My experience as an intern and staff at TPO Nepal

-Sabina Sitaula

SR. Assistant | Uptake and Communication

When I first joined TPO Nepal as an intern, I was excited to be a part of the organization that works in the field of mental health and psychosocial support. I was also nervous because I had always been interested in mental health but had no prior experience. I still remember the first day when the HR Officer, Mr. Nagendra Bhandari, introduced me to the staff members at TPO Nepal. I was eager to learn something from everyone. Although I wasn’t sure how I could help them in their work, I am glad that I worked on some translations of English documents to Nepali and the transcription and translation of qualitative interviews. I had always been interested in psychotherapy and counseling too, so without being shy, I asked Mr. Bharat Gautam, a clinical psychologist at TPO Nepal, to include me in his counseling sessions with the clients if possible. With informed consent from clients, I was able to be a part of a few sessions. It was during those sessions that I learned how important it is to be kind to others, especially strangers because one can never know what a person is going through. The sessions also helped me become more non-judgmental and accepting.

After continuing my internship for over six months, I got an opportunity to join as a staff at TPO Nepal. I was more than happy to start my job as SR. Assistant / Uptake and Communication. It was while handling the social media sites of TPO Nepal that I learned how much difference language can make. Be it while creating some content on awareness or while doing regular updates of TPO’s work on social media, the language had to be simple and understandable. While creating awareness content to post on social media, I learned that psychoeducation is also about psycholinguistics. 

I had no idea that more was waiting for me. After a month and a half after starting my job, I got an opportunity to travel to Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Provinces. It was my first time ever traveling that far alone. What added to this experience was getting to work with the survivors of armed conflict in Nepal. The Nepalese Civil War, also known as the ‘People’s War’ was an armed conflict that lasted for ten years and was fought between the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) and the government of Nepal. During the war, more than 18,000 people lost their lives, thousands more were injured or displaced, and many were victims of grave human rights violations. The motto of my trip was to conduct a baseline survey for a project called “Integration of Livelihood into the MHPSS Program.”

The baseline study focused on assessing their physical health condition, mental health condition, economic condition, and social condition before enrolling them in a livelihood support program that would focus on providing holistic support to them. I learned so much about life from the perspective of people who were almost on the verge of losing their lives. Despite their physical and psychological suffering, some of them managed to remain optimistic about their future. Others were found to be questioning why they were even alive, as they thought death would ease their pain. Getting to interact with the survivors of torture firsthand, I realized how debilitating it can be to live with a mental health condition. Being more empathetic was one of the many things I learned from this journey. 

I feel nothing but grateful to TPO Nepal for providing me with such an opportunity. I’m looking forward to learning more in the coming days.