Meet Pratiksha

Hi, I'm Pratiksha Rajopadhyaya, from Kathmandu, Nepal. I knew I wanted to study Clinical Psychology, and I had a pros and cons list for every university I had shortlisted. I wanted a university that offered a holistic course on Clinical Psychology along with opportunities to explore other professional opportunities. The Psychology Plus scheme offered by USW really struck with me. All in all, USW appealed to me, and what I wanted with a Master’s degree. I am here on Chevening Scholarship offered by the FCDO!

My favorite part of the course is the people I study with. We have a group of very diverseand inclusive people, and extremely supportive team of  lecturers. The coursework and assessments have been overwhelming but it has been nice to go through this adventure with my friends.

My advice to future students would be do your research – and a lot of it! There are lots of options for study but find a course and a university that fits you. And it rains a lot, so buy a raincoat and rain boots. Makes life easier.

In the future I plan on going back to Nepal to work in the mental health field. There’s a lot of progress that needs to be made in terms of mental health services and awareness back home. My main goal in life is to create trauma informed safe spaces for people to share their emotions and vulnerabilities. I want to ensure people get access to quality mental health services at affordable rates. There’s also lack of research on mental health scenarios in context of Nepal and/or South Asia, so I would definitely be tapping into that area if and when I get the opportunity to.