Syifaa Mansor

I always find psychology and counselling fascinating and for so many years, I became the 'counsellor friend' in impromptu counselling sessions with my friends. During my studies, I was intrigued with the topics of Social Psychology - it covers a great deal of research on how people behave in social situations. I perceived that human beings tend to look for confirmation on the things they already believe. At the same time, the presence of other human beings can have powerful impacts on their behaviours. My work with the crisis hotline made me realise that people do not have to suffer alone. They have to be encouraged to reach out, to get help, to be heard. Every caller has a unique set of challenges they are facing, and some prefer to stay silent but they are crashing inside. It is important to me to provide psychological first aid and emotional support, with unconditional regard. I see the highest potential of people and I believe that after a crisis, people do become stronger as they cope better than they previously thought.