Zeyad Abdelhay | Clinical Mental Health Counseling Graduate Student

About Me

A Purpose-Driven Path

My journey to counseling is deeply personal and purpose-driven. I was raised in a context where mental health was often misunderstood or stigmatized, and I know how difficult it can be for individuals and families to seek support when emotional struggles are minimized, hidden, or viewed with shame. As an Arab immigrant who moved to the United States as an adult, I have also experienced the challenges of cultural transition, identity adjustment, and learning to navigate life between worlds. These experiences shaped my belief that mental health care must be culturally aware, respectful, and accessible.

I am especially motivated to serve individuals and families from multicultural, immigrant, and underserved communities, including populations that may feel uncertain about counseling or encounter barriers to care. I hope to be part of reducing stigma and helping create spaces where people feel safe, understood, and supported. My goal is to grow as a counselor who listens with empathy, honors each client's story, and works collaboratively toward healing and change.

At the same time, I bring a strong professional foundation from my prior career in consulting and business analysis. For years, I worked closely with clients in high-responsibility, high-communication roles that required trust, clarity, patience, and careful listening. That experience strengthened my ability to ask meaningful questions, understand complex concerns, and build rapport across different backgrounds—skills that continue to serve me as I transition into counseling training.

I am currently pursuing my Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and preparing for practicum and internship placement in Fall 2026. My path into counseling is grounded in both personal and professional experience: I come from a multicultural background, immigrated to the United States from Egypt, and have seen firsthand how stigma, displacement, and cultural barriers can affect mental health support.

Mission & Values

What Guides My Work

My Mission

My mission is to contribute to mental health care in a way that is culturally responsive, ethically grounded, and deeply human. I am committed to helping reduce mental health stigma in communities where emotional struggles are often silenced, misunderstood, or carried alone. Through counseling, I hope to support individuals navigating life transitions, identity conflicts, trauma-related experiences, and the challenges of adapting across cultures. As I grow in clinical training, I aim to offer care that is respectful, collaborative, and centered on each client's lived experience.

Core Values

Cultural Responsiveness

I believe effective counseling must consider culture, family systems, identity, and context—not just symptoms.

Respect & Dignity

Every client deserves to be met with compassion, curiosity, and respect, regardless of background or life circumstances.

Trust & Human Connection

Healing starts with feeling safe. I value relationship-building and a counseling environment where clients feel seen and heard.

Stigma Reduction

I am especially committed to normalizing mental health support in communities where seeking help may carry fear or shame.

Journey to Counseling

From Consulting to Counseling

Before entering graduate counseling training, I built my career in the technology field, primarily in client-facing consulting and business analysis roles. In that work, I partnered with organizations to understand complex needs, ask the right questions, and guide people through difficult decisions and transitions. Over time, I realized that the part of my work I found most meaningful was not only solving technical problems—it was listening to people, understanding what they were experiencing, and helping them feel supported through uncertainty.

That realization, combined with my own lived experiences as an immigrant and as someone who has witnessed the effects of political trauma and cultural stigma, led me toward counseling. I wanted to move into a profession where the human relationship itself is central, where careful listening and empathy are not secondary skills but the foundation of the work. Counseling felt like the right path to bring together my personal values, my communication strengths, and my desire to serve communities that are often overlooked or underserved.

Today, as a Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate student, I am intentionally building my clinical identity through coursework, skills development, and preparation for supervised practicum and internship experience. I am entering this field with humility, maturity, and a strong commitment to learning. My goal is to become a counselor who combines compassion with professionalism, and cultural understanding with evidence-based care.

Clinical Interests

Areas I Am Drawn To

While I am still in training and open to learning across settings and populations, I am especially drawn to counseling work that supports individuals navigating cultural, relational, and life transition challenges.

Multicultural Counseling

Supporting clients from diverse cultural backgrounds, including those navigating identity, belonging, and intergenerational differences.

Immigrant & Refugee Mental Health

Working with immigrants, refugees, and newcomers adjusting to life transitions, loss, displacement, and cultural adaptation.

Mental Health Stigma & Help-Seeking Barriers

Supporting clients from communities where counseling may be unfamiliar or stigmatized, and helping make therapy feel safe and accessible.

Life Transitions & Adjustment

Working with individuals facing major life changes: relocation, career transitions, family role changes, and identity shifts.

Anxiety, Stress & Emotional Overload

Helping clients understand and manage stress, anxiety, and emotional challenges in a grounded, collaborative way.

Adults & Young Adults

Working with adults and young adults navigating relationships, work pressures, identity development, and personal growth.

What I Bring to a Training Site

Strengths & Transferable Skills

As a practicum/internship trainee, I bring a combination of lived experience, professional maturity, and transferable communication skills that support client-centered counseling work. I understand the importance of supervision, ethics, and continued growth.

Strong Rapport-Building & Interpersonal Communication

My prior work required me to build trust quickly with clients from different backgrounds, communicate clearly in complex situations, and create a sense of structure and support during high-stakes conversations.

Structured Interviewing & Thoughtful Questioning

Through consulting and business analysis, I developed strength in asking clear, purposeful questions, gathering meaningful information, and understanding the bigger picture without rushing to conclusions—skills that translate well to intake and assessment conversations.

Multicultural Perspective & Cultural Sensitivity

As an Arab immigrant and Arabic speaker, I bring lived experience navigating culture, identity, adaptation, and stigma. I approach people's experiences with cultural humility and a strong respect for context.

Professionalism & Reliability

I come into counseling with years of experience in professional environments where documentation, accountability, communication, and follow-through were essential. I value consistency and take responsibility seriously.

Calm Presence in Complex Conversations

I am comfortable staying grounded in emotionally charged or uncertain situations. I aim to bring a calm, steady, and respectful presence that helps others feel heard.

Growth Mindset & Openness to Supervision

I understand that practicum and internship are training experiences. I welcome feedback, value clinical supervision, and am committed to developing my skills in an ethical and reflective way.

Education & Training

Academic Background

I am currently enrolled in a Master's program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and preparing for practicum and internship placement in Fall 2026. My graduate studies is helping me build a foundation in counseling theory, ethics, multicultural counseling, and clinical skill development.

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Midwestern State University

Expected Graduation: August, 2027

Practicum & Internship

Open to Opportunities — Fall 2026

I am seeking a practicum and internship placement for Fall 2026 where I can continue developing my counseling skills through strong supervision and meaningful client work. I am especially interested in training environments that value cultural responsiveness, ethical practice, and a collaborative approach to care. I would be grateful for opportunities in community mental health, counseling practices, integrated care settings, or other sites serving diverse populations.

I am particularly interested in sites that work with multicultural communities, immigrants, refugees, young adults, and individuals navigating life transitions, adjustment challenges, and barriers to mental health support.

Get in Touch

Resume & Background

Professional Background

My professional background includes years of client-facing work in consulting and business analysis, where I developed strengths in communication, assessment, and relationship-building. I now bring those skills into my counseling training with a clear sense of purpose and a commitment to serving others through mental health care.

Download My Resume View LinkedIn Profile

Contact

Let's Connect

Thank you for visiting my page. If your practice or organization offers practicum or internship opportunities for counseling graduate students, I would welcome the opportunity to connect. I am happy to share my resume, availability, and any additional information needed as part of your placement process.

I appreciate your time and consideration, and I look forward to learning from a supportive clinical training environment.