As an aspiring counsellor, I'm eager to share my journey with you. My name is Leonie McIntosh, and I'm currently in my second year of a Bachelor of Counselling program at Griffith University. Before embarking on this path, I owned a boutique gallery that supported Australian artists and designers. While I loved working closely with people, I realised that the retail side of the business wasn't for me. So, I sold my business and began pursuing my passion for psychology. In 2022, I completed the first year of a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) degree at QUT, where I achieved high distinctions despite being away from academia for quite some time. Although a lot of the coursework was meaningful to me, a career as a psychologist didn't quite fit my values. It was when I was studying a counselling subject in semester 2 that I discovered my true calling. In 2023, I transferred to Griffith University to pursue a new path with a Bachelor of Counselling degree. As part of my degree at Griffith, I recently had the opportunity to intern as a Police Referral Officer at a busy suburban community centre. In this role, I was able to put my learning into practice and help vulnerable people in my community to overcome difficulties and improve their standard of living. I enjoyed deeply connecting with people helping them uncover their strengths and resilience and empowering them. Join me on this journey as I work towards becoming a compassionate and empathetic counsellor.