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Sister Janet Nethisinghe, FMM, M.A. ’91 writes: "I graduated in 1991 with a M.A in Counseling Psychology. I am from Sri Lanka and am a Catholic nun. Since I returned to the country I have been engaged in Counseling and Psychotherapy in a big way. In fact it is 20 years since I graduated and returned to Sri Lanka. I also had the opportunity to go back to California twice for updates and followed Course in Gestalt therapy, NLP, and EMDR. Now to share a bit of my work. Psychology and counseling is still not a very much popular field in Sri Lanka. We have very few qualified professional counselors and the vacuum is greatly felt as people suffered from two major disasters: the 2004 Tsunami and the 30 years of civil war. Right now we also need a lot of counselors for trauma counseling, because people had to undergo untold sufferings from the war, which ended in 2009. In a place where there is a dearth of counselors, my work has been very important. For the past 20 or so years I have been fully engaged in this field. In fact if I say I am one of the pioneers in this field, I am not wrong! I have not only done individual counseling but also trained many others in counseling. Three years ago, one of the Catholic colleges here began a B.S. in Counseling and Psychology Degree, which is also approved by the government (the government usually does not allow private universities). Our first batch of graduates had their graduation in 2010 and the second batch last week. I am so happy to be involved in this venture, as it caters to a very great need in our country. You might be surprised to learn that our country of 18 million people have only about 30-40 psychiatrists to cater to their psychological needs! We have a Counselors Association, and I was one time President of the same and currently one of the vice presidents. Apart from lecturing and conducting training programs, I also facilitate workshops in many places. I often think with great affection my time at Santa Clara University and I am really grateful to all my professors who helped me to learn with so much eagerness and commitment." –St. Anthony’s Convent, Sri Lanka