back in India, Mohan graduated with her bachelor’s degree in psychology and studied several components about psychology.

“Counseling was something that pulled me in,” she said. “I wanted to learn more about it.” 

   

Once at ASU, Mohan said Texas’ curriculum and teaching style are very different from those in India. Adjusting to the curriculum was not the challenge. Instead, it was getting used to the classroom.

“In India, it is very formal, and here I don’t see that formality one bit,” Mohan said. “Adjusting to the curriculum wasn’t hard, and I like hard things. With respect to the classroom [setup], that was slightly hard because I wasn’t at all used to it.”

After making the adjustment to the customs here in Texas, Mohan struck up a friendship with Traci Eichin, a graduate assistant with the College of Graduate Studies.

“I am so excited for [Akshatha],” Eichin said. “When she said that she had been in contact with a hospital in India that was willing to supervise her for her practicum, I knew it was a possibility.”

Within her degree, Mohan is required to have 300 hours of practicum, meaning practical experience. 100 of those hours need to direct client interaction, and the other 200 hours can be done indirectly, she said.

While trying to decide where to do her practicum, Mohan came up with the idea of working in India since she would return there after graduation.

“What flashed to my mind was, ‘How could I do this from India?’” Mohan said. “I would be going back there and settling down, so it made more sense to me to get practical exposure of the area where I am going to deal with clients.”

Mohan was skeptical about the idea but immediately went to talk with her professor to get the project approved. And he did approve.

“It took quite a long time to get everything figured out, but it was worth it.”

Mohan approached an organization called Manasa Psychiatric Association, based India. After she made contact with the organization, they quickly responded and granted sponsorship for her practicum hours.

“This is a huge organization, and there are psychiatrics and psychologists working together,” she said. “They have expertise in treating depression, anxiety, etc.”

Mohan said, after she got everything worked out between the organization and school work, she shared the news with her family. They were very happy for her.

“Initially when I started off, I just told my uncle, who lives in Austin, and he said whatever help I needed, they would be there for me,” Mohan said. “I then spoke to my parents. They were really happy with the fact that the college would let me [travel] to do my practicum.”

Eichin said that many students from different countries come to ASU, but she has yet to see anyone who has completed an internship or practicum internationally.

“I always knew that ASU was an outstanding university, and [the fact that ASU supports Akshatha’s international work] just confirms it,” she said. “This sets a precedent for all international students who will return home after completing their programs here.”

Mohan is looking at two different paths once she graduates. One is to enroll for the National Counselor Examination (NCE) to get her Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) license. The second option involves putting counseling on the back burner.

“I was working with Goldman Sachs in India, so going back to the stream of investment banking [would be good] until I stabilize and get to know more about counseling,” Mohan said. “I am looking to do investment banking and learn the skills simultaneously so I can quit investment banking and completely jump into counseling.”

The first day of the spring semester is Jan. 13. Mohan said she will begin her practicum on either the 15th or 16th. She will stay in India the whole semester, regularly video-chatting with her class to give updates. Mohan said the university has given her a lot of support.